What a journey it has been. When I started this academic quest, my goal was just to earn a degree in the hope that one day, if ever I leave the portals of the institution where I worked for the past 21 years, I have carved out a name for myself. So, without much thought, I enrolled. I'm used to doing things on my own. I like to meet people. I go for something even though it meant I'll be meeting new faces, classmates that would probably be younger than me. The first few weeks of my Ph.D. class were quite challenging. I felt like a freshie in college and facing again my former Math professor. Surely my friends way back in high school: Arlene, Sarah Jean, Mary Joy would know what it was like for me then. Yet, I mustered enough strength. Be with younger classmates and re-learning things.
I am one of that blessed personnel that has availed the education support of Assumption College of Davao. I get financial assistance in paying my tuition fees. I was also granted financial assistance during my dissertation writing, thanks to FAPE-PEAC. Now with all this financial and moral support, what else would hinder me from succeeding? Why did I ponder on giving up when I'm already near the finish line? Our group composed of Christine, Donna, Mary Jean, Theresa, Angelee, and Anthony, were the first (I guess) batch to embark on a study during the pandemic. We were also the first batch whose manuscripts were required to pass through the ethics board. While these processes were necessary, they added stress. Nevertheless, we continued. Since its pandemic, we encountered a few issues. We have to send letter requests online and wait for their response. In my case, I had to visit the school since not all were responsive due to flexible work policies in school.
What helped me go through all these? Self-motivation. Despite the many times I cried and lost my patience due to incessant comments and revisions with my manuscript. There was a time I totally shut out all things related to my study. Then what came after is acceptance. That there are things that I cannot control. That in this quest, you have to compose yourself. I prayed and reached out to individuals who could help me. They say: every successful person has is perseverance: grit and drive, and the will to keep pushing forward in spite of challenges and obstacles. Yes, this is true, but its okay to falter and then start moving again.
Yesterday, December 29, 2021. Things were accomplished. Just one more step and I am done. Thank you to all who have helped me.
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