Cynics would imply that it is difficult to combine beauty with brains – you are either beautiful, but with nothing between your ears, or you may be brainy and smart, but possesses a face only a mother could love. Thus, knowing someone who very ably balances beauty and brains is a feat by itself and, perhaps, one for the books.

No one, by far, has ever come up to par with the achievements garnered by 20-year-old Stacy Danika Sia Alcantara in her life as a student of Silliman University. Crowned as the 2004 Miss Silliman representing the High School Department then, Stacy graduated summa cum laude on March 22 with the degree of Bachelor of Mass Communication, one of only two graduates this year with the highest scholastic honors after a period of 25 years (her fellow summa cum laude graduate, Physics major Marvin Flores, is featured next page).

Her rise to the top is well-calculated, well-planned, and well-orchestrated – no, not by the forces of human nature, but by Someone Who has destined her for far greater heights. In college, she was consistently the best among her peers in the particular level she was in. She became vice-president of the Silliman University Student Government in her third year, efficiently paving the way for her election as president in her senior year. Prior to that, Stacy was a representative to the Ayala Young Leaders Congress in Tagaytay, which served her in good stead as she honed her leadership skills for the tough task ahead of her. In between, she represented the country in the Sunburst Youth Camp in Singapore in 2005, as well as the Asian Universities Debating Championship which would have a reprise in Indonesia in 2006. She also attended the World Youth Summit Meeting in Japan in 2007.

Stacy’s banner year would be her senior year in college when she was adjudged one of this year’s Jose Rizal Model Students of the Philippines, the second among the top ten students who were shortlisted from students nominated among 800 schools nationwide. She was also named Silliman University’s Most Outstanding Student of the Year last February in the Honors Day and Co-Curricular Awards Convocation where Stacy herself was the speaker, the first time that such a distinguished honor was bestowed upon an outstanding student. She was also among the first recipients of the SU Achievers Award given by the university administration last March. Aside from being one of the YMCA Top Students of Dumaguete this year, she is also being nominated by Silliman University to the regional search for the Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines, the only nationally prestigious award she is yet to receive to seal her achievements as a student.

Looking back to her four years in college, she confesses to experiencing a sense of relief that she is now leaving everything behind. “I am relieved that my stint with the Student Government is now over. I had a lot of emotional stress because of the complaints and comments coming from all sectors, even those who are not stakeholders,” Stacy avers, saying that her “political career” is limited only to school politics. “I would never go to mainstream politics because there is a lot of power struggle in Philippine politics, to the point of tarnishing our reputation. The problems of the people would also be your problems,” she articulates.

It was the same feeling of relief she felt when she graduated from high school, also at Silliman. Although she finished first honorable mention, she confessed that she got bored too easily and did not like to read too many books, “Math and Science were not really of my interest, and so, I was looking forward to college life. True enough, I found college life not too tiring and I had the opportunity to balance my academics with extra-curricular activities,” shares Stacy, whose mother hired a tutor for her until fifth grade mainly to help her study. In the summer before she entered sixth grade, she devoted her time to practice solving lessons in Math, her efforts paying off when she graduated class valedictorian.

“I really did not have strict study habits. I would rather watch TV or play with my dolls rather than study,” she now smiles in remembrance. For someone who has been an achiever, Stacy relates she has not won in any contest until Grade VI. “I was the first to be eliminated in one spelling bee contest. I even misspelled the name of Carlos Romulo in one general knowledge contest,” she enthuses.

Her parents gave her a computer when she was in Grade VI, giving her the chance to tinker on it after getting the urge to write from reading Harry Potter in first year high school, actually her first time to read a novel. She would read short stories and fairy tales, but would be the first to admit she is not too good in prose. She finds her compositions lacking in color and description, but each time she reads a novel, she would underline some words or phrases that she particularly liked, then wrote them in a booklet which she would internalize and use later on.

These would prove very handy as she became the editor-in-chief of the Junior Sillimanian for two years. It was in her third year in high school that she published her first book, The Secret of the Amulet, a fascinating story for children based on Philippine myths and folklores which she did research on.

“I wanted to see my book in bookstores. I have written 14 novels back in high school, but after that, I did not find any inspiration to write anymore. I did it as my pastime. When I write, I have to be very inspired or very excited; otherwise, I would only come up with half-baked ideas,” says Stacy, whose first choice of a degree was accountancy, taking after her mother, Stephanie, who works in a bank.

Her intense desire to be looked up to by people motivated her to become what she is today. She was president of the Pupil Government when she was in Grade VI, and had she not lost, not without any misgiving, the post of governor for the high school, she would have been one too, aside from being editor-in-chief of the school paper.

This was the same driving force that motivated her to join and win the Miss Silliman pageant, even as she confesses to having this as her dream since pre-school. “I remember Hillary Clinton’s words when she said, ‘I’m in it to win it.’ I want to know what it feels like when people look up to you. I also heard my mom say that when you’re an outstanding student, you are a role model. I asked myself whether I can reach this. I wanted to push my limits,” expresses Stacy.

She finds meaningful friendship among her peers and colleagues in the Student Government, saying that she has established a strong sense of family among her friends in college. “Before, I didn’t care too much about people, making them feel I’m the boss and that I have deadlines I’d like them to meet. From the Student Government, I have come to realize how important people are in your organization, to have a strong bond with them, to treat them well and fairly, to delegate responsibility otherwise it would be very tiring,” she expounds.

      In all her endeavors, many lessons and realizations have occurred. First, according to Stacy, you cannot be number one all the time. People you meet on your way up would be the same people you meet on your way down. Second, she says it is important to stick to what you believe is right, even if it may displease some people. You have to have enough courage to fight, to take risks, to be firm with your decisions and stand by them, however unpopular these decisions may be. Third, she concurs that if ever you encounter some disagreements and bruised feelings with anyone, do not be in a rush to be friends again or be in a hurry to feel good. You don’t have to rush to forgive, but take time to feel good. Lastly, advises Stacy, always remember that things are not always within your control and you just have to surrender everything to God Who will do things in His own time.

While she was still in school, she had no problem at keeping her promise to her dad, Danny, that she would not have a boyfriend. On the other hand, as Stacy would confess, it seems God has humored her as far as her love life is concerned. “How come other girls get the ‘good fish,’ while I get the ‘jelly fish’? Some guys have this pre-conceived notion about me, thinking I will intimidate them or that I am unreachable because of my over-the-top achievements. But, I think I would make a very good girlfriend. I would give my boyfriend space because I am not possessive, I would give him support in anything that he would do, we would talk about light topics and I would joke about many things,” relates Stacy, qualifying that maybe, guys are simply just scared of the idea of someone like her to be their girlfriend.

Younger brother, Stefan, who is an incoming third year high school student at Silliman University who excels in sports, has been admonished by Stacy to choose a course that he truly likes for him to be happy in college.

Now that the world is at her feet and beckoning her with many tempting offers, Stacy has both feet firmly on the ground. She is considering a career in foreign service or work for a well-established, respectable corporation before getting a master’s degree in a specialized field.

“Life is not planned, it has to be spontaneous. Unplan your life and leave the space between you and your goal blurry. This way, you can have room for detours, for unexpected adventures. Life, after all, is a journey, not a destination,” Stacy philosophizes.

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