"Congratulations to your team, Ace!" Professor Sanchez smiled proudly as she shook my hand.
"Thank you, Ma'am," I replied with a grateful smile.
"You all did an outstanding job today. The university is proud of every one of you."
"Thank you, Ma'am. We couldn't have done it without all of your guidance."
She gave me a warm smile before walking over to congratulate the other teams. Just as I watched her leave, I heard a familiar voice.
"Ace!"
I turned toward the crowd.
"Mom!"
She hurried over and wrapped me in a tight hug.
"I'm so proud of you!" she said, her eyes glistening with tears.
I hugged her back, smiling.
"Thank you, Mom."
As I pulled away from the embrace, my eyes swept across the crowded venue. Faces filled every row: students, professors, parents, and guests, but I searched for only one. I scanned the audience again and again, hoping to catch a familiar face. My heart slowly sank when I realized my father wasn't there.
Mom noticed immediately.
"Looking for your dad?" she asked with a gentle smile.
I nodded.
"He said he's on his way," she replied. "Traffic is terrible today, but he promised he'd be here."
My eyes lit up.
"Really?"
She nodded.
"He wouldn't miss this for anything."
Hearing those words made me smile even wider. Before I could say anything else, one of the event staff called out through the microphone.
"Attention! Champion team, please proceed to the stage for the awarding ceremony and official photo session."
"Looks like they're calling you," Mom said proudly.
"I'll see you after."
She gently fixed my collar before giving me one last smile.
"Go."
I nodded and hurried toward my teammates.
Our team stood together at the center of the stage. The organizers handed us the championship trophy, our gold medals, certificates of recognition, and the symbolic check worth ₱700,000, which would be divided equally among the five members of our team.
Camera flashes lit up the room from every direction.
"Everyone, smile!"
Click.
Click.
Click.
We posed for countless photographs with the competition organizers, our professors, university officials, and the business executives who had sponsored the event.
Professor Marco Valdez stood proudly beside us.
"I knew you could do it," he whispered with a proud smile.
"Thank you, sir," I replied.
"This victory belongs to all of us."
After the official ceremony ended, several well-dressed men and women approached me.
One of them extended his hand.
"Mr. Ace Hernandez?"
"Yes, sir."
"I'm Richard Lim, Senior Human Resources Director of our company."
We shook hands.
"I was impressed by your leadership and the way you handled your team's financial strategy."
"Thank you, sir."
He handed me a business card.
"We'd like to invite you to visit our office sometime next week. We'd like to discuss a career opportunity with you after your graduation."
Before I could respond, another executive stepped forward.
"And we'd like to do the same."
Soon, more company representatives gathered around me. Each of them congratulated me and handed me their business cards.
"We're looking for graduates with your potential."
"Your presentation was impressive."
"We hope you'll consider joining our company after graduation."
I could hardly believe what was happening. Professor Marco had been right, they really were scouting for future employees. As the executives walked away, several professors approached me with warm smiles, shaking my hand and congratulating me on my performance. Their words of praise still felt unreal, and for a moment, I wondered if I was dreaming.
"You represented the university well, Ace."
"We're all proud of you."
"Keep up the excellent work."
"Thank you so much," I said, bowing politely.
After chatting with them for a while, I glanced toward the exit. Since the ceremony had officially ended, guests and participants were free to leave.
I excused myself from my teammates and professors.
"If you'll excuse me for a moment," I said with a smile.
With my medal hanging proudly around my neck, I looked for my mom, the championship trophy still shining under the venue lights, and several business cards safely tucked into my pocket, I walked into the crowd, hoping to find the people I wanted to celebrate this victory with the most.