Dear AFPSLAI,
More than ten years ago, due to inevitable circumstances, I was not able to enroll in college right after high school graduation, so I worked at Mc Donald’s while waiting for the next school year. One day, I received a text message from my father. He told me to process all the requirements because for the first time, AFPSLAI has opened its door to the youth by means of scholarship grants. Being an honor student in high school, I eagerly followed my father’s advice. For the first time, I had fun while going to different institutions (like the school where I attended high school, GHQ Medical Dispensary, etc.) After several weeks, I received a phone call again. I forgot who the caller was; I only remembered that he told me to drop by Corporate Affairs Office for orientation. At that day, my adventure as one of the first batch of AFPSLAI scholars began.
Being one of your scholars had a lot of privileges. First, it made my college years very challenging. Since I was maintaining grades, I had to be serious in my studies. I spent time in the library and in the computer shop because I had to beat the deadline for my homework, term paper and research. Being a passive student was not allowed. I had to prove to my professors that I could comply with their demands by participating not only in the class but also in several extra-curricular activities.
There were others who were better than me. I was just an ordinary young woman without any special talent at all. I was not an exceptional student; I did not excel in most subjects. I was just endowed with patience and a dream to have a Bachelors Degree and be financially stable. But because I was one of your scholars, I earned respect and admiration from others. It was nice to hear some comments like “Wow! Scholar ka pala? Ang galing naman!” It became one of the catchy phrases in my curriculum vitae whenever I apply for a job. It paved way to several opportunities, and somehow, it made my family members proud of me.
When I was in college, my classmates and friends often wondered why once a month, I had to be in a hurry to go to Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, especially when I was running out of budget. In my first year, going to your office needed more time because LRT Line 2 was still under construction. Little did they know that your generosity had helped me to ease my parents’ financial burden since I was given monthly stipend aside from shouldering my tuition and miscellaneous fees.
Of course, there are always two sides of the coin. There were also disadvantages of being a scholar. First, when I couldn’t meet the expectations of others. Some people conclude that since I was a scholar, I should be one of the people who excel in almost everything. I admit that I didn’t like PE subjects as well as Mathematics, particularly Algebra. When I got low grades in these subjects, especially in exams, some of my classmates said “I thought you were a scholar. Why did you have lower scores?”
AFPSLAI is not associated to the universities where I studied (I transferred from CEU to NTC during my second year), so I was not given any consideration, so I had to prove my worth alone. I remembered each professor in most of our subjects asked “Who are the scholars in this class?” I stood up, but when it was my turn to list my name, my professors asked “AFPSLAI? What is it?” So I had a lengthy explanation, only to be told “Oh, sorry, that is not one of the scholarship programs in this school”. I found out the reason they asked was to give special considerations to those students who had to maintain their grades to retain their status.
Because of this, I must admit that I was also discouraged at one point of my life. During my third year, I received a news that instead of enjoying one hundred percent of the scholarship benefits, I was transferred to Educational Assistance Program where monthly stipend was not included anymore. My general weighted average (GWA) did not meet the standard. I was saddened because I would not be able to enjoy the privileges anymore. However, was not a hindrance from getting my degree. In fact, I was still grateful of this association’s generosity; you still gave me a chance to prove my worth as a student.
Through this association’s big heart, my fellow scholars and I were able to graduate and to land a decent job. AFPSLAI served as our second home. It is concerned not just about our grades, but also about our well-being as future work force of our country. I was also deeply touched when the staffs still keep in touch with us through Facebook, even though we are now working and technically not affiliated with this institution anymore.
I know that no matter how much money I earn or how great my achievements could be, my debts will forever be unpaid. In return, I am doing my best to utilize my skills and to be globally competent as one of this association’s pride. Although I might not be teaching in a real classroom right now since I am currently teaching on-line, I am still doing my best to apply what I learned in school.
Whenever I pass along the corner of EDSA and Boni Serrano Avenue, I always think that I have always been blessed. It has been several years since I graduated from college but for me, it was just like yesterday.
The diploma and official transcript of records are the tangible evidences that I finally obtained a Bachelor’s Degree, but the values that AFPSLAI instilled in me are more precious. Thank you very much AFPSLAI! May God bless you more.
Author's note:
For those who want to avail of AFPSLAI scholarship and educational assistance program, kindly visit http://www.afpslai.com.ph/info_csr.php for more details. Thank you!
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