‘Para sa pangarap’: Doctor achieves dream of becoming a lawyer

MANILA, Philippines – Among the 1,800 law graduates who passed the 2018 Bar Exams is a physician who proved that it’s not yet too late for her to achieve her “original dream.” (READ: FULL LIST: Bar Exams 2018 passers)

Jean Joan Polido, 33, finished medicine with cum laude honors at the University of Santo Tomas in 2010. It was her longtime dream to become a lawyer, but she chose to pursue medicine for her parents, who always wanted her to become a doctor. 

“It was pushed into the background kasi my parents, gusto talaga nila [na maging] doctor ako (because my parents, they wanted me to become a doctor). So I did it. I also fell in love with the profession,” she said.

But even when she was already in her first year of surgery residency, Polido still couldn’t shake off her dream of becoming a lawyer. (READ: Bar 2018: La Salle Manila gets first topnotcher as USC continues feat)

Upon realizing that she could still revive her dream with the full support of her husband, she finally decided to pursue the profession she had longed for since childhood.

In 2013, she began studying at the Arellano University School of Law, which offered an executive class for working students.

“I decided to try it for one semester, test the waters if that’s really for me. But after the first semester, I fell deeply in love with the profession so I pursued it,” said Polido.

She quit her surgery residency and juggled being a law student as well as a university physician and medical technology professor at the Trinity University of Asia.

“Basta para sa pangarap, walang mahirap, walang hindi kakayanin (When it’s for your dreams, nothing is difficult or hard to achieve).”

Not in it for prestige

Entering law school, Polido said she had to make a lot of adjustments as she had to start from scratch.

“I have to make my own notes, I have to read more than one book per subject and I have to read cases. They’re (medicine and law) both difficult pero siguro kaya mas nahirapan ako sa law kasi pre-law ko ay (but maybe I struggled more with law school because my pre-law course was) medical technology,” she said.

After 5 years, she completed her law degree and took the Bar Exams. (READ: ‘A dream come true’: 2018 Bar passers celebrate success)

Asked about her advice to aspiring lawyers, Polido said that preparing for the Bar Exams starts in law school.

“Make sure you really want to become a lawyer. ‘Yung dahil gusto mong i-protect ang life, liberty, and property ng future client mo, not because gusto mo lang ng prestige that comes with [the title] (That you truly want to protect the life, liberty, and property of your future clients, not because you only want the prestige that comes with the title),” she said.

Now that she’s both a doctor and a lawyer, Polido hopes to be able to practice both professions. (READ: 2018 Bar topnotcher wants to be ‘voice for people who need a voice’) – Samantha Bagayas and Kurt dela Peña/Rappler.com