“A Life led by Faith: The Story of Ena De Los Trinos”
by Kyle Arnold B. Marges
“Life is like a movie, pick your own role.” - J. Cole
A woman of many talents and aspirations, whose life is filled with a one-of-a-kind adventure in itself, stands Saint Louis University alumna Ena Coleen De Los Trinos as the protagonist of her own movie. A TV Director with an impressive repertoire and a movie enthusiast rolled into one, Ms. Ena is someone who does not let anyone get in the way of her journey towards her dream.
At the start of her life, Ms. Ena was an introvert who took comfort in her own company, where she indulges herself into watching movies and tv series in her own time. In the field of her future self’s job, one would expect extrovertness to be inherently there, but that is not the case with Ms. Ena.
At school, a young Ms. Ena veered towards writing and poetry, things which she found beautiful, and playing the guitar for herself as a way to communicate her feelings. With Disney, Nickelodeon, and film as means to connect with her family and friends, Ms. Ena struggled with herself due to youth and lack of confidence, which she and her parents slowly remedied by making her join music competitions.
As time progressed and years passed by, many things has happened to Ms. Ena, but it was at her 6th grade graduation that she realized what she wanted to be all along: A director. That was when she knew what she wanted to do and what path she wanted to take for herself. So, armed with that knowledge and a new-found confidence, Ms. Ena stepped towards the path of media arts and never looked back.
Being a huge movie buff and growing up in an environent where she grew invested in film and writing, Ms. Ena jumpstarted her journey towards mass communication with a fiery passion. Powered by the feeling this gave her, she continue to follow it, which eventually led her to choose communication as her course and Saint Louis University as the school to attend to. She firmly believed that SLU shared her vision and believed in her.
However, despite the confidence she found in herself, there were people who began to doubt the path she chose to take. With mass communication being labeled as “Mass-comportable,” Ms. Ena herself started doubting if there ever was a future for her in mass communication. She felt pressured due to the negativity she was receving for choosing communication. Still, what pushed her to realize that she was in the right direction was God and prayer. She said that when she was young, God gave her an epiphany.
“This has been what you wanted ever since, why would you listen to others. It’s your future, it’s your life,” Ms. Ena thought to herself in assurance. At that statement, when asked if she regretted anything about the choices she made at that time, Ms. Ena immediately said no. She firmly said she has always been faithful to what she chose to do, what she did for her dream. “All that matters are the people that supported your decision and God,” guided by faith and the people who believed in her, Ms. Ena said this.
After that ordeal, nothing has swayed Ms. Ena into doubting herself ever again. She continued to remain faithful to her dream and trusted it every step of the way.
“Once you have that (Faith) in you, no matter how others say you’re not worthy, no one can hold you down.”
When asked to describe her journey in communication using three words, Ms. Ena used “Difficult, rewarding, and colorful.” She said that her COM journey honed her to face the realities of her profession and that she learned a lot of things in SLU, even things she thought she couldn’t do.
As a fresh graduate, Ms. Ena dealt with a lot of anxieties, which she described as a daily marathon of overthinking. She said it felt like it pushes you into self-pity and self-deprecation, which can affect one’s performance. She overcame this setback by managing her expectations for herself and for others.
“Things aren’t always going to go your way but we need to accept the fact that life is like that. You should always expect the unexpected.”
The situation helped, Ms. Ena added. It made sure she stays humble, to learn from her mistakes, and learn from things she missed out on. It also eased her that she was surrounded by her greatest source of comfort and support: her family and friends.
It was a hustle, Ms. Ena said about looking for a job as a fresh graduate. She received a lot of rejections from employers but assured that there will always be someone who will accept her skills. She said that it was a journey that requires patience and perseverance.
Ms. Ena had to wait 3 to 4 months to land her first job, which was to be a social media optimizer. She knew little about the role and considers it as a difficult experience but managed to pull through. It was a rewarding feeling for her to finally get a job but it was also overwhelming due to having to self-learn and had to go on training. However, Ms. Ena described the experience as not a hindrance, but a way to have gained an additional skill.
At only 22, it was then Ms. Ena finally achieved her childhood dream, which was to be a TV director. With the rewarding feeling it gave her, Ms. Ena was at the top of the world. Despite the daunting part to having achieved her dream at such a young age and the big responsibility it puts on her shoulders, Ms. Ena said that she would not let it get to her.
On the bright side of her flourishing career, Ms. Ena’s favorite part of it is that she gets to meet a lot of people with inspiring stories to tell. She also described how her career is like playing in a way where she thinks she has bigger toys and better equipment to fiddle with, like she was living out her dream in a “heightened reality.”
The advantage Ms. Ena’s profession that gives her the most joy is the fact that she gets to see herself happy, along with the people who believed in her to be happy as well. And given what she has attained so far, her life’s hopes and achievements are owed to God, family, and friends (her ka-iyakan and ka-puyatan), who urged her to pursue her dream and gave her comfort on her journey.
“Thank you and I love you,” is what Ms. Ena would have wanted to say to them at that moment.
A true protagonist of her own story, Ms. Ena De Los Trinos refused to let anyone make decisions for her, and in turn, she chose her own role in life: A strong, capable woman whose passion in media arts let her achieve her childhood dream, one she kept close to her heart with unwavering faith in God, family, friends, and herself.
(Interview with Ms. Ena on October 6, 2021)
Ms. Ena’s wise, parting words to students who are wanting to pursue a career in mass communication and to those who are reluctant to do so are written bellow:
“You have to be someone like you. In order to achieve that kind of dream or your individual dreams, do your dream. Believe in what you want to do and what you want to do. Believe that you can achieve it. Be faithful to it. Trust it in every step of the way. Have faith in yourselves, in God, your family, friends, and the people who believe in you.”
“Manage your expectations. It will be something that will humble you from your mistakes and disappointments.”
“If communication is what you really want to do, then don’t let discouragements hold you back from what you want to pursue. Dreams are built by faith and that’s what you must carry with you. Don’t let your life be written by fear.”
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