Exclusive - A College Graduate Tells All About His Struggles While Studying at a Prestigious School!

“Ma, makakapag-college pa ba ako?”

This is how Facebook user Clarence Gomez started his long post about his struggles to finish his college education in De La Salle-College of St. Benilde with a degree in Multimedia Arts.

The school is known as one of the most expensive educational institutions in the country and earning a degree there is no joke. Apart from its world-class facilities and features, the college is also well-known for its party-loving rich students, most of which are from the South.

Despite its reputation, Gomez proudly proclaimed that he was able to finish his studies there as a full scholar.

According to him, he was still a child when he first witnessed how his mother struggled to make ends meet. His mother worked abroad while he was left with his grandmother, Lola Mimay.

Lola Mimay, unfortunately, died afterwards and Gomez was left on his own. His mother went back to the Philippines and that was when life started to turn dreary for them.

Gomez said: “Pero nagbago ang buhay namin noong nawala sila. Nawalan kami ng bahay. Ilang taon nakalipas, Nagkasakit si mama. Kaya't kailangan nya munang tumigil sa pagtatrabaho.”

“Ang tanging naipon niya sa ilang taon niyang pagkayod sa ibang bansa ang natitirang susustento sa amin para mabuhay. Dahil sa mga nangyari, ilang beses kaming hinatak ng mga tao pababa. Na wala daw kaming mararating, dahil wala nang trabaho ang nanay ko, na dahil wala akong ama, dahil ampon lang ang nanay ko at dahil kami na lang daw.”

“Ilang beses kong nahuhuli ang nanay ko na umiiyak ng palihim. Alam kong nahihirapan siya. Bilang isang anak, mabigat para sa akin ang makita ang nanay ko na nahihirapan. Mabigat man, pero siguro ito ang nagudyok sa akin para iangat ko ang pangalan namin ng nanay ko.”

“Noong high school ako, naalala ko na talagang onti na lang ang pera namin ni mama, na dumating pa sa point na nililibre na ako ng mga kaklase ko para lang makasama sa fieldtrip at ibang activities. Kaya kinabahan na ako kung makakapagkolehiyo pa ako.”

“Hanggang sa nalaman ko ang scholarship sa Benilde dahil sa kaibigan ko. Mag-isa kong inasikaso ang requirements ng scholarship nila. Parang akong dumaan sa butas ng karayom. Nagpasa ako ng mga documents, sumalang sa audition, nagkaroon pa ng aberya sa papers ko na akala ko wala na akong pag-asa makapag-aral.”

Gomez detailed how his entire college experience was not a walk in the park. Apart from the academic struggles that most students went through (terror professors, low grades), he also suffered financially.

He had days when he couldn’t eat because he had absolutely no money.

According to him: “Kuminsan pag sinuwerte, bibili ako ng tinapay kasi mura. Kapag weekends, late ako natutulog para late din ako nagigising para isang kainan na lang.”

Despite the hardships Gomez faced, he mentioned how extremely grateful he was that he was able to graduate and finish his studies through the help of God.

He resorted to getting side “rakets” and mentioned specific people who helped him throughout the entire ordeal.

See his post below: