From Tambay to Top 9: Meet NWU’s CLE Topnotcher
“When I was once dismissed and officially out of school, I wandered with different sets of friends – the tambays, addicts, prostitutes, and delinquents. We have no purpose. We just spent [our] time smoking and drinking ’til dawn and sometimes looking for trouble…but my mother never stopped asking me to continue and finish my course,” said Daniel Joshua Sarabia, one of the graduates of Class 2020 of Northwestern University, who topped the December 2021 Criminologist Licensure Examination with a rating of 88.60%. He ranked ninth out of 33, 983 examinees.
Mr. Sarabia is a resident of Brgy. 12, San Isidro, Laoag City, and the second of the three children of Mr. Dennis R. Sarabia, a househusband, and Mrs. Angelita L. Sarabia, a government employee. According to him, he intentionally left his phone on during the release date of the results in fear that his name might not be included on the list. He was at his place of employment, the same site where his mother currently works, when he found out that he had not only passed but also landed in the Top 10.
In his high school days, whenever his mother asked him about the program that he would be taking in college, he would always reply, “Haan ko pay ammo ma, agtambaynak sa lattan” (I don,t know yet, I’ll just be jobless.) He shared that taking BS Criminology was never included in his bucket list until he and his friends once saw a policeman in the middle of an intersection giving traffic directions to motorists. At that time, he did not think twice about asking his friend if he himself could do that kind of work. His friend immediately replied that it was impossible for Mr. Sarabia to become a policeman because the drills were too strenuous for him to accomplish. These words instantly gave a response to his long-time unanswered question, “What do I want to become in the future?”
His journey to becoming a criminologist was set to sail when he no longer had doubts about what to take. “Ma, ammok ti alaekon, criminology!” (Mother, I already know what to take, criminology!) he cheerfully uttered to his mother when he got back from school. After graduating from high school in 2013, he enrolled in one of the institutions in Laoag City that offers BS in Criminology. Mr. Sarabia considers himself a normal student who loved to attend his classes in his first two years. Unfortunately, in 2016, his father was convicted of serving life imprisonment after two years of being detained due to alleged drug sales and possession. At that time, his dedication was twisted and his burning passion began to fade.
During his sophomore years, he believed that the justice system was no longer appealing. He realized that the same profession he was currently pursuing irritated him because of the “planting of evidence” that he was constantly hearing and witnessing from any form of media. The way he valued his education got dimmer and dimmer until he stopped attending his classes. The situation of his father made his perspective change, which resulted in altered conduct. He got dismissed from his first school due to behavioral issues, and for years, he attached himself to vices.
In the second semester of Academic Year 2018-2019, he listened to his mother’s advice. He transferred to Northwestern University and enrolled in the same course. As luck and joy continued to surround his journey, he considered this his new beginning. The following year, his father was acquitted by the Supreme Court. This gave him hope, not only for the justice system but also for his road to becoming a registered criminologist, and by August 2020, he finally graduated.
After the challenging 4-year course, Mr. Sarabia stated that it was the COVID-19 pandemic that mainly hit his next target: taking and passing the exam. He admitted that the unending postponement of the Criminology Licensure Examination was depressing. Due to financial problems, he decided to review on his own rather than enroll in review centers, which would have cost them a lot, considering that surviving these days is not that easy. Surprisingly, it was her mother who pushed him to register so he could join his classmates.
It took him two months to undergo a formal review. However, he confessed that as early as his senior year, he started scanning his notes and letting himself imbibe all the tiny details. Mr. Sarabia honestly said that he was not confident in passing the exam because there were questions that he had never encountered during his studies or even in the review center. He defined the exam as an overwhelming and, at the same time, challenging and scary experience.
“I was fascinated when I found out that I was in the top 10. My parents really inspired me; they are my real heroes in life,” said Mr. Sarabia. When he was asked about his advice to the aspiring individuals who were planning to take the CLE, he answered with a quote he saw online. “Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star” by Clement Stone. These words, according to him, have inspired him to go for anything. He professed that he really aimed for the highest rank, but still, he called the results worth the wait, efforts, and sacrifices.
Dr. Jonah B. Badua, Dean of the College of Criminal Justice Education, described Mr. Sarabia as a simple and humble student. “He’s aggressive in making discussions about relevant issues and has that inquisitive and analytical mind,” she added. According to her, she was very delighted with the news since it was 19 years ago when a BS Criminology graduate from NWU landed in Top 10. She admitted that she screamed with happiness once she received a message that Mr. Sarabia made it on top. With an overall passing rate of 43.12%, higher than the 34.16% national passing rate, the College of Criminal Justice Education and the whole administration proudly extended their compliments to the passers for a job well done amid the pandemic. “I consider it as an answered prayer,” Dr. Jonah Badua concluded.
