Fishery Scholar; Saleslady-househelp graduates magna cum laude

CANDIJAY, BOHOL, Philippines — Beverly Espinosa Peligrino —born to a poor family of Barangay Basdio in Guindulman town of Bohol — worked as a saleslady on weekdays and a househelp on weekends, as she toiled her way through college.

Beverly obtained a scholarship from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, on top of her congressional and governor’s scholarship grants, and recently graduated in Bachelor of Science in Fisheries at the Bohol Island State University (BISU) in Candijay town, magna cum laude.

“Nothing is impossible in this world when one has God on her side, with determination, commitment and hard work to succeed,” she declared during her valedictory address, “Reflections of a Graduate,” in her graduation last March.

There were five cum laude graduates at BISU, and she was chosen from among them to deliver the valedictory address considering her inspiring story of rising above the heartaches and painful trials that almost brought her down from her path to graduation.

Beverly, in her oratory, said that in her secondary years, she dreamed that someday she would “see the world for free,” quoting a school slogan back then. To her mind, a lot of things popped up: To work in an international cruise ship, earn dollars and see the world famous attractions. So she decided she will take BS in Marine Transportation in college.

However, this dream crashed even before she could start her voyage. She received a really bad news: Her father was diagnosed with colon cancer, a matter that she recalled describing as “almost equivalent to death.”

While struggling to hold back her tears, during her speech, she told the crowd, “It was as if a bomb was dropped on me, reducing my hopes to smithereens. It cast a bleak prospect for my dream.”

Her father’s ailment drove the family to sacrifice any dream back then. “And this changed everything,” said Beverly who had to shelve her BSMT plan although it prompted her to what she called as “mental equation, reviewed my options and prayed that God will bail me out.”

Beverly then looked for work, and got one as a saleslady of a store retailing rice and animal feeds. She worked hard and got an extra job — “a cleaning lady on weekends”— with her sights still held high inside her: To finish college, this time with a course in fishery, without giving burden to her family.

To keep her faith in her dreams alive, she culled a line from her favorite novelist, Paulo Coelho: “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it.”

One day while Beverly was cleaning the house of her boss, Jesrell Amper, a friend came to her and told her if she wanted to really study. “Take the BFAR scholarship examination” in Cebu. “If you pass you wouldn’t end up in vain,” he told her.

Convinced of her friend’s good news she and her sister immediately went to Cebu with meager money she earned from her summer job, and took the exam. But when she did, she received a text from her mother, telling her to pray for her father who was taken to the hospital and would be operated on for his colon ailment.

For this, she was confused. “I was so much worried, ambivalent whether to go ahead and take the test or go back to Bohol to be with my father in the hospital.” But she did not waver and went on with the exam, saying, “I can do it.”

True to her determination, she eventually passed and got the BFAR scholarship. “On top of that, my father’s operation was successful. Indeed, God is good all the time.”

Beverly then went on to study Fisheries at BISU, armed with the BFAR grant, together with the scholarships from Governor Edgar Chatto and 3rd district Representative Arthur Yap.

Finally, she graduated with the icing on her cake, as magna cum laude. But before her graduation, her father passed away.

Beverly’s father was no longer with her during the momentous time to confer on the medal of her achievement, but she said, “My father up above must be happy and proud of me.” And as she thanked her parents, she added, “I can see from my mother’s smile and tears of joy that I am fulfilling their dreams.”

Beverly then thanked God for her feat, her benefactors and her teachers. She also told her fellow graduates: “Let’s keep ourselves grounded to reality.” (FREEMAN)