By: Jydel Nova Famentera
“When you learn, teach. When you get, give.” This certain passage is what motivates Atty. Grace M. Anastacio as a Bar mentor.
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The esteemed lawyer is presently employed as a court personnel. She received her law degree from San Beda College Alabang – School of Law (SBCA-SOL) in 2016. Although she has been teaching various law subjects in Legal Management since 2017, it is only her first stint as a professor in the SBCA-SOL this A.Y. 2022-2023. She currently handles Civil Procedure this semester.
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Despite being one of the new faces in the faculty of SBCA-SOL this academic year, she wasted no time in accepting the offer to become a bar mentor. This is her way of paying it forward to her Bedan family, knowing that in the future, her mentees will do the same.
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Being a natural mentor that she is, her approach to her current students is to treat them no different from that of her bar mentees. She conveys that “each page a student reads, every subject they pass, and every challenge they overcome in law school, make them a step closer in taking the bar exams.”
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Her motherly vibes and her effective way of teaching quickly cemented her status as one of the favorite professors of most, if not all, of her present students. She makes sure that they understand the topics well, especially the more difficult ones. Her jolly nature makes even the dreaded recitations lighter. You surely won’t want to miss her one-of-a-kind class!
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As a bar mentor, she ensured her availability whenever her mentee needed her, albeit through online means. She provided online mock bar questions to answer, as well as updates relative to the bar exams. Most importantly, she made sure that her mentee was mentally, physically, psychologically, and spiritually ready.
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It is common knowledge that the bar exams will surely test the mettle of each and every aspiring lawyer. With that in mind, Atty. Grace’s approach in mentoring is like that of a “war general” who plans two steps ahead. Her fervent advice to her mentee is: “Preparation is the key to success.”
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When asked how she wants to be remembered by her mentee, she simply replied, “someone who cheered for her and most importantly, believed in her.”
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For the bar takers this year, her sincere message is for them to claim their destinies while never forgetting that in all things, God may be glorified.
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For those who are aiming to top the bar, her advice is “to give it that little extra.” In addition, she also would like to leave a powerful quote from Nelson Mandela: “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
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