July 12, 2024
Tzu Chi Scholar alumni share their struggles and successes at Scholars’ Camp
By Joy Rojas
Before they were professionals in their respective fields, Elvin Mercader, Reynilyn Jean Arandia- Torres, Mary Jane Placar-Bayod, Dillon Gonzales, Daniella Macogue, and Cresta Chun were Tzu Chi scholars. And much like the current batch of scholars who sat before them in “Alumni Talks,” a sharing session on the first night of Scholars’ Camp last June 28 at the Buddhist Tzu Chi Campus in Sta. Mesa, Manila, these former scholars endured their own struggles before achieving their dreams.
“Life was so hard,” says Mary Jane Placar-Bayod who held back tears as she began telling her story. Coming from an economically challenged family, she attended school through the support of an aunt, who expected her to do household chores in return. For college, she went to the Philippine Normal University (PNU), and applied for a Tzu Chi scholarship after seeing an announcement posted at the Office of Student Affairs (OSA).
“It was an answered prayer,” says the scholar who finished her Bachelor of Elementary Education and has over 16 years’ experience as a public-school teacher.
The daughter of a single mother who made P2,500 a month as a baby sitter, Reynilyn Jean Arandia-Torres practically gave up on the idea of entering college. She knew a scholarship was her ticket to a better life. But the self-described average student already failed two exams.
“I anticipated undergoing another difficult exam,” says Arandia-Torres when she applied for a Tzu Chi scholarship at PNU. “But when I went to Tzu Chi’s Sta. Mesa branch, I found out I was accepted and my meeting with Tzu Chi’s uncles and aunties was just a formality!”
“I realized that there are people like Tzu Chi volunteers, who don’t judge you based on how smart you are,” she adds. “What they want to see are your grit, your goal to finish your studies, and how you want to change your storyline.” Today, the BS Biology graduate from PNU is a quality senior specialist at Western Union and a financial wealth planner at FWD Life Philippines.
With his wife and their young daughter in the audience, Dillion Gonzales turned emotional as he recounted what seemed like a life of unending hardships. For this illegitimate son, school was either in Malabon or in Bicol, depending on which relative had the funds to support his studies. To earn his allowance, he washed cars and repacked and sold fish crackers. Unable to pay for photocopying, he hid books in the library, then handwrote their contents by during his free time. When he didn’t have jeep fare, he resorted to “1-2-3,” slang for getting off a ride before the driver realized he hadn’t paid yet.
Determined to make something of himself and break the cycle of poverty in his family, he too applied for a Tzu Chi scholarship through PNU’s OSA. But he sent his application late. Only one scholarship slot was left, and it was either going to him or another student.
“What is your edge?” a Tzu Chi volunteer asked Gonzales. Desperate to stand out, he blurted, “I’ll graduate cum laude.” A year later, he not only finished his Bachelor of Secondary Education major in History with Latin honors, he continued to make good on his promises to top his last achievement. Now a department head for Alaring Panlipunan in Longos National High School Malabon City, he’s taking his doctorate in education, major in education management and leadership, at Arellano University Manila.
“When you have absolutely nothing, you have to find inspiration. What makes you get up in each day? Who or what are you fighting for?” he tells the audience. “Life is hard but it’s not going to be like this forever.”
While their lives have definitely changed for the better, thanks to the scholarship, the principles ingrained in these alumni during Tzu Chi’s Values Enhancement Program (an early version of today’s Humanity class) have become second nature.
Cresta Chun practices filial piety religiously. “My mother is a solo parent and I know how hard it was for her to raise me and my brother by herself. So now I want to reciprocate,” says the science teacher whose Tzu Chi scholarship covered her studies from high school to college. “My relationship with my mom has strengthened. I would do anything for her.”
Now consulting senior director of premier accounting and auditing firm SyCip, Gorres, Velayo & Co., Elvin Mercader gives career talks in schools. His goal? To inspire even one youth to stick with his studies the way he did.
“Hopefully, one day, that person will inspire other people,” says Mercader. The son of a company driver, he was a Tzu Chi scholar from second grade at Dr. Kwangson Young Memorial School in Tondo, Manila, to college at the University of Santo Tomas, where he graduated cum laude with a degree in accounting.
Exposed to Tzu Chi’s culture of volunteerism, Unibersidad de Manila BS Social Work graduate Daniella Macogue went from interning for various Tzu Chi activities to joining the foundation as a social worker of its Charity Department.
“When I was a student, I wanted to work for an organization that showed compassion when it helps. Others simply offer financial assistance, but Tzu Chi, with its values-enhancing Humanity classes and additional subsidies like rice and essential goods, really helps from the heart. I’m happy to work here and enjoy what I do.”
Ultimately, a Tzu Chi scholarship offers each student a unique experience of academic support and values that will see them through life’s ups and downs. “Tzu Chi doesn’t ask us for anything. Scholars don’t sign a contract that requires them to work for the foundation as a way of giving back,” says Tzu Chi volunteer and “Alumni Talks” host Cherrie Rose Ang. “But we are always reminded to share our blessings with others.”
OIC for Tzu Chi’s Volunteer Development and Mission Support Department Cherrie Rose Ang (first from right) hosts “Alumni Talks” with former Tzu Chi scholars (from left) Daniella Macogue, Elvin Mercader, Reynilyn Jean Arandia-Torres, Dillon Gonzales, Mary Jane Placar-Bayod, and Cresta Chun at the first night of Tzu Chi Scholars’ Camp on June 28.
For Elvin Mercader, a Tzu Chi scholarship was instrumental in helping him achieve his dreams. The consulting senior director of premier accounting and auditing firm SyCip, Gorres, Velayo & Co. was able to provide his parents with a home.
As a way to pay it forward (and help disadvantaged youth like himself in his younger years), Dillon Gonzales began his Adopt a Shoebox Project Movement in 2017. It provides indigent kids with free school supplies “to ensure that they go to school. When we have new school supplies, we’re excited to attend class.”
Reynilyn Jean Arandia-Torres is a proud product of Tzu Chi’s Educational Assistance Program for four years. “I want people to know that in the Philippines, there are foundations that invest in us.”
Grade 5 public school English teacher Mary Jane Placar-Bayod is grateful for the opportunity to make a difference in her young students’ lives. “I know they will each become someone someday.”
Raised by a solo parent (and now a solo parent herself), Cresta Chun practices filial piety as a way to reciprocate her mother’s unconditional love and support, especially during tough times.
Daniella Macogue went from Tzu Chi scholar to Tzu Chi social worker, thanks to her exposure to the foundation’s culture of volunteerism. “Others simply offer financial assistance, but Tzu Chi Foundation really helps from the heart,” says the BS Social Work graduate from Unibersidad de Manila.
“Tzu Chi doesn’t ask us for anything. Scholars don’t sign a contract that requires them to work for the foundation as a way of giving back,” says Tzu Chi volunteer and “Alumni Talks” host Cherrie Rose Ang. “But we are always reminded to share our blessings with others.”