It’s going to be hard, but hard does not mean impossible.”
– Ar. Paul Christian Aquino
Have you ever wandered through your mind whenever you close your eyes at night before you sleep? Have you ever thought of what your future may look like and regret what you have done in the past? What is the secret to success and happiness? Have you ever done or asked yourself any of these questions? If not, here’s a story of another architect who ventured and continues to venture into the realms of the past, present and future that would definitely make you change how you perceive your life every single day.
On year 2017, a passionate music band instructor, an aspiring artist, a hardworking student-achiever, and now a licensed practicing Architect, Paul Christian “Maw” Aquino graduated as the top of his batch earning the second recorded Latin honor to be ever recorded in the history of the College of Architecture and Fine Arts CAFA. He did not just graduate with flying colors but with excellence as he also successfully topped the 2017 Best Thesis of BS Architecture.
Ar. Aquino’s upbringing traces back to the very roots of his artistic identity. Even at a very young age, Paul Christian has already shown great interest in the arts as he represented his school in poster making contests in elementary level and cartooning contests in his high school journalism publication. Although both fields of artistic contest were unplanned, he still unexpectedly won awards in such arts contests proving his artistic talent and skills. Aside from visual arts, he also showcased his creativity as he expresses artistry in the music industry. “Since elementary, 2nd grade, I have been performing as part of a marching band till I became the band instructor as I compose music composition, this is my other artistic side,” Paul shared enthusiastically. His excellence and dedication to education and learning also began in his middle school years as he undoubtedly succeeded to be awarded as the second honorable mention of his batch in Benigno Ninoy Aquino Highschool. It is undeniable that Paul Christian Aquino embodies that artistic identity and intellectual capability of an architect.
This multi-faceted artist’s architectural journey began with a story unlike any other. Architecture was never Paul’s first choice. He always dreamed of doing Digital Arts in University of Makati but unfortunately, he received a late notice of approval that, on the contrary by good luck, brought him in front of the doors of the Architecture industry. “Akala ko di ako nakapasok sa UMak, ang case pala ay late nairelease yung mga nakapasa so feeling ko parang sige ayaw ko na ayaw niyo naman sakin,” Paul jokingly said in an interview. Well, Digital Art’s loss was definitely architecture’s gain. Unlike other kids who are pressured by family expectations, Paul had to suffer in the freedom of choosing a college program that he prefers. His passion for arts made him choose the next thing related to his interest which brought him in architecture.
Architecture students struggle with a multitude of reasons as they begin their journey in the educational curriculum. However, it was different in Ar. Aquino’s case. He was an achiever and a hardworking student that he was able to be granted with full scholarship from one of the best architectural firms in the country, AIDEA. Paul did not struggle with his finances as he had worked day and night to pass the scholarship grant that helped him finance his studies until he graduated. All he had to worry about was to maintain his grades to keep the scholarship grant and that he did swiftly throughout his architectural school journey as he even graduated as Cum Laude of his batch. “Kailangan mo mag-extra effort mag-aral ng mga hindi naituro ng mga prof dahil kulang sa oras,” Paul shared with full of determination. He had to push through his boundaries and exceed his limits to be able to deliver a performance that would transcend from what is expected of him in the standard of performances.
His triumphant achievement as the Best Thesis of his batch in 2017 did not come to be on just a snap. It took him months of deliberate laborious work to come up with such a powerful presentation. At first, he was unsure of what to study but with his mind focused on his goal of exploring new set of ideas and exploring how to become better, he masterfully studied international methods of how architecture students abroad prepare and present their thesis and took inspiration from that as he took the risk of breaking the norm of standard way of how architecture students in the Philippines present their ideas. “Bagong time mag-grow at matuto, di ko siya tiningnan as a problem but as a challenge,” Aquino said. He took the risk knowing how the consequences of his actions may lead him into, but he reminded himself to enjoy every bit of it. “Last memento ko na iyon sa college at ito (thesis) yung maiiwan kong alaala… inisip ko gumawa ng memories regardless kung pumasa o bumagsak,” Christian said with full excitement in his voice. He focused on the purpose, goal and the total concept and disregarded technicalities at the first progress of his project. He took it as an opportunity to express his creativity at his very best to make sure that he would leave a worthwhile legacy in the university. He began reading books and studying research of other architects to equip himself with the necessary knowledge. Without doubts he also made sure to cherish every minute of the process as he ventured through his thesis with his band mates, friends and family beside him. “Habang ginagawa ko sya nag-eenjoy ako, hindi ko kayang matapos yung thesis ng mag-isa kaya tinulungan ako ng mga kabanda ko at kapatid ko at mga kaibigan ko from lower years para matapos,” Paul enthusiastically shared. His extra effort paid off as he presented a unique method that not just satisfied the jurors but also left them astonished by the end of his presentation. “Masaya yung presentation dahil nag-enjoy din yung panel,” Christian said.
After graduating, his excellence proved to be consistent as he continued to work in the professional field. He worked as part of AIDEA company’s building information modeling team. After quite some time he managed to be accepted to the Visionary Architecture Inc. as a Design Architect. This is where he recognized the big difference between the university and the actual profession. He had to provide a complete architectural presentation in short periods of time to clients. It was not too long when his superior took notice of his extravagant rendering skills. After just 4 months of working, he was promoted as the head of a newly organized department of the company known as ENVISION, a team of architects that specializes on artistic visualization and animation of architectural models. He spearheaded the department and is currently gaining the attention of architects all over the country as they create video and image presentations that are merely impossible to distinguish from what is real. He may have started his journey as an aspiring digital artist but due to certain consequences, faith has brought him back to where it all started, his dreams.
Through his optimistic outlook in life, he managed to succeed in the most unplanned ways. Through his enthusiastic attitude in his work and career, he managed to achieve his goals. Let this be a reminder to every single person out there that no matter how hard things get and no matter how things get sideways and go to unplanned paths, that there will be a pot of gold at the end of the journey. You may be in an unplanned situation right now, but faith and destiny will bring you the happiness and fulfillment you are destined to receive. Architect Aquino’s story is evidence that the secret to succeed in life is to stop living in the past and stop worrying about what might lay ahead in the future, instead continue to live your life in the present.
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