The referee’s call cut through the noise of the gym. Angelite alumnus Jonathan Santos had told himself he was ready. He had trained for this; carried the weight of a scholarship and a family’s quiet hope for it. But seconds after the call, he found himself flat on his back. Breath knocked clean out of him, staring up at a ceiling he had not expected to see so soon.

He lost that match. And in a way, that loss became the most defining win of his career.

Santos was not born with a silver spoon. He is, first and foremost, a loving son and a dreamer who grew up in a household where finances were tight, and university was not simply a degree but a way to eventually carry some of the financial weight his family had long shouldered on their own.

A full athletic scholarship was the most viable path forward, and karate-do, the sport he had devoted himself to, was his way in.

Despite the nerves that came with facing the first chapters of his journey, the stumbles from his limited experience compared with his peers’ strong foundation, and the pressure from meeting the standards of a scholarship program, it did not stop him from gripping onto what he believes is the key for his dreams: karate-do.

KIAI (A short, loud shout to focus energy)

In karate-do, the kiai is a shout, an act of total focus, a release of breath and energy meant to center the body and sharpen the mind at the precise moment it matters most. Athletes channel everything into that single, brief sound: all their training, all their intention.

It is the same off the mat. There are moments in life that call for the same kind, where everything one has must be directed toward one thing, and for Santos, stepping into HAU as a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science freshman on an athletic scholarship was his first real kiai.

He applied — knowing he was not the most polished name in the room — with his current knowledge and self-confidence of his chosen sport in the left hand, and his dream and support from his loved ones in the right hand.

He passed his Level 1 evaluation, secured his spot in the scholarship program, and immediately began reconfiguring his life around the dual demands that would define the next four years.

“One of the main requirements for the scholarship was winning in tournaments, while also maintaining good grades. It was not easy — it required a lot of hard work and discipline to balance both academics and being an athlete,” said the alumnus.

Balancing both was never a clean equation. Santos had to crawl his way up to be worthy of his own name and scholarship — the expectations that came with being a scholar-athlete, the rigor of a Computer Science curriculum, and the relentless grind of training.

“To balance both my studies and sports, I decided to take an irregular class schedule so my training would not be affected,” Santos shared, reflecting on the sacrifices he had to make.

For Santos, it was all worth it. He bears the burden of discipline and hard work with the hope of finishing his studies with excellence and continuing his love for sports.

In time, Santos became one of the more recognizable names in the university’s karate-do program, proudly representing HAU and Region III in various tournaments and competitions.

SHOBU HAJIME! (Go, start the match!)

When a karate referee calls “Shobu Hajime,” the match officially begins. There is no more waiting or preparation, only the present moment and whatever one brings to it. It is the point of no return, and it is exactly where Santos found himself in one of his earliest tournaments in Angeles City.

He had gone in confident. He had trained, and he had expected to walk away with a win.

“I remember thinking, ‘This is it.’ But right after the referee said ‘Shobu Hajime,’ everything happened so fast,” he recalled, looking back on that devastating moment.

“Before I knew it, I was thrown onto the mat like a kid and was gasping for breath. In the end, I lost the match.”

But what is the essence of sport and success if one has never experienced defeat?

A friend once left Santos with a line that carved something in his athletic spirit: “Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn.”

From that point on, he returned to training with a different kind of hunger — one that did not come from the need to prove himself to anyone else, but from the recognition that there was still more he could become.

Part of what made that growth possible was the support of the people around him. His teammates, coaches, and especially his family, were a grounding force. But one of the quieter, steadier sources of strength came from his former classmate and now-wife who made his journey more bearable.

She had seen him at his most tired. From returning from training sessions to poring over coursework in whatever hours were left, showing up to classes still carrying the weight of the day before.

She did not let him settle for anything less than what she knew he was capable of. It was the kind of support that made the impossible feel workable.

His faith in God’s grace and guidance also played a role as a source of strength throughout his path as an Angelite athlete.

KACHI! (Win, success)

In competitions, “kachi” is the official word of declaration of a winner. But in Santos’ experience, the real wins were harder to timestamp. They were gradual, accumulated through years of showing up to practices, studying for exams, and choosing to stay in the program.

Who would have thought that his first loss would become his first win in disguise?

Countless, big doors opened before him. From winning in Pampanga to bringing home championship trophies in different cities across the country, Santos and his team continued to rise.

“We made history by winning Holy Angel University’s first overall championship in the UNIGAMES Karate-do MEN event, and we even became back-to-back-to-back champion,” Santos proudly shared, recalling one of the team’s notable achievements in their athletic journey.

During his and his team’s prime from 2014 to 2017, the wins were hard-earned through a training culture that prioritized mental and physical endurance above all else. Athletes were expected to show up, push through discomfort, and develop the kind of resilience, discipline, and character that went beyond the tatami.

As he reminisced on his years in his athletic journey and on the management of sports at HAU, he observed that there is a noticeable difference between the scholarship and training culture of the past and that of the present.

Compared with today, HAU’s sports program now appears to have firmer management and innovative methods, with facilities, professional mentors, and stronger support more accessible and present than before.

“However, regardless of the changes between the past and present, the most important values remain the same — hard work, discipline, and dedication. These are the qualities that truly shape an athlete,” Santos said.

After graduating in 2017, Santos continues to pursue endeavors outside the athletic life. He now works across two companies: PME, a firm focused on mechanical and electrical project management, and APEX Mobility, which works in transportation and fleet solutions.

In both, he draws on the systems thinking and problem-solving discipline that his degree — and his sport — trained in him.

Even after graduating, he has not left karate-do behind. He still finds the same grit and resilience the sport has taught him, not only in athletics but also in his personal life.

Years removed from that first loss in Angeles City, Santos reflects on it not with embarrassment but with something closer to gratitude. It was the very moment the floor disappeared, and he found out he could land.

“Sometimes you win,” he had been told. “Sometimes you learn.”

For Jonathan Santos, it turned out, he was always doing both.