(photo via http://www.educationpinoy.com)
I remember vividly: it was six summers ago when I first set foot in this institution. I was with people my age crammed at the CS building, trying their luck in entering this great institution of learning. But my predicament was entirely different from them --- I had no money to pay for the required tuition fees. All I had was the exact fare in my pocket to go back home if I fail.
I came from a family that is not privileged. We could be considered as one of those so-called insignificant in our society and by standards we are called poor. my father was a construction worker who pushed his frail body to the limits to earn money and feed a growing family until his body gave up and passed away. My mom was a food vendor (died last March 2010). there were nine of us in the family, me being the six child.
It was next to impossible for me to secure and education. We are poor and in life's reality, the poor can only wishfully dream, and that's how far it can get. But that didn't prevent me from dreaming: I knew in my heart that if I persevere, gaining a college degree will come into realization.
And it was Adamson University that gave me that one chance in life in fulfilling the impossible.
I was fortunate enough to be given the scholarship offered by the university to those who graduated valedictorian in high school. And soon enough, I was in college and studying in a school considered to be one of the finest Catholic educational institutions in the Philippines. But how I wish life could be that simple.
While maintaining the high grades that I needed to obtain at the end of the semester in order to continue my scholarship, I still had to work to bridge my financial needs while studying. It was tough and truly indeed, it was difficult. I study in the morning and at night I work, barely having time for myself. Many times, in my solitude, I couldn't help but cry. yes, I went through that, for I thought how forsaken my life was.
I should be having fun at this age; I should be at parties, gimmicks, mingling with my friends at school, doing typical things a normal teen ager does, and enjoying my youth. But mine was otherwise --- I was stuck wiping floors and flipping burger patties at a popular food chain at night while guys my age were having all the fun.
They were one of those moments when I felt desolate, but still I remained steadfast. I just held on to the promises of God that HE WILL NEVER LEAVE ME NOR FORSAKE, that HE WILL MAKE A WAY WHEN THERE SEEMS TO BE NO WAY, and that ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.
I knew in my heart that if I continue to pursue this dream of having a college degree, a significant change in my life will happen someday. And now, as I write this testimony before you, it is only by God's grace and His unfailing love that I was able to weather that adversity of life, and I consider myself truly blessed. I finished despite the insurmountable hardship that a young man has to go through.
Mabuhay ang lahat ng Adamsonians!
Sender: Jose Lester Correa Duria
BSED maj. in Araling Panlipunan
Batch 2009