Born to a father who works in construction and a stay-at-home mother, Mark Anthony is the eldest of three children.
As such, he faced heavy pressure to succeed amid his family’s financial struggles.
While studying for his Bachelor of Technology and Livelihood Education degree at ESSU Maydolong, he carried the emotional and financial weight of being his family’s breadwinner.
Because his father did not have a steady income, Mark Anthony had to find ways to support both his family and his own schooling.
To cover his expenses, he worked as a part-time baker while managing his modular lessons. “During COVID-19, kay modular tapos kinahanglan la nim ipasa nim mga modules ha school, nagtrabaho ak nga part-time baker ha Llorente so I could help my family,” he said.
Despite his positive outlook, Mark Anthony admitted there was a point when he nearly gave up due to the cost of materials for his teaching demonstrations.
However, he chose to push through. Instead of buying new supplies, he used his creativity to recycle old materials for his instructional aids.
His path to earning a license was also not immediate.
After graduating in 2024, he worked as a security guard to save money and support his family.
Seeing his peers take and pass the exam immediately after graduation made him feel left behind at times, but he reminded himself that life is not a race.
“Ginremind ko na ak sarili nga dire ma it una-unahay. Siguro oras nira yana, pero maabot gihap it akon,” he said.
Once he had saved enough money, he resigned from his job, returned home, and began preparing for the board exam.
Mark Anthony also expressed his gratitude to the provincial government’s program, citing how it helps less privileged students pursue their goals.
“Thankful po ak nga nabulig po ak han maupay nga programa ni Gov. Evardone, dako po in nga bulig.”
He also encouraged students who are facing the same challenges that he went through to persevere and not give up on their studies, especially now that there are programs such as educational assistance that aim to help less privileged students pursue a college degree. (SEJ-JDM)
