Maituturing inspirasyon ang pinagdaanan ng University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman Cum Laude graduate na si Leo Jaminola para makapagtapos sa pag-aaral.
Dahil na din sa kahirapan, kinailangan pumasok sa anim na magkakaibang trabaho si Jaminola upang may pantustos sa araw-araw.
Nagtrabaho siya bilang manunulat, tindero, transcriptionist, encoder, library student assistant, at tutor habang nasa kolehiyo.
Kuwento ni Jaminola, normal lang sa kanilang lugar makakakita ng mga batang naglalaro malapit sa estero at gawa sa tarpaulin ang ilang bahay roon.
“We were, and are, part of the section of society that does not have their own homes, that fails to pay their electricity on time, and that struggles to survive from paycheck to paycheck.”
Dagdag ng Political Science student graduate, hindi sapat ang kinikita ng kanyang ama para makakain sila ng tatlong beses sa isang araw.
“Juggling jobs, academics, and organizational involvement was not an easy feat…There was little actual time for me to devote to my academics as there was a constant need for money.”
Bigo si Jaminola makakuha ng scholarship at aminadong hirap dahil hati ang oras nito sa pag-aaral at pagtratrabaho. Sa kabila ng pasaning dinadala, hindi pa rin ito nawalan ng pag-asa.
“I failed a few subjects and settled for a passing grade for some others. It wasn’t about thriving and excelling anymore; it was just about surviving,”
Umuuwi ito sa probinsiyang tuwing katapusan ng semester at para makabalik ng Maynila, kinakatok niya ang mga kamag-anak sa Mindoro upang humingi ng bente o singkuwenta peso hanggang makumpleto niya ang pamasahe.
“My own small success does not mean that all it takes for poor people to succeed is hard work. While hard work is important, it does not guarantee success as much as privilege does. For although my family was poor, I still had access to privileges that other children did (and do) not have.”
Magiging motibo ni Jaminola ang nangyari sa buhay para matulungan ang mga minamahal na kababayan.
