TIFFANY OF ISUFST: A SUPERGIRL JOURNEY FROM DOUBT TO NAT’L DEMO-TEACH CHAMP

It did not feel like a typical Saturday. On March 28, 2026, at Diversion 21 Hotel in Iloilo City, there was a kind of quiet energy that you do not easily explain. National EdukALIDAD 2026 brought together future educators from across the country, but it did not feel like a contest alone. It felt like a gathering of people who care deeply about what teaching can become. Organized by West Visayas State University, the event turned into a shared space where learning, purpose and aspiration met. It carried the spirit of quality education, strengthened by collaboration and trust among institutions.

Twenty-three institutions took part, each bringing their own preparation and perspective. There were detailed lesson plans, carefully designed materials and research outputs — but beyond those, there was conviction. The competition included four categories: Professional Education Quiz Bee, Research Presentation, Instructional Materials Making, and Demonstration Teaching. Each category was divided into clusters, creating a steady flow where every participant had a moment to step forward and be seen.

In Cluster 1 of the Demonstration Teaching contest, Tiffany Anne Sullesta joined 23 participants from different education programs. The rules were precise — 12 minutes total: one minute to enter, 10 minutes to demonstrate and one minute to exit. It was a short time for something as layered as teaching. Within that span, participants had to connect, explain and engage. Judges observed closely — not only the strategies used, but how well the lesson was understood, delivered and experienced.

When the results were announced, they reflected the strength of the field. NISU Lemery placed third, the University of Antique came in second, and ISUFST – Dumangas Campus earned first place. But beyond the rankings, there was a shared understanding among participants. Each one had stepped into that space carrying more than preparation — they carried the expectations of their schools and the hope of doing justice to the profession they are about to enter.

Twenty-three-year-old Tiffany, reflecting on the moment, did not immediately speak of victory. Instead, she spoke of fear. “I was very anxious — not to win — but to perform in front of judges and participants nationwide,” she shared. It is a telling detail. Because in spaces like this, winning is rarely about defeating others. It is about surviving your own doubt.

BEHIND THE PERFORMANCE: PREPARATION AND PEOPLE

If the stage revealed the performance, the weeks before it revealed the people behind it. At ISUFST – Dumangas Campus, preparation was not rushed — it was intentional. Dr. Roberto Oberio Jr. walked closely with Tiffany, reviewing lesson plans, critiquing delivery and ensuring that every movement, every pause, had purpose. “He often checked my lesson plan and critiqued my performance,” she said, not as a complaint, but as quiet gratitude.

Support came in layers. Dr. Randy Anib and Sir Robert provided technical tools — simple things like a laptop and clicker — that often go unnoticed, yet make or break a demonstration. Sir Ernie Pedregosa and other mentors did something less visible but more powerful: They pushed her beyond comfort. Even her Manang Jeszavel De-ala, her BEED 4 classmate, through honest critiques, helped refine what others might have overlooked. It was a collective effort, the kind that reflects ISUFST’s deeper mission — to produce not just graduates, but grounded professionals shaped by guidance, discipline and shared responsibility.

Training itself was not glamorous. It meant returning to campus repeatedly despite internship duties. It meant rehearsing until movements felt natural and words felt owned. It meant allowing classmates to watch, to critique, to point out flaws. “Some of my classmates shared honest feedback,” the graduating education student said — a simple line that reveals a culture where growth is not protected, but pursued.

Yet perhaps the most defining preparation did not come from structured training. It came from something more personal. Tiffany spoke candidly about the stigma faced by Bachelor of Elementary Education students — being labeled “less competent.” Instead of shrinking, she chose to respond. “This shaped me to be more resilient,” she said. In many ways, her victory was not just technical. It was corrective.

ISUFST President Dr. Nordy D. Siason Jr. framed the win within a larger vision: “This is what it means to form educators who are both competent and compassionate — ready not just to teach, but to transform.” The statement lands quietly but firmly, echoing the university’s commitment to producing empowered graduates who carry both skill and purpose.

For ISUFST – Dumangas Campus Administrator Dr. Matthew Lasap, the moment was equally grounded. “What we saw in Tiffany Anne Sullesta is what we hope every student becomes — prepared, principled and unafraid to rise,” he shared, emphasizing that excellence is not accidental, but cultivated.

This is where ISUFST’s identity quietly surfaces. An institution rooted in integrity, social justice, discipline and academic excellence does not just train students to win — it teaches them to stand. And sometimes, that is the more difficult lesson.

THE PERSON BEHIND THE PERFORMANCE

To understand Tiffany’s teaching, one must first understand her story. It is not the kind that begins with ease. Financial struggles forced her to transfer from private to public school. Bullying followed. Mental health suffered. And yet, even then, she found ways to excel — top five in a division contest, a spelling bee placer, a Balagtasan representative, and a top 10 graduate.

Her journey continued with quiet complexity. At Iloilo National High School, she remained an achiever. In college, life became heavier. Responsibilities multiplied. She transferred from WVSU to ISUFST – Dumangas to care for a sick aunt, carrying with her doubts, fear and the unfamiliar rhythm of a rural campus. “It was sort of culture shock,” she admitted, in a line that feels more honest than dramatic.

She does not romanticize her struggles. She names them. A “poor, complicated and dysfunctional home.” A sense that no one could fully relate. Yet, instead of hardening, she chose to translate pain into advocacy — mental health, women’s voices, neglected children and body shaming. “I am Supergirl,” she said, not as a claim of strength without struggle, but strength despite it.

That metaphor carried into her winning performance. Her demonstration teaching was built around a Supergirl theme — integrating Science and Araling Panlipunan while advocating for environmental care, particularly the protection of narra trees against deforestation and illegal logging. It was not gimmickry. It was alignment. Every gesture, expression and visual choice matched the learning level of Grade 3 students. It was teaching with intention — and identity.

Beyond the classroom, Tiffany continues to shape her voice as a PAMMCO ambassador, where her love for reading, writing and public speaking found space to breathe again. “It reminded me of the Tiffany I was,” she shared, referring to the spark she thought she had lost. In many ways, PAMMCO did not just train her — it helped her remember herself.

When her name was finally called as champion, she did not celebrate in the expected way. “I cried,” she said. Not out of disbelief alone, but perhaps release. Because sometimes, victory is not loud. It is quiet, trembling and deeply personal.

In that tender moment, she carried with her the people who made the journey bearable. Tiffany paused, then added softly, “I’m deeply grateful to my family — Mamanan, Tiptip, Sing, Tabasi, Fourth and Mark. Their encouragement stayed with me, especially on the days I felt like I couldn’t go on.” It was not said for effect, but as a simple truth — because for her, this win was never hers alone.

Asked what the experience taught her, she answered with disarming simplicity: “Do your best and leave the rest to God.” It is not a strategy. It is a posture.

And perhaps that is the real takeaway — not just for ISUFST, but for every aspiring teacher watching from afar. Competitions like EdukALIDAD do not just measure competence. They reveal character. They remind us that teaching is not perfected in theory alone, but in lived experience — where resilience meets preparation, and purpose meets practice.

And while her story stands strong on its own, it also mirrors something larger unfolding within ISUFST. Across categories, the university continued to make its mark — earning first place in Research Presentation (Cluster 1) through Valerie Saunders, Kayzel Joy Villla, Alisa Jane Arlos and Rey-Ann Quiro of the Barotac Nuevo Campus, and second place in Instructional Materials Making (Cluster 1) through Keiziah Abegail Sison, KC Klynth Montefrio and Wela Janin Dema-ala of the Dumangas Campus. This builds on a quiet but telling momentum — just last year, ISUFST swept the top three places in the EdukALIDAD Research Presentation category and placed third in the demonstration teaching category, a feat that spoke of depth across its programs. Altogether, these wins speak not just of individual excellence, but of a young university learning to rise, steadily and together.

Looking ahead, Tiffany’s vision is clear. She wants to teach not just minds, but hearts. To empower young learners as future pillars of society. To build not just knowledge, but courage.

In a country still searching for ways to strengthen its education system, stories like hers do not solve everything. But they do something just as important — they make us believe that change is possible, one classroom at a time. (Herman Lagon | PAMMCO)