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A tale of 2 UP students: Pursuing education amid poverty

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Rose Ann Gonzales and Ana Margarita Palma

MANILA -- For University of the Philippines (UP) graduates Mark Gil Cato and Jay Torres Solitana, being poor should not be an excuse to achieve one&#x27;s dreams.<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/lifestyle/7/3/070316-cato.jpg"/></figure></div>Cato, the eldest in a brood of five boys and two girls, was accepted in the University of the Philippines in 2010. It was a &quot;momentous moment&quot; for the family since that was the first time a member of their clan entered a prestigious university.He took up History, joined a few organizations, and was given a scholarship to help sustain his tuition fees.According to Cato, &quot;everything seemed to be falling into place&quot; until his father&#x27;s income could no longer sustain their needs. Coming from a big family, this proved to be difficult.In a Facebook post, Cato recalled subsisting on sardines, noodles, and even soy sauce. Sometimes, he would just go to sleep without eating anything for the day.His brothers and sisters would often chip in from their meager school allowance so Cato could buy the required readings, pay rent, and print his papers.Cato frequented computer shops since his family cannot afford to buy a laptop for him. He finally bought one during his last year in college but it eventually broke down.He would sometimes walk from UP to their house despite the rain and an empty stomach. He even tried borrowing money from the security guard.&quot;It dawned on me that college is extremely hard if you don&#x27;t have the resources,&quot; he wrote.&quot;I envied my classmates who are privileged to be born sa mga may kayang magulang. I saw my parents skip food just for us to eat. Laging problema sa pera ang ugat ng away sa bahay. I felt how tired they were thinking of ways to stretch the limited income and looking for people whom they can borrow money from,&quot; he added.But despite the difficulty, Cato did not give up. He took a part-time job as a call center agent when he was 18. Juggling school and work was not easy for Cato who get to sleep for only two to three hours.His work cost him his scholarship, so he decided to stop. However, in the following semester, Cato was not allowed to enroll because of an outstanding student loan.With no choice left, he decided to work again to help his family while also saving so he could go back to school.He did. He even managed to get a scholarship again. He continued his studies and applied for another job while finishing his remaining units.Although it was &quot;hard being a breadwinner and a working student,&quot; he did not give up.&quot;My student life was so tough, but thank God finally, I am now a graduate of UP!&quot; he said.A DECADE IN THE MAKING<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/lifestyle/7/3/070316-solitana.jpg"/></figure></div>Solitana&#x27;s story was similarly filled with hardships as it took him 10 long years before he was able to graduate from UP because of poverty.In a viral Facebook post, Solitana admitted that he initially thought it was impossible for him to finish college given his parents&#x27; meager income.&#x27;&#x27;I had to strive hard to finish high school to help the family but my hopes of earning a college degree remained, at least in my dreams,&#x27;&#x27; he wrote.Unlike Cato, Solitana was not lucky enough to pass the admission test in UP. Instead, he got a scholarship and took up a nursing course at Far Eastern University in 2006, thinking this was the most practical course so he could land a stable job.But after two years, he had to drop out because his parents — a jeepney driver and house helper — could no longer support his education.Despite this, Solitana holds no grudge against his parents, who were not given a chance to even enter college.Like Cato, he also worked as a call center agent and was enjoying a good salary, that enabled him to pay the bills and support his family.After becoming financially stable, Solitana felt the need to pursue his dream of going back to college and gave it another shot. Solitana tried to get into UP -- his &quot;dream school&quot; -- and was accepted.But it was definitely not an easy road for Solitana, who was working at night and going to school in the morning.&#x27;&#x27;Hindi ko na minsan alam kung matutulog ba ako dahil sa puyat o gagawa ng requirements? Paano ko mapagkakasya &#x27;yung six absences not to fail the subject in times na hindi ako makakapasok?&quot;&quot;It was really hard being a working student. There were a lot of times like I want to give up,&quot; he admitted.Fortunately -- and with the support of his friends and officemates -- Solitana didn&#x27;t.After 10 years, he was finally a college graduate -- a personal achievement made sweeter because it was definitely hard-earned.

Their journey in the University of the Philippines was arduous, not only because of the difficult academic requirements but because they also had to overcome poverty.