Born in the Philippines with Irish and German heritage, Kassandra Mae Kraft is a student at Paaralang Sekundarya ng Lucban Integrated School. Kassandra speaks two languages –Tagalog and English- and wants to learn even more. Kassandra enjoys chemistry and other STEM subjects and has lots of different, interesting ambitions.
What’s your favorite subject at school/college and why?
It would be chemistry. I chose chemistry because in this subject, it can test the limit of my understanding. It gives pressure, confusion, enjoyment but most of all it gives knowledge, which is very amusing for me. I think this subject is too much but as a STEM student I don’t have a choice but to take it since it would still be there in college. But I think this is my favorite out of all the subjects that we have this semester because it really keeps me extremely alert and focused, if I missed something all hell will break lose.
What do you like most about your school/college? What would you like to change about it?
The strands they offer. As a well-known fact in Lucbanins, PSLIS is like in a semi-remote area. It takes about 15 minutes at most to get there but since they have what I wanted that’s why I still chose to study there. I really like the fact that although it’s in a remote place, they offer a STEM strand which is like the standard strand that most scholarship requires. I wouldn’t change it since it may offer more opportunity and hope to other students.
What is your dream job?
In the Philippines, a dream job doesn’t require you to dream big (well for me). It’s like, dream of what’s in reach around you. As a person who just goes with the flow of life, my dream job would either be a marine engineer or a radiologic technologist. 2 unrelated things, right? But for now, these are my dream jobs because these two are the only things I could take in college that I have an interest in. Also this has the least requirement for high fundings, since I will take a study now-pay later for marine engineering and a low cost for radiologic technology. You might be wondering why this still a dream although it’s well planned? This is the simple explanation, the screening and entrance examination will determine what I will be in the future.
What is the best thing about being a teenager in your country?
The best thing about being a teenager in my country is that I grow as who I want to be without letting other people’s words shape me into what they want me to be. I like that most people let us experience it first since most of us don’t listen to their advice because as they’ve said “experience is the best teacher”. I also think that the best thing in the Philippines about me being a teenager is when you are in early age they open your eyes for what is the world really like and what comes to life if you choose a certain decision, so it’s like you get to enjoy things since you know what to avoid.
What languages do you speak?
I speak Tagalog and English. These 2 languages have been the forefathers of my education and as a whole being but I wouldn’t be closed to the idea of studying another language as long as there is a teacher who can teach me how.
What country would you like to visit and why?
As a human being with an ancestry of German and Irish, I would like to visit Germany and Ireland to learn more about my ancestors and how they have come to be in the Philippines. I am also interested in visiting many more countries if I will be a sea woman like South Korea, France, Italy, UK and USA: the land of dreams.
What is your favourite food?
My favorite food would be burger with onions and veggies, like the crunch of the veggies and the meaty juice of the meat when you bite is so superb. It’s like heaven is raining down on me, keme (keme is a word that we use as an alternative for joke or an exaggerated statement). But I like foods that are spicy.
What is your favourite TV show and why?
My favorite TV show would be ShowTime because it gives laughter in our daily lives. It also shows how a celebrity can bring joy to others by just simply being there so that’s why ShowTime is my favorite TV show.
Where is your quiet place that you go to relax?
I actually don’t have the luxury to relax in a quiet place but I think it would be roads that I can walk in at night. It just, you know, gives me a sense that, although I am alone there, I’m not since there are street lights, stars and the cold air lingering to help me relax, not feel alone and be at peace.
If you could only take one thing on a desert island what would you take?
The one thing I would take on a desert island would be is a knife. I chose a knife because I think it would help greatly with my survival knowing full well that I’ve seen survival shows in the internet so I would know how to survive on my own. But with a knife I think it would be little more easier since I can use it to protect myself, cut meat and woods. So yeah, I choose to bring a knife.
If you could have dinner with any one celebrity, who would you choose?
I’d probably choose to eat with Francine Diaz. I chose her because I want to personally know her better, like as in her real self. I want to uncover what she really is like in the real life. I am not the type of person to make judgements based on others’ opinions that’s why I would like to talk and eat dinner with her.
If you could have one superpower what would it be?
I would like my superpower to be one that gives light to people who’s in their darkest nights. I want my superpower to become an embodiment of hope that will serve as a guide to them; to choose what is right and give them the happiness that they deserve.
