Icuspit, Elaine Joy

Topic #1

When I was nine years old, I had to overcame adversity when my mother burned to her

death in the tragic Kentex Manufacturing fire here in Valenzuela City in May 2015 where 72

people were trapped and died in the fire. It was the worst factory fire the Philippines has ever

seen and I was just a kid thrown into a situation where I had to raise another kid because this

happened only after more than just a year when my mother gave birth to my youngest brother. It

was hard but I am the kind of person who tries to grow from hard times. At an early age I was

given the responsibility of being a mother to my younger siblings along with my father who has

to work extra as a motorcycle taxi and delivery rider of Joyride Philippines aside from his 8-5-

day job as a Government Employee to provide for our daily needs and expenses.

Since a very young age, my parents pushed me to value education because neither of

them had an opportunity to finish college, and faced many struggles in their personal and

professional lives. Because of this disadvantage, I learned to take everything I do seriously and

to put in all my effort to study hard and hopefully be the first one in our family to have a college

degree with the help of this Scholarship Grant. My family members stressed the importance of

being a good influence; as I adapted this behavior, I learned to become a good role model by

teaching my younger family members proper manners and guiding them in their academics so

that they can do well.

Living through these challenging events has helped me realize that whatever challenges I

have faced in the past will help me succeed in the future. As Sophocles once said, “There is no

success without hardship.”