Entry III: Present or Absent?
The following day, I woke up a bit earlier than usual. I didn't want to be late again, especially now that I had this strange yet heavy title on my shoulders: Class Mayor of BSCE 1-Roebling. It still hadn't fully sunk in yet. I kept asking myself how I, a quiet and fairly average student from the inner city, ended up holding such responsibility. But no matter how many times I questioned it, it was real.
I stepped onto the university grounds with a slightly nervous pace. The morning breeze gave me a bit of calm, but it was quickly washed away as soon as I entered the classroom and saw the teacher come in. He was different from the others. He carried himself with this certain sharpness, like he always meant business. He entered quietly, placed his laptop on the desk, and as soon as he sat down, his eyes locked directly onto mine.
My stomach flipped. I froze. There was just silence in the room. Not even the murmurs of side chatter remained. My mind raced, thinking, What is he about to say?! Did I do something wrong already?
Then, he looked away from me and scanned the room, pausing as he observed our scattered seating and mismatched focus.
"Who is the Class Mayor?" he suddenly asked, his voice firm but calm.
My eyes widened in panic. My heartbeat spiked. I tried to shrink into my seat, but my classmates betrayed me. They all turned and pointed at me like a team of witnesses identifying a culprit. I wanted to disappear. But I knew I had to man up.
"I-I'm the Class Mayor, S-Sir," I managed to say, my voice trembling.
He nodded and said, "Please make an attendance sheet for today's meeting and discussion."
Still shaken, I quickly took out my yellow pad paper. My hand trembled slightly as I wrote at the top, BSCE 1-Roebling Attendance Sheet, then put my name and signature as the header. I passed it to the person beside me and watched it slowly make its way around the room.
Once the sheet returned to me, now filled with names and signatures, I walked to the front and handed it to the teacher. He looked at it, brows furrowed slightly in concentration, then placed it on the table.
He then spoke again, "As I call your name, please rise and introduce yourself. Include your name, the school you came from, and your expectations for this subject."
The moment he finished, the room stirred. Whispering broke out. Everyone suddenly became nervous, looking at one another, unsure of what to say or how to say it. I knew this would turn into chaos if left unchecked. So I took a deep breath and raised my voice just enough.
"Guys, let's stay calm and be ready when our names are called. Just speak from the heart."
It worked. The side talk lessened, and the teacher began calling names.
When he reached mine, I stood up. "Good morning, Sir. I am Finn Liwayway. I came from an inner-city high school. I hope to learn a lot from this subject and improve my skills, especially in practical applications."
He nodded slightly, then continued down the list. One by one, my classmates introduced themselves. I took mental notes of a few who seemed particularly nervous, trying to remember names, faces, and vibes. It was going to be important.
After the introductions were done, the teacher looked at me again.
"Class Mayor, please collect 1/4 index cards from your classmates. These must contain their names, pictures, cellphone numbers, and addresses. Submit them to me next meeting."
"Yes, Sir," I replied.
What followed next wasn't just one task. It became the theme of the entire week. Every teacher who walked into the room seemed to already know who I was.
"Class Mayor, collect the index cards."
"Class Mayor, take the attendance."
"Class Mayor, submit these details."
It kept going. I wasn't complaining exactly, but it was technically overwhelming. I wasn't used to handling this many people. Back in Senior High, our class only had 18 students. I knew everyone's names, their moods, their quirks, yet I wasn't the class mayor/president back then. But here? It was 43 students in minimum, and some classes had irregular students, bringing the count to nearly 49.
I needed to adapt.
So one evening, as I sat at my desk with my old laptop, I thought of a system. A way to keep things orderly. I opened a spreadsheet file and titled it BSCE 1-Roebling Master List.
Column by column, I started building the data:
Student Name ID Number Contact Number Sex Address
I left the subject and time blank for now but prepared them as headers. Once a subject begins, they would just sign beside their names. It seemed manageable. With this, I could have clean records, and the teachers could just glance at it.
Then I thought, communication was another key. Not everyone would respond well to word-of-mouth announcements. So I created a class group chat.
I started adding all my classmates based on their shared numbers. I made it clear in the group name: BSCE 1-Roebling Official GC – No Teachers Inside.
"Hi everyone, this is Finn, your Class Mayor. This is the official group for announcements, attendance, and coordination. Let's work together for a smooth year ahead."
Some responded with short greetings. Others sent memes. It warmed me to see that they were starting to feel a bit comfortable.
Then due to this behavior, someone renamed the GC to BSCE 1-Roebling Sigma.
It was exhausting. Since at the time of the other subjects, they have submitted already, yet the other subjects, it wasn't yet. Although, I had to go to each of them, verify pictures, check the index cards, and input the data on the file. But in a strange way, I felt like I was finally stepping up. Not just as a student, but as someone trying to lead, no matter how clumsy at first.
Was I perfect? No. But I was learning. And I think that counts for something.
As I closed my laptop and laid down to sleep, my mind was full of the names, the faces, and the new responsibilities. But despite the pressure, I found myself smiling.