I grew up in a conventional family. I was the first born followed by two male siblings. My life was more or less normal, however, it all changed in my fifth grade.
My parents suddenly got separated and our father left us without provision. We had bad credit and there were unpaid bills.
As a result, we got to the point that my six-month old baby brother had to drink "lawot," a sticky soup produced by cooking rice similar to congee, as substitute for milk. Imagine a 10-year-old girl standing on a stool silently crying while preparing "lawot".
I experienced the very difficult situation that we were in at that time. It was tough we had to reach out to other family members for financial aid. Years went past and it was still difficult for us, yet we managed to survive thanks to the support of lolo and lola. I was able to graduate high school and acquired a full scholarship grant from Hinatuan Mining Corporation (HMC).
I, along with my co-scholars, was accepted as BS Geology students in Negros Oriental State University in Dumaguete City.
The journey to success is not easy as there were bumps and potholes along the way. As I enter the new chapter of my life, I know I’ll be facing new challenges and adversities but I will remain strong and steadfast. And always be thankful to God and to all the people who helped me reach this achievement.
Winston Churchill once said: "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."