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Ateneo's janitor couple's son, daughter both graduate as cum laude

Jan Milo Severo - Philstar.com

July 6, 2023 | 10:03am

Ateneo's janitor couple's son, daughter both graduate as cum laude

Rica finished Management Economics this year while Riel earned a Psychology degree in 2019.

Screengrab from '24 Oras'

MANILA, Philippines — A janitor couple working in Ateneo de Manila University has both their son and daughter graduate from the prestigious university with honors.

According to a report by "24 Oras Weekend," siblings Rica and Riel Gutierrez both graduated cum laude from the university.

Rica finished Management Economics this year, while Riel earned a Psychology degree in 2019.

"Lahat sila alam nila na janitor 'yung mga magulang ko. Hindi ko po iyon ikinakahiya eh," Rica said.

"'Yun po 'yung motivation ko from the very start eh na gusto ko maranasan ng magulang ko 'yung ginhawa ng buhay," she added.

Their parents Ricky and Elma are janitors of Ateneo, so the siblings enjoyed free tuition.

Their other miscellaneous fees per semester were covered by scholarship. The siblings also got P15,000 allowance per semester from Ateneo.

"Naka-graduate si Kuya bente pesos lang bibinigay kong baon. Ang pinakamahirap 'yung gadget, 'yung laptop, cellphone. Ni-loan lang namin 'yun," Emma said.

"Dumating kami sa punto na, dalawang itlog hati-hati kaming mag-iina, mairaos lang 'yung pangkain," she added.