Maituturing na proud Pinoy moment ang pagtatapos ni Kristen "Ten" Monteverde bilang magna cum laude sa New York University (NYU) para sa kanyang filmmaking at television course.
Si Ten ang bunso sa tatlong magkakapatid at nag-iisang anak na babae ni Reality MM Studios producer Dondon Monteverde at ng asawa nitong si Dr. Grace Monteverde.
Apo siya ng Regal Entertainment Inc. matriarch na si Lily Monteverde.
“Oh my gosh, it was like I am here and it’s over, it’s all amounted to this,” sagot ni Ten nang itanong ng Philippine Entertainment Portal (PEP.ph) ang kanyang reaksiyon nang malamang magtatapos siyang cum laude mula sa prestigious university sa Amerika.
Isang malaking karangalan daw ito hindi lamang para sa kanyang pamilya kundi pati na rin sa Pilipinas.
Saad ng young filmmaker, “More than just majoring in film, I have a double minor in Psychology and in Art History so my studies were very well-rounded.
“It wasn’t just filmmaking. It was also art history so I could take a deep breath.
“I was over the moon, I was so happy, and I knew that it meant so much more than that just like an achievement for me.
“It was also for my family, also to the whole country. And it was something that I could be proud of for the rest of my life.
"And it was really like a cherry on top of all these years of studying and all the late nights, all the tests and all the craziness in New York.
“I was very happy. It’s like the biggest thing I could really say and just very proud and relieved… It’s finally done and I could just focus on having a good time.”
THE DAY SHE DECIDED TO BECOME A FILMMAKER
Dahil bunso at nag-iisang anak na babae, hindi madali para kay Ten ang pumunta sa ibang bansa para mag-aral, pero sinuportahan ng kanyang pamilya ang mga pangarap niyang natupad sa murang edad na 22.
“It’s a matter of finding who I was outside my family and in that case, I was drawn towards other media at first. But, I think, I was always a creative person.
“It wasn’t until after freshman year of college that I decided to become a filmmaker.
“When I got the acceptance letter [from NYU], I was alone in my room and I started crying my eyes out 'coz it was like a dream come true. Oh my gosh, I can, like, move to to New York and live out all my dreams!
“I ran down the stairs and I opened the door and I was just, like, crying in front of them, 'Please let me go! Please let me go!'" nakakaaliw na anekdota ni Ten tungkol sa eksena nang matanggap niya ang acceptance letter mula sa NYU.
Patuloy niya, “Of course, for my dad Dondon, there’s an attachment involved and as a parent, there’s all these thoughts and fear that comes with sending your child off out into the world. I am sure it was very hard for him.
“The first person I told about this shift was my dad. He was also the first one who found out that I actually got into Parsons, which is another school in New York.
“He was very happy. There was joy in the fact that I found the things that I love.
“My grandmother [Mother Lily], she was very very happy. She wants me to be making films in the Philippines.
"She’s also very very supportive of me exploring, like, what’s outside of it."
Kasalukuyang nasa Amerika si Ten, pero nakatakda siyang umuwi sa Pilipinas para sa kaarawan ni Mother Lily sa August 19.
Susubukan din niya ang kanyang kapalaran sa Pilipinas.
FIRST PROJECT AFTER GRADUATION
Ang music video ng "Gabi," ang bagong single ni JK Labajo, ang isa sa mga unang proyekto ni Ten bilang direktor.
Lahad niya, “It was my first project after I graduated and so I wanted then to establish my own voice through that project.
“I was creating something that would match the song very well and create visuals that accompany the song itself but also try to inject my own visual style, visual language, and apply everything I learned in school in one music video.
"JK made it very easy. He gave me a lot of freedom in how I could make the music video and he really trusted me with it.
"I am glad that he gave me that much creative freedom. It was a great experience."