Setbacks, Support, and Small Wins

The sacrifices they poured into the study weren’t just late nights—they were entire seasons of their young lives. Melody remembers entering the lab at five in the morning and leaving near midnight, sometimes skipping meals just to record tilapia behavior. Johnas recalled the never-ending challenge of securing clean water, especially during weekends or holidays when supply was unreliable. Romeo spoke of equipment that wasn’t fit for their needs, forcing them to adapt. Arlene admitted she often pushed for extra experiments even when energy was low.

Their adviser, Prof. Albances, put it plainly: “I watched them trade sleep, meals, and weekends for this work. We lost three runs to contamination, ran out of clean water, made do with tools that weren’t built for us. Each time, they didn’t sulk—they changed the method and came back. That’s science: care and perseverance for a higher cause.”

For them, science wasn’t neat—it was chaotic, sleepless, and stubborn. “The worst part? Those marathon lab days—no lunch, no breaks,” Melody shared. “The best? That moment the data finally clicked and every hour felt worth it.” Romeo added, recalling when the oyster probiotics first checked the pathogen: “That tiny win kept us going.”

Even steady Arlene confessed to jitters. “I’m kinda confident, just trying not to jinx it.” She carried on, letting the results speak for themselves “The whole process really matters—it proves ISUFST can hold its own in fisheries research.”

Their adviser watched the grind and the glow-ups. “Seeing them after a failed experiment was the hardest,” Albances admitted. He’d ease the room with snacks some days, push harder on others—“kung gis-a, ga latigo ‘ko sa ila (sometimes, I have to ‘crack the whip,’)” he joked. No spoon-feeding, just guided grit. “Their edge is resilience. They kept finding ways to improve.”

It helped that ISUFST itself stood behind them. With the school’s biolab facilities, the students learned to maximize every resource, embodying the university’s guiding principle of empowerment. “Even if the facilities aren’t always perfect, the environment pushes us to innovate,” Arlene said. For Johnas, the experience confirmed his foundation: “ISUFST gave me not just aquaculture knowledge but the chance to do real research early.”

What made their achievement even sweeter was its history. For the first time ever, a group of ISUFST students broke into the top 10 of this national innovation competition. “They are making history for the college,” Albances proudly said. For him, their recognition proved that even as third years—who began this project as sophomores—they could stand shoulder to shoulder with students from more resource-rich universities.

Behind every trial was also a circle of support. Melody, a first-generation student, said her family’s faith gave her courage. Johnas admitted his strict but supportive parents, and especially his sister, pushed him to persevere. Romeo, coming from a family of teachers and seafarers, was grateful for a household that valued discipline and service. Arlene said simply, “My parents supported me all the way.” Beyond families, the school provided labs, vehicles, and even small comforts when needed. “All we asked for, the school supported,” Albances stressed.