By Jovit D. Caballero

Kiichi has learned to navigate the spaces between expectation and truth, carrying doubt in one hand and courage in the other. She has stumbled into love, felt the sting of longing, and imagined a life where she no longer had to hide. Each triumph and setback has shaped her, pushing her toward the questions that matter most—Who am I? Who can I love? Where do I belong?

Claiming Her Truth

In elementary, Kiichi attended Our Lady of Perpetual Succor College in Marikina. There, she grew as a student leader; outside, she trained her voice, and discovered a love for reading that expanded her mind. Her passion for books introduced her to the endless possibilities the world could offer—shaping a curiosity and openness that would stay with her well into adulthood.

Among the cousins she grew up with, Kiichi’s family was highly regarded, and her parents were those deemed by both clans as “dependable.” Growing up, this quietly instilled in her the drive to excel and the desire to live up to their example — to (unconsciously) be the “golden child” and earn their validation.

With a strong academic record, Kiichi’s parents transferred her to St. Scholastica’s Academy in Marikina for high school. It was in this environment that Kiichi first began to question her identity and experienced her first crush on a classmate. Having been educated in Catholic schools, she had always been taught the ideals the world expected—marriage by 25, a relationship with a boy—and it was there where she wondered if the life laid out before her was truly hers to follow.

Following Her Heart

By her fourth year in high school, Kiichi was being steered toward nursing, a path that echoed her mother’s profession, but her heart quietly resisted. She had long been drawn to literature, strengthened by a love shaped by the worlds she found in books. Determined to take a course that felt true to her, she crafted a plan — she would tell her parents it was preparation for her bigger goal of becoming a lawyer someday. It wasn’t a lie; it was a vision she genuinely held for herself and one she strived to achieve.

When she finally stepped into Ateneo de Manila University as an AB English Literature student, she carried a mix of triumph, anticipation, and the heavy awareness that choosing her own path also meant carrying the weight of living up to it. She lived through the chaos of college and graduated with a degree in English Literature and a minor in Global Politics—laying the foundation she would later draw from in law school. The plan was working. With college behind her, the more rigid part of chasing her ambitions was just beginning.

There’s a prehistoric joke in law school that’s so overused but still rings true: Law school is like a walk in the park… but it’s Jurassic Park. There were threats of workload only manageable by miracles, incessant pleas to the universe to extend the day to thirty hours to finish readings, and the torment delivered by professors who enjoy being the campus villains. All of these were apparently true—as she would later discover.

Kiichi entered law school at San Beda University in 2014. As if the stress and pressure of studying law weren’t enough, she also struggled with her identity and sexuality in the midst of reading jurisprudence.

Later, Kiichi’s non-binary classmate began to show interest in her. She got caught between fear and uncertainty (aggravated by the harsh realities of law school), so she insisted she was straight. Being “straight” seemed easier to admit than wrestle with multiple truths; so she turned down that classmate when they asked her out on a date. The classmate respectfully gave her space; but Kiichi missed them… enough to say “yes.” Since then, she better understood that love is fluid — beyond gender and beyond choice. In February 2026, they’ll be celebrating their 11^th anniversary as a couple!

Finding Her Place

In 2021, Kiichi and her partner shared a home—and their lives—more fully than ever. They became more open about their relationship, with her partner’s mom welcoming her into the family while she struggled fighting the prejudice of her own. Kiichi’s brother offered quiet support, but the tense, often passive-aggressive dynamic with her parents complicated her search for belonging.

In 2022, Kiichi and her partner passed the bar examinations together; but even that was not enough to gain the approval of Kiichi’s parents. Instead, she received words that cut deep: questions about whether they had even thought things through, and reminders that Kiichi had not yet “paid back” her parents for all they had done for her. These hit her with an unexpected weight. Eventually, she grew tired of trying to meet expectations that seemed to keep shifting—higher and higher—that it just wasn’t worth the effort. She decided then to prioritize her own happiness—something her parents couldn’t seem to grasp.

In 2024, Kiichi’s mother was diagnosed with cancer; despite her family’s efforts and care, her mother passed away after a few months, leaving her to navigate grief without closure. She never received the acceptance she hoped for—and she later understood that no apology could reclaim the time lost because of her mother’s predisposition. She carries the quiet truth that the safety she once felt in her parents’ arms exists now only in memory. And all this time, the arms that kept her safe were her own.

Today, Kiichi believes she’s exactly where she’s meant to be: held by friends and family who surround her with love, lifted by a Legal team she can always depend on, and standing beside a partner she hopes to spend a lifetime with. She keeps rising, building a life rooted in love, acceptance, and the freedom to grow into the best version of herself without the fear of judgment.

Her story is a powerful reminder that even through loss, longing, and heavy expectations, it’s still possible to find your place and let your rainbow soar.

Atty. Kiichi Lyne Mingoa is a Legal Assistant Manager under the Legal Services Division who handles general counselling. She runs on coffee, dances after work, gets a little too competitive over Catan, takes micromini-retirements within her leave credits, and always packs a pinch of stardust in her pocket just in case anyone needs some cheering up.

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