UA architecture student: Bookworm turned author
Twenty year old University of the Assumption (UA) architecture student Xavier Efraem Alega always finds himself reading a lot of stories in his spare time that little did he know he is leading himself towards his successful writing career.
Hands down to this student, as he wrote and published the 341-page novel “The Labyrinth of Minerva V.” which is all about a mystery-filled adventure of an 18-year-old named Nathan Salazar, who was tasked to embark on a quest locating a woman whom nobody, even his family, knows.
Alega shared that writing a book has been one of the key items in his life’s bucket list, and was a dream that he would see his name at one of the shelves in a bookstore.
“What motivates me most is my goal itself. I keep on reminding myself that all of the hard work will pay off soon, and luckily, it was really worth it and I am very happy with this accomplishment,” he said.
“My motto in life is ‘learning never stops’. I am an architecture student, and my course is really hard, but that didn’t stop me from learning new things, for I firmly believe that we are all intelligent in many ways. Exploring them is a journey, and it will forever be worth it,” he added.
Alega noted that he was a journalist in his young years back when he was a high school student.
“I started creative writing the moment I began The Labyrinth of Minerva V. I remember it was exactly this year, on February 11. I admit that I was really bad, but I managed my way back to the novel as I finished, seeing my writing in my first round of self-edits really pushed my limits of giving up. It was really that bad, but as I edited and edited, I learned new things and my editor really helped me a lot,” he expressed.
Alega mentioned that he never really expected his book to be published, as he just wanted to try something new and maybe just print a single copy for himself.
“I informed my parents about the subject of me publishing my work and did warn them that it will not be cheap, but they were really supportive and made it happen! I am really thankful to them that I dedicated the book for them. I’ve had a lot of problems— studying while writing, finance, and hiring a professional editor, but all went smoothly,” he said.
Alega highlighted that he balanced his time and earned a spot as a Dean’s Lister last semester in his university.
“I believe that being an architect isn’t only a segment of me. There are a lot of things to discover out there, and my passion for learning these things are equal. Some say that I was lucky that I have so much interest in stuff, but I always tell them that we can all do the things that we want to do. God will always permit us to explore, just remember to look back and thank the people who helped you,” he furthered.
“As I said, my motto is ‘learning never stops,’ and I want to inspire people, all students especially the youth, who have a passion but afraid to push it through, that they can do it. Time is gold, don’t waste your time in things that would not help you grow, and always give back to your parents by being a good example to people. All these things can shape the world to be better,” he sai d .
The architecture student also mentioned that he couldn’t have done the book without the help of his English professor in his first year of college in UA, Eloisa Galang for editing his work, his parents Glory Beth and Arnel for their help in financing his printing, and his sister Zyven Yuzzel for her undying support.
His self-published book is priced P475, which is currently under the publishing house Central Book Supply, Inc.