A childhood dream once tucked away for later, set aside as life led her through corporate work, public service, and countless detours, finally found its way back into focus years later—after a bold decision to start over.
That is the story of 25-year-old Shiela Marie Manabat, a Magna Cum Laude Communication graduate of the University of the Philippines Cebu, who secured the Top 7 spot in the March 2026 Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers (Secondary Level) with a 93.80% rating.
Manabat, also a DPE unit earner and current SK Councilor of Barangay Sambag Uno, now joins the list of Cebuano topnotchers in a year where 67 graduates from the province made it to the PRC’s rankings across both elementary and secondary levels.
She said the result still felt unreal when she first saw it.
“Honestly, I’m still lost for words… it never really sunk in to me that, oh my God, it happened,” she said. “After all the prayers… I’m still in shock.”
She recalled the long wait for the results after coming off a night shift, initially expecting a different release date.
After ending a shift at 6 a.m., she slept and woke up around 9 a.m., unaware that the announcement was already building online.
What followed, she said, was a strange mix of calmness and anticipation that slowly turned into disbelief as messages from classmates began flooding in.
“I didn’t read it at first… I just saw ‘Congrats,’” she said. “Then I checked, and I saw my name. I didn’t know how to react. I was shaking.”
Her path to teaching was never straightforward. After graduating, she worked in sales and marketing while also serving as an SK official, all while carrying a long-standing dream of becoming a teacher.
“Being a teacher has been a long-standing dream of mine ever since I was a child,” she said. “But along the way, I explored a lot of things. I wanted to try more.”
Eventually, she stepped away from corporate work and committed to education units and licensure preparation, a decision she described as difficult but necessary.
“I decided to resign from work because I was balancing everything—work, SK, review, personal life,” she said.
As a non-education graduate, she had to adjust quickly to subjects she had not taken in college.
“As unit earners, we had to learn in a few months what others learned in years. It was a challenge, but I don’t think it was a disadvantage. It’s possible,” she said.
Her preparation was shaped by discipline, but also by peers who pushed the same path—among them Jan Kenrey Licayan, who ranked second in the September and November 2025 Licensure Examination for Teachers also for Secondary Level.
“Somehow I was pressured, but also inspired,” she said. “I told myself, there’s a possibility. I can pass. I can even top the class.”
At her review center, she said the culture demanded consistency more than perfection.
She showed up daily despite fatigue and pressure, guided by a mindset that aimed high even on difficult days.
The process, she added, could feel isolating, especially while balancing work and study, but having even a small support system made a difference.
Outside academics, she credited her father as her anchor throughout the journey.
“My dad has always been there for me,” she said. “Even when things were difficult, he made my life easier. This is all for him.”
The Professional Regulation Commission reported that thousands of examinees took the March 2026 LEPT nationwide, with strong passing results across both elementary and secondary levels.
In Cebu, 67 graduates made it to the list of topnotchers, with 51 in the elementary level and 16 in secondary.
Now preparing for a new chapter after securing a job offer, Manabat said she remains open to teaching opportunities.
“I’m still open,” she said. “There are many ways to teach and learn, not just inside the classroom.”
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