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Deanna Wong, inaming nahirapan sa first two years niya sa Ateneo | Kuan On One

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ABS-CBN Studios

Those who have been into the Philippine volleyball landscape over the past decade surely know Deanna Wong and perhaps even have watched some of her games from the time she was still part of the varsity volleyball team of Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles to the present when she has been playing for the Premier Volleyball League.She may appear tough and reticent, especially on the court, but the pride of Minglanilla, Cebu, actually has her soft side just like anyone else, which she got to display during her guesting in the latest episode of the ABS-CBN Entertainment online Bisaya talk show “Kuan On One.”Since the Cebuana hotshot had lived with her parents and four siblings all her life until she reached the age of 16 and graduated from high school, she confessed how difficult it was actually for her to move to Manila to pursue her studies and career as a volleyball player, yet she was unbelievably able to make it in the end.As Kuantie Melai asked her about the drastic move she made for the sake of playing volleyball, Deanna confessed that it was not her initial choice of sport, for she was actually into basketball back then due to her father’s influence. Since basketball for girls wasn’t popular in Cebu at the time and her school’s main sport was volleyball, she accepted the invitation of one of her classmates for them to try out for intramurals despite not having any inkling how to play the sport when they were in elementary.Much to her surprise, the coach picked her to play not just for the intrams but for the varsity team! However, it was only when she was in high school that she started to really like the sport.Deanna supposedly didn’t want to leave Cebu after graduating from high school, more so to be away from her family and her comfort zone. However, her father pushed her to pursue the dream he wasn’t able to achieve, which was to become a professional basketball player. He passed that ambition on to her, which she accepted in a way that meant she had no choice but to obey.Eventually, she began to realize that it was indeed a good thing that she listened to her parents because she wouldn’t have reached this point in her life and career if she didn’t heed their advice. She was recruited by ADMU to be part of its varsity team and successfully got in after passing the entrance exam and accomplishing all the processes.Despite her bravery, she admitted to getting very scared, especially during her first two years in the university, to the point that she cried day and night.When asked by Kuantie Melai what it has taken her to be strong, Deanna retorted that it was a matter of choice. She always keeps in mind that she must do it not for herself but for her family since they didn’t come from a wealthy clan and they had their own share of financial problems, too. Thus, it was such a huge help that her tuition was free because of the scholarship that Ateneo had given her.She went on to recount the instance when she told her mom that she couldn’t take it or didn’t want to do it anymore, especially during her first and second years in college. While her mom already wanted her to come home, her dad was really firm that she could do it.As the time came that her name became known in the world of Philippine volleyball, Deanna said that it actually took a while for her to take all that in. She recalled how shocked she was about her growing popularity back then and kept asking herself “why?” and “how did it happen?” But then, she realized that it was not something she should complain about because it’s indeed a blessing after all.Watch out for “Kuan On One’s” all-new guests, such as popular Bisdak artists, influencers, content creators, and beauty queens, as a new episode drops every Tuesday on ABS-CBN Entertainment YouTube and<a href="https://app.iwanttfc.com/dFR6MWHAcVb"> iWant.</a>

Deanna Wong confessed to "Kuan On One" host Melai Cantiveros how difficult it was actually for her to move to Manila to pursue her studies and career as a volleyball player.

Deanna Wong confessed to "Kuan On One" host Melai Cantiveros how difficult it was actually for her to move to Manila to pursue her studies and career as a volleyball player.