Why did the yKalinga cadet decide to sign up for the Royal Military College of Canada?

Entering the military was not really a dream for yKalinga cadet, Ensign Carrie Faith Banglag Magannon who is said to be the first Cordilleran to have graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada (RMCC).

She said it didn’t cross her mind, since no one in her family is part of the military. However, as she goes on with the flow of life, she came face to face with the opportunity to be a cadet.

With her desire then to help her family, she took the opportunity to have a free education and to have a secured job in the future. This is why she entered the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) in 2016.

Having free education and secured job, Carrie said, will be a huge help to their family because her mother was diagnosed with colon cancer and that they have to spend for her medication.

“This opportunity is a great help to my family, mainly because my mother was diagnosed with colon cancer,” she said.

Carrie graduated from RMCC this May 20, 2021.

Homesickness and her morale

When Carrie was in second year cadet at the PMA, her good performance in the academy became her ticket to the Royal Military College of Canada, where she was sent to study. Her other classmates were sent to military schools in Japan, South Korean, Australia, and the United States of America.

When she was already in Canada, Carrie recalled that she has to undergo some adjustments because the curriculum there was different. According to her, RMCC is more on academics while PMA focuses on Character, Academics, Military, and Physical.

Studying abroad might be one among the bucket lists of many students, but for Carrie, it was way more challenging, since she has to deal with homesickness.

“Studying abroad is more challenging because you are away from home, from your loved ones. [it] makes your morale low. But thinking about them motivates me to finish my studies,” she said.

Challenges and struggles

Carrie narrated that apart from the school curriculum, she has to adjust in the environment, being in a foreign country.

“One of the challenges I have to face in Canada is the different environment from what I was used to in the Philippines. Canada and the Philippines differ in many ways, and adjustments can sometimes be complex,” she recalled.

Moreover, she was not also exempted from racial discrimination. However, she didn’t allow this to put her down, instead, she used this as her motivation to do her best.

“The good people I met in Canada who became friends and family, really help a lot during my stay there. I thank God for letting me meet them and for His guidance where ever I go,” she added.

Carrie finished her training and studies at RMCC in December 2020, but she was included in the May convocation because there was no graduation ceremony during that time.

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