16/08/2025
๐
๐๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐| "๐ ๐ญ๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ".
Itโs often said that children shouldnโt bear the burdens of adults. But sometimes, the youngest among us are the very ones who light the path forward, even for those who came before them.
At just 20 years old, Rose Marie Mandao proves how far courage and hard work can take someone. Hailing from the Subanen tribe in Zamboanga del Sur, she is the seventh of nine siblings and the first to pursue education beyond elementary schoolโa dream no one in her family had dared to imagine. Her path has been far from easy, yet she carries it with unmistakable pride.
Rose Marie grew up facing the harsh truth of what it meant to survive with so little. Her mother raised all nine children on her own while her father, consumed by alcohol, slowly drifted out of their lives. He wasnโt just absent; he left behind broken promises, loud arguments, and days filled with fear and uncertainty.
Throughout her childhood, she was carried by the kindness of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP), which supported her education without asking for anything in return. Their help became a blessing, allowing her to stay in school while many others could not. But soon, that pillar crumbled.
By the time she reached ninth grade, the weight of her reality began to take its toll. Her body weakened from the daily struggle, crossing rivers, climbing hills on an empty stomach, and walking for hours on legs that barely had strength.
Unwilling to give up her dream, Rose Marie left home at the age of sixteen and became a working student under the care of one of her teachers. For five years, she juggled school and household responsibilities; waking up early to clean, cook, and do laundry before going to class. After school, she returned to more chores and studied late into the night. It was a hard life, but she endured it all with silent determination, knowing education was her only way forward.
โ๐ต๐๐๐
๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐.โ
โWe really had a good experience, when you think about it.โ
She admits it wasnโt easy, but her teacherโs home gave her the stability she needed.
Eventually, she graduated from high school and was ready to take the next step toward college. But that didnโt last long. Just as she was about to begin, her younger brother encouraged her to pause and join him as a working student in the city. He promised to take care of everything, including their living arrangements, so she could continue her studies.
At first, she hesitated. In the end, she agreed, believing it was the best choice for her future. With an ache she tried to hide, she left the teacher who had become like a second mother, hoping that this new chapter would help her cope and move forward.
Trusting her brother, she followed, believing the city would offer what her hometown could not. But the road ahead turned out differently. Although he initially helped her enroll for a semester, but that support quickly faded.
โ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐
๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐
๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐.โ
โMy brother said we couldnโt afford it anymore.โ
โ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐
๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐.โ
โI really didnโt want to leave school,โ Rose Marie recalled, her voice filled with quiet disappointment.
She felt helpless and thought of returning home, but had no money to get back. Desperate, she applied for small jobs. None lasted long, but they were enough to buy food and provide a little allowance.
Still, there were days with nothing to eatโonly sleep to ease the hunger, or plain rice with water and salt.
โ๐ท๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐. ๐ผ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐.โ
โWhen thereโs no food, we just go to sleep. Sometimes, we eat just rice with water and salt. Thatโs enough to get by.โ she said with tear drops.
Each day was a struggle to survive. The uncertainty pushed her to the edge. She even considered giving up. But somehow, she never did.
One day, on her way to school, weighed down by disappointment, she remembered a scholarship her classmate had once mentioned. Holding onto a small hope, she applied for a Student Assistant (SA) position that the institution had offered.
Weeks passed in silence. Worry filled her thoughts. Going back to her hometown felt like the only option. Then, finally, she got the call. She had been granted the S.A scholarship. Her fear turned into relief.
โ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ก๐ก๐ฎ, ๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ค ๐ข๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ ๐ค๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ค ๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ช๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ.โ
โFinally, I donโt have to worry anymore about my expensive tuition,โ she said with a grateful sigh.
Looking back on the days without food, the weight of poverty, and dreams that once felt out of reach, she realizes how far she has come. What once seemed impossible is slowly becoming real.
โ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐-๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐.โ
โIf I compare it, life is much lighter now than before.โ she said.
Rose Marie Mandao, a proud member of the Subanen tribe, an indigenous group from the ridges of Zamboanga del Sur, carries not only her personal dreams but also the collective hopes of a community long underrepresented in higher education
Her story is not hers alone. It mirrors the quiet battles of many young dreamers weighed down by poverty but lifted by hope. Rose Marie's journey reminds us that behind every determined student is a story worth tellingโand a future worth fighting for.
Today, she continues her college education, a living testament to breaking cycles that bound her family for generations. As the only one among her siblings to reach this far, she carries not only her own aspirations but the unspoken hopes of an entire lineage.
๐ ๐
๐๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ: ๐
๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐
