I grew up in a community where there is little to live for. For you to have an access in the sweet success of life you must have a bargaining chip to trade for it, which is education.

I was a frail 15-year old, who only had a basic education diploma and an ambition way up high in my height way-back 2014.

Luckily, had been given a chance to pursue my tertiary education by a full-scholarship grant of Hinatuan Mining Corporation. From that moment, even a single strand of hesitation, I would disregard it! Who will turn down the offer?

In a first place, the offer was very much convincing such as monthly allowance, accommodation, book stipend, and uniform allowance. I was so excited that the only thing I remembered those days is the hype in enjoying the benefits of it.

It was only later that I found out that it takes so much courage and bravery in maintaining this once in a lifetime opportunity.

There were times when emotions and self-doubts is at its peak the only thing you can ever lean on is what fueled you in taking the challenge in the first place.

I was afraid to disappoint my family considering that sending your offspring to college is not easy as any counting numbers.

I knew that if I failed to maintain my scholarship grant, scenarios were more likely a sinking ship for my family because my older sibling was a college student already at that time and my family would not be able to afford sending a second child to school.

So that situation left me with no choice; its either I will slay my acads or acads will slay me.

Despite the hardships that I encountered: errands in the inconsistency of lab results in our thesis study and tendency of failing certain major subjects, I still survived my College life.

If you were to question the certainty of the so called road to graduation, I must say it depends upon the instructors.

Kidding aside, surviving all those hardships I’ve mentioned has convinced me of the truth in the saying that tough days don’t last but tough people do!

To my support system who never fails to cheer me up when I'm not feeling well emotionally, physically, and psychologically. Thank you all!

For now if there's anything I can brag about it’s how HMC uplifts the lives of the people in its vicinity, and the gift of education which I got through the company's benevolence is one clear cut example of HMC addressing its social responsibility towards its stakeholders.

Thank you, HMC!