By Hanna Jane O. Vargas

There were times I walked to school with an empty stomach and an empty pocket, but I never let those circumstances stop me. I held on to a single, unwavering belief: Poverty is not a hindrance to success. And that belief carried me through the darkest and hungriest days of my life.

My name is Hanna Jane O. Vargas, 27 years old, from Brgy. Calatagan Tibang, Virac, Catanduanes. I am the eldest of five children, born to Mr. Celso A. Vargas, a hardworking foreman, and Mrs. Marilyn O. Vargas, a full-time mother and our home’s quiet strength. Life never gave us ease, but it gave me the will to fight.

I come from a family once enrolled in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) — a program designed to support the most vulnerable. I’ve experienced what it’s like to count coins just to make it through the day, to skip rides and walk for miles because even a tricycle fare felt like a luxury we couldn’t afford. I’ve known the pain of hunger and the weight of wanting more for myself and for my family.

Education, for me, was never just a requirement. It was a lifeline. Even as a child, I knew that if I wanted to change our life, I had to persevere. Despite the financial struggles and academic pressures, I endured. I found ways to survive college life, especially in a demanding course like Bachelor of Secondary Education major in Biological Science, which required not only mental and emotional strength, but financial endurance too.

There were nights I cried alone, not because I was weak, but because of the unrelenting expenses — photocopies, printing, materials for demo teaching, laboratory needs, and more. I prayed constantly for a breakthrough. Then, in 2016, it came.

That year, I found an announcement from the Office of Student Services about a scholarship opportunity. Without hesitation, I applied. And that moment changed everything. I was chosen as a grantee of the Expanded Students’ Grants-in-Aid Program for Poverty Alleviation (ESGP-PA) — a government initiative that offers financial assistance to college students from 4Ps households. It wasn’t just a scholarship. It was hope.

As an ESGP-PA scholar, I received a monthly stipend that covered my school needs, from uniforms and supplies to materials for projects and research. I no longer had to ask my parents for money they didn’t have. More than the financial support, the scholarship opened doors for personal growth. I attended seminars and educational field trips in Bicol and Manila — experiences that built my self-confidence, broadened my perspective, and strengthened my passion for teaching.

I carried all these blessings in my heart as I walked the graduation aisle, tears flowing freely. I was no longer the girl who walked to school hungry. I was now a Cum Laude graduate, with a General Weighted Average of 1.56, a four-year Dean’s Lister, and top-performing student in our program. I also earned a scholarship to a review center and passed the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET).

From being an office staff in the Alumni Relations Office, to becoming a lecturer and reviewer, and finally, on August 7, 2019, I officially joined the Department of Education as Teacher I. Today, I’m proudly serving as Teacher III, after five years of hard work and dedication.

We’ve built our dream house. I now help support my family. And slowly, I am healing the inner child who once wished for just a pencil, a notebook, a decent meal.

To the people behind the ESGP-PA program, to Dr. Nancy D. Magtangob, Ma’am Mave Lejero Mendoza, and the kind staff of OSS, thank you. You didn’t just fund my education; you believed in my future. I hope I’ve made you proud.

To all the students walking their own difficult paths, do not give up. You may be poor in resources but never be poor in dreams. Let every hardship be your steppingstone.

As Jim Rohn once said, “If you go to work on your goals, your goals will go to work on you.” And I am living proof that they do.