By Yvonne Grace Dolorosa
How do you cope with the death of a parent?
For many, it’s hard even to think about.
Finding himself an orphan one day, Jose Mari P. Reyes had to deal with his parents’ passing.
It didn’t seem like he had any choice.
His father died of cardiac arrest in 2011 and after some years, his mom also passed away a month after undergoing an operation for a brain aneurysm.
‘Paralyzed by grief’
Coping with the loss of his parents, this ANCOP scholar alumnus pushed himself to stay motivated.
“What inspired me to pursue my dream was my younger sister and my whole family. We only have ourselves since we lost our parents at a young age. We need to make sure that we live up to their dreams and aspirations to us,” shares Joey.
Though almost paralyzed by grief, it taught Joey, as his friends call him, how to truly live.
The turning point
As expected, the siblings struggled financially and found whatever means they could to support themselves from day to day.
Thankfully, ANCOP came.
An opportunity for an ANCOP scholarship opened up when Joey was serving as a CFC – Youth for Christ (CFC – YFC) head.
Realizing how important it was to finish his studies, he did everything he could to become an ANCOP scholar.
Today Joey looks back at that time in his life, believing that ANCOP was a big part of his journey to achieving his dreams.
“God anointed me to become a part of this community. Here in ANCOP, you will be given a chance to prove yourself and [you will also be given] time to develop so that you can pass your examinations since someone is helping you,” he adds.
Fast forward to today, Joey now works as a sales representative in a topnotch business outsourcing company in the Philippines after working as a junior high school teacher months after graduation.
Working in the BPO industry
Joey also remembers how he was given the chance to meet his sponsor and how he continues to keep in touch with him, never passing up on the chance to express his gratitude to people who have changed his life so much.
He shares, “Thank you so much for giving us hope. You mean the world to us. We cannot move forward if you don’t have our back… You don’t only give us hope, you gave us the future.”
Fast forward to today, Joey now works as a sales representative in a topnotch business outsourcing company in the Philippines after working as a junior high school teacher months after graduation.
A grateful Bachelor of Technical Teacher Education, Major in Mathematics for Technology in Marikina degree holder from the Polytechnic College, he prays that one day, he will be able to financially support and give hope to orphans like him.
