Perseverance After a Rough Path

She is a typical shy young mother who focuses on her son. She is very hesitant to enroll in my class because no one will look after her son. She kept on telling me, “I didn’t fit in.” She talked too much of her excuses and asked many questions, telling me about her buts and many ifs. Nonetheless, I told her; “if you think you have failed when you get pregnant, learn from it. Let not your mistake be the reason to stop you in achieving your dreams, use them to reach your goals." My convincing power worked, and she tried her best. I freshly remembered, our scheduled classes were during night time that starts from six o’clock up to nine in the evening. There, she needs to bring with her a cradle for her son in order to make and finish her activities. At the same time, she also needs to breastfeed in between the class session to avoid disturbance to her classmates.

According to her, “creating those activities gave me a strong bond that paramount me to reach my dreams. I did it with a lot of hard work and tears. I clearly remembered that when my son began to cry, I also started to cry because of the hardship I am facing that I almost gave up. There are many times in my life that I feel so down. I noticed then that, in life you need to go through tons of hurdles but getting out totally depends on us.  The uncertainties and difficulties of life reminded me and left me stronger and more resilient.  Fortunately, my teacher created an individualized educational plan that prepared me for my academic success that addresses my struggles especially so during the A&E exam.”

“After the examination, I got lucky among the 7 A&E passers of Bucay. Everything began to change because I have gained again my confidence to pursue and take my college degree. It hasn’t always been easy for me to make the new transformation because I need to balance my time between my studies and my time for my baby. 

Rotchie then enrolled at Abra Valley Colleges where she took Bachelor of Science in Business Administration major in Financial Management. During her later years, she was chosen to deliver her speech as guest speaker of the Alternative Learning System graduation ceremony in August 2016 at Bangued West Central School. In her speech, she talked about her perseverance and hard work. She talked in teary eyes saying, “I try to live my life in positive ways despite the fact that I got pregnant at the age of 16. I thought my life would be that way and I'm forever regretting that I can’t make my dreams come true. My greatest fear is knowing that I couldn’t accomplish anything after I gave birth. But I couldn’t thank God enough that through the Alternative Learning System, little by little my dreams are turning into reality. I always try to see it through and work hard enough and not to give up easily when things get tough. Luckily, giving up is the last thing on my mind. Giving up on the one-yard line at the last minute of my chance one foot from my dreams is a no, no for me. Remember, if you have clear goals and strong vision you will achieve them. Where would my life be now if I remain idled? This question keeps flashing in my head every time I feel like quitting. What I did is to dream big, anyways it’s free and shoot for the stars,” she exclaimed.

Believing in herself was her comfort zone when she was denied by the world while accepting rejections and lived her life of mediocre. She kept going and incredibly reached her goals. One of the most important lessons she has shared, “don’t always take NO for an answer. That if you believe in yourself, keep going and complete what you have started.  Even when the world is doubting you and everything seems impossible, keep moving forward because it is not about them, it is about you at the end of the day. The satisfaction of succeeding will all be credited to you,” she said.

Upon graduating in 2016, she was hired in a bank where she took her apprenticeship. Her performance speaks well so she landed her first job. According to her, she received numerous compliments because of her dedication to her job. Few to mention, she was awarded as best employee. But because she wanted to explore more, she tried her luck and applied abroad because she wanted to give a better future for her inspiration, her son.

At present she is working in a high end company based in Dubai as financial manager/secretary. Of course, it’s not easy because she is battling with homesickness being away from her son. As always, she looks on the positive side. She needs to show the strong version of her and see better possibilities of more opportunities. By learning how to take calculated risk even though the world has shown her lots of obstacles, she succeeded. It’s never too late to start even though she fell apart. Because of her perseverance, she is now enjoying the fruits of her success. Nonetheless, her hard work shows her that she is a human being capable of pushing through her biggest goals and dreams. Her resiliency made her strong in facing adversities.

Today, this amazing woman walks with confidence and exuberance. The sleeping hopes and optimisms evoke her senses as a result of her determination. Those silly excuses that turned out to be her motivation and her consistency paved her way towards the zenith of success.  She quoted, “my success didn’t happen overnight. The continuing support and nurture from my family and through the guidance of our creature, I made it.” I have no doubt that the sky's the limit for this exceptional, career oriented woman.

Lastly, she added “Success wouldn’t be in my radar if I didn’t enroll in the Alternative Learning System. My success never comes easy, it teaches me to never give up and work harder every day, and that every day shows me a humble beginning.” 

For you, Rotchie, thank you for being a living proof that “Sa ALS, may Pag-asa”. Yes! Indeed, there is truly a hope in ALS. And thank you for sharing your blessings in the system. 

Mabuhay ka! Miss Rotchie A. Trinidad.