Stumbling blocks to stepping stones

I can't believe it's been almost two weeks since I graduated. It still feels so good!

I went to a public school in grade school, a semi-private one in high school, and attended the country's premiere State University in college. My parents never paid a dime to send me to school (tuition fee) except for paying rent for my secondhand books in high school. I did my best to send myself to the top-notch school in college because that's the only way to get the best and free education. There was no way our family could afford to send me to the expensive private colleges in Cebu. I worked my ass off and got myself a Tamiya Scholarship for 3 years and got a state-subsidized scholarship for my 4th year in college. Complete with all the book and meal allowances. In turn, I studied hard. Until now, I don't think I'm smart; but I'm hard-working beyond question. I'm certain that with the right mindset and attitude coupled with grit and tenacity, I could be whatever I want to be.

At 25 years old, I was appointed as head of a new department in our company. I've always admired the heads of other departments in our supply chain for most of them are women. "Maybe, I can nail this too!", I told myself! I thought it was necessary to equip myself with the fundamentals of Supply Chain Management (SCM). That's when I decided I'll enroll myself in a post-baccalaureate program focusing on SCM from Demand and Replenishment all the way to Customer Service. I've been asked by people from my college Alma Mater when I'll take MBA (Master in Business Administration). To be honest, it's a bit boring to be taking general courses again under the same professors. I told myself "This time I have to specialize!" And I got lucky, it found me!

This face-to-face graduation is long overdue. I took the post-baccalaureate program in the middle of the pandemic. It was supposed to be a full face-to-face program every Saturday for 6 months straight. But after just one session, borders closed and covid became the thing. No one knew what was going on and it took another four (4) months before our classes resumed; this time it was online.

There are six (6) distinct modules in the program I took. Since only one of these modules is directly related to my job, my company only paid for one module. I shouldered the rest of the program which cost me around Php 50,000. Yup, not cheap at all! This is the first time I've ever paid for my tuition.

I remember it was the onset of my anxiety but despite all the worries, I persevered through all the challenges and carried on with the program. Showing up every Saturday morning with puffy eyes, my brightest smile, and my most determined self. No one knew that despite everything I was going through, I was able to nail the course. I even landed Top 3 in our batch. ❤️

I promised myself that I will use the pandemic to my advantage and truly, I did it! Thanking all the people who were with me in this endeavor. Whatever you want in life, work hard for it! Nothing is impossible. ✨