They say the sweetest victories are those shared with loved ones. For Ferdinand Narciso, 57, and his daughter, Mary Joyce “MJ” Narciso, 31, that truth became real when they both passed the 2025 Bar Examination—together.

For the Narciso family, the legal profession represents more than career success. It is a symbol of perseverance, sacrifice, and a dream more than 20 years in the making. When the official list of passers was released, their names appeared side by side, instantly turning them into a source of inspiration online.

Their story went viral after MJ posted a Tiktok video capturing the exact moment they saw their names on the list. The clip, later shared on Manila Bulletin social media pages on Jan. 14, drew emotional reactions from viewers touched by the family milestone.

MJ was still a child when her father took his first Bar Exam. She remembers traveling to Manila with her family, offering eggs to St. Claire, and witnessing the intense atmosphere of Bar season.

“Noong unang Bar Exam ni Papa noong 2005, bata pa ako (I was still young when Papa first took the Bar Exam in 2005),” MJ recalled, describing how she would accompany her father to exam sites and celebrate with him after each exam day. Even then, she sensed the importance of the moment, though she did not yet fully understand it.

Two decades later, their roles shifted. In September 2025, MJ was no longer the child observer—she was her father’s teammate.

While MJ balanced her final semester at the University of the Philippines Diliman as a working student, Ferdinand enrolled in a refresher course. Despite living in different places, Isabela and Quezon City, they studied together online daily. A month before the exam, they moved into a condominium in Quezon City to focus on reviewing together.

MJ said her motivation to pursue law came from wanting to help others and honor her parents’ sacrifices.

“Growing up, nakita ko kung paano nagsipag at nagsakripisyo ang parents ko (I saw how hard my parents worked and how much they sacrificed),” she said. “Gusto kong makabawi at makatulong sa kapwa (I want to be able to give back and help others).”

Like many Bar examinees, they faced financial and time pressures. MJ worked while studying, and review expenses weighed heavily on both of them. Still, they supported each other by discussing legal concepts daily, identifying weaknesses, and pushing each other to improve.

“I was a working student, short on time, and it was financially heavy for both of us,” MJ said. “But we helped each other.”

For Ferdinand and MJ, becoming lawyers is not just about professional status. It is about service. Both believe the law is a platform to help communities and advocate for those who need representation.

“Now, we take this win beyond ourselves,” MJ said. “We want to be lawyers people can approach. This is not just for us, but for our family and our country.”

For now, both plan to focus on their current work before fully immersing themselves in advocacy efforts. But their story already stands as proof that dreams can survive time, hardship, and distance—especially when pursued together.