“At STEFTI, the well-being and values of the child will always be more important than academic excellence.” 

This is how Atty. Angelica Grace P. Gabriana-Reyes describes her time growing up in STEFTI. Little did she know that the compassionate, nurturing community to which she had been exposed would serve as a guiding light later on in her career.

Life as a Pioneer

Angelica, or Lexie as she is more commonly known, first came to STEFTI long before it became a big, sprawling campus. As the pioneering batch in the Grade School Department, it only had two sections shared among pupils who treated each other more as siblings than as batch mates. The familiarity extends to her former teachers as well, who remember her as the ‘little lady with a big presence.’

“She was the go-to choice especially for singing performances. She did everything with love and she lit up the stage every time,” says her former English teacher.

STEFTI might not have been the biggest and grandest school during their time, but it taught its students to treat each other like family. Lexie adds:

“Our batch celebrated the very first Family Day and it was our first time to see our parents so involved in the school activities. My late father, Bobby Gabriana, dreamed of celebrating a yearly Family Day and STEFTI made that dream come true. In fact, some of the fondest memories I have of Papa Bobby were in STEFTI, and for that alone our family will always be grateful. STEFTI always emphasized the importance of love for family and we thank the school for instilling that value in us to this day.” 

Law of Attraction

Lexie had her eyes set on becoming a lawyer after graduating from STEFTI.

Having finished a Bachelor of Science in Management in 2011 at the University of the Philippines Visayas Tacloban College (UPVTC, she then enrolled at the Don Vicente Orestes Romualdez Educational Foundation, Inc.  (DVOREF) College of Law to pursue her childhood dream of becoming a lawyer.  She graduated in April of 2016, took the Bar Exam that same year, then took her oath as a lawyer on May 2017.   

For almost 4 years now, she had been working at the Public Attorney’s Office. First, she was assigned to the Sogod District in Southern Leyte; but presently, she is connected with the PAO Regional Office 8 here in Tacloban City. She is also working as a full-time faculty member at the DVOREF College of Law, while at the same time hosts a free legal service radio/TV program Payong Legal: Payo ni Mister, Payo ni Misis every Friday with her lawyer-husband on FMR Tacloban.

“My work as a PAO Lawyer requires me to deal and help the underprivileged on a daily basis. If there’s one thing STEFTI has taught me, it’s to always see the good in people. In STEFTI, we are taught that all people are inherently good. It is only because of their circumstances that they are compelled to do evil things. Hence, we hate the sin, but we pray for the sinner.”

She said that this principle has guided her in all her dealings with PAO clients. At the PAO, lawyers usually represent people accused of crimes. She further quipped that people tend to forget that being accused of a crime does not equate to being found guilty of one. So these accused are usually at the receiving end of harsh criticism and hatred from people whom they do not even know. They seek understanding and compassion from the very few people who are on their side – their family and friends; and in their absence, their lawyer.  She added that she had to act not only as their lawyer, but also as their friend. 

“STEFTI has certainly prepared me to be a compassionate lawyer who always chooses to see the good in people.“

With this being said, she advises students who would like to follow in her footsteps to always remember that being a lawyer shouldn’t be self-serving. The path to one’s dream will be tough because anything worth getting will never be easy; but what will surely keep one going is the thought that he is doing this for his family, for the people one is going to serve in the future and most especially, for Daddy God.