UST Golden Tigresses star Detdet Pepito in the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball tournament. Photo from UAAP Media.
MANILA — University of Santo Tomas star Detdet Pepito is currently leading the Golden Tigresses to an impressive run in the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball.
The Kungfu Reyes-coached squad is riding a five-game win streak in the first round and has improved to 5-1 in the year, and their latest victory came on Sunday via a sweep of Ateneo de Manila University.
READ: UST completes hard-earned sweep vs. Ateneo for 5th straight win
Pepito collected eight digs, eight receptions, and a point vs. the Blue Eagles as they chalked up another victory in their title hunt, but this was only a part of the veteran UAAP libero’s overall goals this school year.
The two-time Best Libero is also working on completing her degree in UST’s Bachelor of Elementary Education program, and to do this, Pepito is serving her internship as a Grade 3 Science Teacher at the Juan Sumulong Elementary School in Manila.
“‘Di ko po alam paano ko nababalance [yung load], pero sakripisyo lang talaga kasi since elementary ako, student-athlete na’ko, so It’s how you manage your time and priorities,” commented Pepito on her current responsibilities.
“Medyo haggard lang kasi mga bata tinuturuan ko, so pasensya lang,” she quipped.
Pepito then shared a bit of her experience while teaching and detailed how she deals with the children who also recognize her as a player.
“Imbis na teacher, tawag nila sa akin: ‘Pepito!’ O kaya: ‘Ate!’ So sinasabi ko na: ‘I’m not your ate, I’m your teacher!’” Detdet bared.
“Yung iba, idol-idol ka, tapos susungitan ko sila, so pasensya na mga bata, ginagawa ko lang mga trabaho ko,” she added.
Her experiences in her internship has deepened Pepito's respect for educators, and she hailed how they handle the challenges in their field.
“Bilib ako sa mga teachers. Grabe yung sakripisyo at grabe yung pagmamahal nila sa mga bata,” she said, before also sharing the progress of her thesis.
“80% na, so sana maging successful,” Pepido hoped.
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