CARD AO turned lawyer: ‘It’s about serving the same community’

Last April 26, 2018, the 2017 Philippine Bar Exam results are officially released online where a total of 1,724 out of 6,748 (25.55%) successfully hurdled the bar exam. The long list includes the name of Atty. Karen Jing Fernando from Sta. Ana, Manila.

“I was too happy at the time that I do not even know how to react,” Atty. Fernando said.

The world suddenly came to a halt. All she saw were her parents and foster parents’ faces, smiling at her with tears of joy in their eyes. “The feeling was unexplainably overwhelming,” she added.

LOOKING BACK

Atty. Fernando was born and raised in the province of Ifugao. When she turned two years old, she was taken into the loving arms of her foster parents since her own family are having a hard time raising all four of them. Nonetheless, her family and foster parents are both working together in providing everything she needed, from financial to moral support. She grew up seeing the face of kindness and the power of love.

THE ROCKY ROAD

Most of the time, people thought that having a degree also meant finishing the line. Atty. Fernando, however, proved that one can still do more. Right after finishing her BS Management Accounting in college, she pursued Law.

Her dream of becoming a lawyer was for her family and for the people she knew would be needing help to fight for justice. Her journey was a ‘rocky, slumpy, zigzag road’. It was not easy and she could still remember countless of time she said ‘I give up’ and counter-contradict it with ‘No! You’re almost there” every time.

THE TRUTH HIDDEN IN THE HEART OF EVERY COMMUNITY

After law school, there’s one more thing she needed to face to fully say that she did it, the Bar Exam. “Literally, that was the hardest exam I have ever encountered in my life. In between the four Sundays, I tried reviewing notes but it wasn’t effective,” said Atty. Fernando adding that she opted to sleep and watch movies to maintain her focus.

While waiting for the result, she could not bear to spend a day thinking about the exam, and she knew she had to do something that would erase it on her mind for a while.

She applied as an Account Officer in Center for Agriculture and Rural Development (CARD), Inc. (A Microfinance NGO), a social development organization that offers microloans to support the livelihood activities of the socio-economically challenged women and their families.

There she discovered the hidden truth in the communities. She was exposed to poverty, injustices, and many other societal problems slapped her to fully see her very own purpose.

“Becoming an Account Officer helped me to see more of what’s really happening in the countryside,” said Atty. Fernando adding that she knew that her experience will never be in vain because it was a step to becoming a good lawyer in the future.

THE FUTURE AWAITS

After the announcement made, the management of CARD then called Atty. Fernando to join the corporate legal team of the institution. With no hesitations, Atty. Fernando accepted the opportunity to become a lawyer of the marginalized sector.

“Leaving the life of an Account Officer saddened me, however, I have to ready myself more for the new path prepared for me. This is challenging but I have to embrace all of these for myself to grow more and to pay forward all the good things I have received,” Atty. Fernando concluded.