Credits to The Freehand for the photo.

"Oh, Berdos, ikaw top one," IDr. Arlene said.

Darrel Berdos didn't know how to take in the news when the chairperson of the Department of Interior Design announced that he had the best thesis. Actually, he never expected to be awarded the best thesis of his batch after everything that happened.

This wasn't the first time that Darrel Berdos did his undergraduate thesis.

In fact, it was his second take.

"Noong una, bumagsak ako sa thesis pero hindi ko naman ine-expect na magt-top 1 ako ngayon," Darrel says, "Kung meant for you, maghahanap talaga ng way 'yung tadhana para mabigay talaga sa iyo kung ano 'yung para sa iyo."

Darrel Berdos ranked himself the least in terms of drawing skills in their class. Throughout his journey as an Interior Design student, Darrel says that he only made it to where he is right now, neither because he is a great artist nor an intelligent student but because he is diligent.

"Yung pagiging top 1, hindi siya nasusukat sa pagiging matalino. Lagi kong sinasabi na daan mo lang talaga sa tiyaga. Sipagin mo. Kasi since first year, ganun yung ginagawa ko."

From his first year, Darrel would wake up at 4 am just to arrive at CEA early. "Parang ako pa nga nagbubukas ng CEA girl!" he jokingly says.

His first to third year passed by similar to most interior design and architecture students—getting plates done, going to various design firms for internships, socializing with his classmates, and participating in various department events.

Then came his fourth year, what ought to be his final year in the university, unfortunately, wasn't his last.

Darrel's first thesis was a terminal in Bulacan. And mostly due to the constant travel from his home in Taguig to Bulacan, he had gone exhausted, and ultimately, decided not to care about his thesis. He did not drop the subject. He just abandoned it altogether.

"Hindi ko talaga nakikita yung sarili ko sa thesis na 'yon. Nung una, parang hesitant pa ako. Pero wala eh, nagising lang ako one day tapos sinabi ko na ayaw ko na," he recalls, "Ayun nung sinabi ko na ayaw ko na, mas maganda sa pakiramdam. 'Yung akala mo sa sarili mo na importante to, pero kung alam mo talagang hindi para sayo, wala, bitawan mo na, mas madali."

But of course, letting go of the story that he will graduate on time did not come easy for him, especially when he only had a few months left before graduation.

A beacon of hope came to him through the form of award-winning writer and journalist Ricky Lee. On the 8th of May 2019, Ricky Lee gave a speech to the PUP Class of 2019, and his words are Darrel's guiding light during those trying times that he faced onward.

"Sabi ni Ricky Lee, kung mabigo ka, huwag ng mag alala kasi hindi daw 'yun sukatan ng worth mo bilang isang tao. Sabi niya, 'Di mo kailangan maging perpekto. 'Di mo din kailangang labanan 'yung sarili mo o pantayan 'yung iba. You are never worthless. Just be yourself.'"

Darrel remembers those times as clear as the day as he felt like Ricky Lee was directly saying it to him. "Kaya hindi ako nastuck dun sa depresion ko kasi nung binitawan ko yung thesis ko, medyo nadepress ako kasi ikaw ba naman nag aral tapos magdadagdag ka ng another year. Pero nung narinig ko 'to sa kanya, parang for me talaga 'yung sinabi niya."

"Sabi niya pa nun, 'Langoy lang ng langoy. Lipad lang ng lipad. 'Wag kang matakot magkamali. 'Di baleng malunod ka, 'di baleng malaglag ka, kapag bumagsak ka, doon mo mahahanap 'yung sarili mo. Sa paulit-ulit na pagkabigo ay matututo ka. Para kang sinusulat na nobela na paulit-ulit na nire-revise hanggang sa kuminang.' "

Ricky Lee's words are Darrel's primary inspiration as he ventured to another year in college and doing a thesis once more.

Due to the constraints brought upon the pandemic, he had to leave Taguig and went back home to his hometown in Aklan, which became a blessing-in-disguise for him as that is where he found a new space that he used for his award-winning thesis. Unlike his previous thesis, Darrel's thesis, now, is related to social advocacy. He used Missionaries of Charity in Aklan, a private orphanage for neglected elderly and orphans, as his space.

"Papasok ka pa lang, ramdam mo na 'yung bigat ng feeling. Kapag nakita mo yung mga nakatira dun—mga matatanda at bata—alam mo 'yung parang feeling ko magkakasakit din ako talaga. Sobrang bigat sa pakiramdam," Darrel recollects, "Yung orphanage na yun, hindi masyadong napapangalagaan; makikita mo sira-sira na yung bed. As an ID student nakikita ko na walang proper ventilation, cluttered at magulo."

However, as Darrel researched and researched about neglected elderly and orphans for design solutions, he had realized something: "Kahit anong research ko, kahit anong proposal ko, no one can fix the trauma that overwhelms once life lalo na yung mga orphans na 'yon and neglected elderly. However, we, aspiring designers, architects, can take part in creating spaces that will help them to nourish one's body, mind, and soul."

Hence, his design solution wasn't focused on "fixing" the occupants. "I tried to segregate them pero hindi ko pinabayaan na mafi-feel nila na isolated sila kasi diba ang mga elderly kailangan nila ng love from their children, mga anak nila kasi nga iniwan sila," he explains, "Tsaka dun sa orphans, kailangan nila ng pagkalinga, na mahahanap nila dun sa elderly.

And this design solution is one of the many things that let him clinched the best thesis in Interior Design of his batch.

To current students who are just about to take their own thesis journey, Darrel advises to (1) connect with occupants, (2) research, and (3) invest in sustainability.

"My aim talaga sa thesis ko: una, makatulong sa occupants. Pangalawa, siyempre, kailangan ko pumasa," he laughs, "Pangatlo, kailangan ko mag create ng job opportunities lalo na nung pandemic kasi nga [maraming] nawalan ng trabaho. Kaya gumamit ako ng sustainable materials. Napakita ko pa sa mga juries ko kung ano ba yung culture ng Aklan. Sa tatlo na yun, yung mga realizations ko, it will make a difference sa aspiring designer."

By the end of our conversation, Darrel added, "Sana may natutunan ka," a sentence he had repeated several times throughout our conversation.

With this sentence, I realize that he wanted to make sure that the people he connects with will bring something from their conversation that they can apply in their lives. Like Mr. Ricky Lee, Darrel Berdos hopes that he can use his achievement to make a difference to others, and this article is his first step in that path.

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