She’s neither a member of the student council nor the editor-in-chief of the school’s student publication. She’s not also one of the most sought-after faces in the campus. But, 17-year-old Kristina Javier has got something most people of her age do not—simplicity, the gift of laughter, and a 2005 Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature award for her essay entitled, "Wahahahahahahahahaha!!!"

In an interview, the young scribe tells that winning the award came as a shock in the form of a letter. "After the I read the letter, I was shaking and I was nervous for a brief period and then, I screamed!" Subsequent to the aftermath, she would open the letter every now and then, "kasi baka magbago ang nakasulat!"

Kristina discovered the contest sometime in October. "When I learned that they are accepting entries for the Sananay-Kabataan Division, I thought: ‘Uy, good idea ‘to ah…makasali nga.’ Right after, she started mulling over the essay after learning the mechanics of the contest. "Actually, I wrote the draft of the essay while I was sitting inside my tita’s car for hours," she reveals. The hours of patiently waiting enable her to produce a literary gem—raw and unpolished—but still a jewel that would win one of the country’s most-coveted awards.

After pouring out her half-baked prose onto several sheets of paper, she started to revise her piece mentally. "From the time I wrote it until I was finally able to encode it, I’ve made at least three revisions," she shares. After working and re-working on her piece, she was able to come up with the five-page essay and decided to finally submit it. Just like most actors do in their Hollywood auditions, she decided to forget all about the entry. "I never thought that I could win because I saw the huge pile of entries when I reached the office." Still, being the risk taker that she is, she decided to give it a shot and see what happens.

Winning the Palanca Award is the best thing that happened to her so far. Unlike successful teeners of her age that have numerous awards under their belts, Kristina doesn’t have much public recognition. "Aside from the awards I got from the several essays I joined in my lower years, I don’t have any major awards," she sheepishly admits.

Kristina started her inclination towards the craft by writing in journals and diaries. "I started writing when I was in grade school but I only started joining writing contests in high school," she recalls. When it comes to studying, Kristina reveals that she doesn’t have follow any study habits pattern or passing tricks and formulas. "Usually, I just study if I have time or whenever the exams are fast approaching," she admits. "The only time I remember about studying really well is when I was a sophomore," she recounts. "Then, I used to join study groups where we go to one house and study. After that, would play basketball."

Aside from music, Kristina is also fond of movies. Among the seemingly countless movies that she has seen, she considers "Pleasantville" as the most life-changing movie. "I know it’s not really great. But I was amazed with the cinematography and with everything," she says adamantly. She also watches films recommended by her sisters. Like most writers, Kristina also loves to read especially children’s books but so not much into literature. "I’m not one of those girls who would say that, ‘Oh, I read the works of Shakespeare’ because I would admit that it’s really hard to understand those literary works." Kristina is more inclined into contemporary and modern fiction. "I really love modern books that are simple but truthful."

"If you read the read, it’s really simple," Kristina says. "It’s all about my mom [who passed away due to breast cancer when she was 11 years old] and how she taught me to approach life with laughter."

For her, the biggest realization she had after winning the award is humility. Unlike before when she would boast of her trivial achievements, Kristina is now more conscious of her actions. "I learned that it pays to be humble and grateful whenever you get blessings." Aside from humility, the award also made her realize how good God is. This somehow inspired her to write often and read more books to improve her writing style. "I also learned that I get can almost everything I want if I really work hard and strive hard to get it," she enthuses.

Since she is already a high school senior, Kristina’s top priority is to find a good College. "After I get in, I would probably revive my passion for writing and I would write more."

Believing that anyone can be a writer for as long as they write truthfully, Kristina tells her fellow budding scribes to just write. "Don’t think about what the people might say to you…just write what you think about and what comes from your heart. And think that with what you’re writing, you might change the world," she ends.