Perseverance and passion for achieving her dreams, a board passer from Mindanao, became an inspiration to many as she became a licensed teacher while she sustained her daily living by collecting garbage.

On November 18, April Joy Ceballos shared her bitter but sweet journey to achieving her dream of becoming a licensed professional teacher.

As narrated by Ceballos, she reminisced about the struggles that she faced during her journey of reviewing for the board examination. According to Ceballos, to have an extra income to sustain her daily needs and her expenses for the examination, she collected bottles and steel and sold them to junk shops.

“Ang dating bote bakal girl noon ay may lisensiya na ngayon,” Ceballos said.

She also shared how she managed to budget the donated rice grains of her colleagues as she stayed in a boarding house as she reviewed for the examination. Ceballos stated that she only ate rice with bagoong and eggs during her stay to prevent her from spending too much money.

“Mga ka board meet ko noon ay napakabango mga ulam nila tulad ng adobong manok at iba pa tuwing niyaya nila ako na sumabay kami kumain ang palagi kong sabi sa kanila ay tapos na po ako kumain mga ma’am and sir pero ang totoo ay mahiya akong sumabay sa kanila,” she shared.

She also explained how she easily caught fever, especially coughs, during her review days as she does not have enough nutrition in what she eats in a day. Hence, she was determined to finish her studies to have a decent job in the future.

Motivating individuals to have the same determination as hers, she emphasized that people, especially the youth, should always have the hope to achieve their dreams and set their own goals.

“At dahil sa awa ng diyos binigay niya sa akin ang mga hinihiling ko sa kanya. Sa mga kabataan na kagaya ko na mahirap huwag mawalan ng pag-asa laban lang sa buhay. Naniniwala kasi ako na walang mahirap sa taong may pangarap,” she said.

Showing such an inspiring story, netizens shared their sentiments towards Ceballos’ narrative on her board examination journey, saying how she became a role model to society.

“Wow, a very nice example to everyone. Na nag-aaral pa at gustong makapagtapos sa college in any degree, remember that poverty is not a hindrance. God bless you, madam,” a netizen commented.

Indeed, if there’s a will, there will always be a way. Just like Ceballos, if an individual believes in herself and is supported by positive people around her, everything will be possible.

Source:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100079794765467

Photo credit:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100079794765467