A scholar from remote Tampakan, South Cotabato nears college graduation, carrying his familyโs hopes and inspiring his community. (Contributed Photo)
College diplomas are rare enough to feel almost mythical in the upland village of Tablu in South Cotabato. For many families here in the mountains of Tampakan, higher education is less a plan than a distant wish โ one often surrendered to the realities of poverty, transportation costs, and the daily struggle to make ends meet.
But for Bon Ryan Jimenez, that wish is beginning to take shape.
Soon, the 22-year-old student will walk across a graduation stage at the Southeastern Institute of Technology, where he is completing a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. For his family, the moment carries the weight of years of sacrifice and uncertainty.
โThere were times when even transportation and school projects became difficult expenses,โ Bon said in Cebuano. โThe assistance lessened the burden on my parents.โ
Bon grew up in a modest household in Tablu, where opportunities are limited and many young people stop schooling early to help support their families. He said finishing college once seemed nearly impossible.
That changed when he became a recipient of the Educational Assistance Program of Sagittarius Mines, Inc., known locally as SMI.
The scholarship program provides financial support to students from host and neighboring communities around Tampakan, covering school-related expenses that often force students to abandon their studies. For Bon, the support meant more than money. It meant staying in school when dropping out might otherwise have become inevitable.
โFrom the time I became a beneficiary until now that Iโm close to graduating, Iโm deeply thankful,โ he said. โThey became a big part of fulfilling my dream.โ
In rural communities across Mindanao, educational opportunities are often shaped by geography and income. Students travel long distances to attend classes. Some families survive on seasonal farming incomes. A single unexpected expense โ fare, uniforms, classroom projects โ can derail a semester.
Bon said the scholarship eased those pressures.
โIt helped reduce my parentsโ expenses for allowance, transportation and school requirements,โ he said.
Now preparing for graduation, Bon hopes his achievement will ripple beyond his own family. He wants younger students in his community to believe that finishing college is possible, even for those from remote villages.
He speaks often about perseverance โ and about refusing to waste opportunities that come rarely in places like Tablu.
โWe should have goals,โ he said. โWe should work hard in school and not waste the chances given to us, because not everyone receives opportunities like this.โ
His journey also reflects the broader role educational assistance programs play in isolated communities, where one graduate can alter the trajectory of an entire household. A college degree may mean stable employment, support for younger siblings, or the possibility of lifting a family out of poverty.
For Bonโs parents, his nearing graduation is already a quiet triumph.
And for Bon himself, the diploma he is about to earn represents something larger than personal success. It is proof that determination, when met with support, can carry a student from a remote mountain village toward a future once thought beyond reach.
About The Author
