Do you know the feeling of trying again and again yet failing every time? I’m one of the many who applied for various scholarships, only to be rejected every time. I dreamed of becoming an architect, but our family was struggling financially and my parents couldn’t afford to support me. But this dream to go to college just refused to die, so I continued to hold on to my faith, hoping against hope that God had better plans.

It was a day just like any other that I finally received the good news that I qualified for an ANCOP scholarship. Clearly it was only by God’s grace that kind-hearted members of Couples for Christ in Saudi Arabia (of all places!) decided to sponsor me. I breathed a sigh of relief I had been holding back for what seemed like years. There was no doubt that this was an answered prayer for my family that was struggling to send my other siblings to school.

I took up a degree in agriculture at Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University. Hard work paid off; I consistently merited academic excellence awards from freshman to junior year. Who would’ve thought I would also be able to secure an almost year-long international internship in Israel? Through the help of my relatives, support from ANCOP, and my parents’ effort, expenses for the internship were all covered — with a little extra to spare.

I see the hand of God guiding me throughout my journey. I finished my course and graduated cum laude. I’m now a true-blue agriculturist helping my father run our small start-up that involves horticultural crops, pure sugarcane, and farm-fresh produce.

I’m endlessly grateful to all the people who helped me achieve my goals, especially my family who have been supporting me non-stop and CFC ANCOP that opened doors for me I never knew existed. All of these wouldn’t have been possible without you!

My family isn’t a rich one. Often, our household income was just enough to sustain our needs. Both members of Couples for Christ, my father works as a messenger and my mother is a housewife. I know they both want their children to be able to finish their studies and have a bright future. 

Being in the community for more than 19 years, it was my parents who asked me to apply for an ANCOP scholarship. I passed the exam and was interviewed right away. I didn’t just secure a full scholarship but also got the privilege to study in an exclusive school. 

I never imagined myself studying in De La Salle - College of St. Benilde. Through my ANCOP scholarship, I was able to finish my degree in Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Major in Computer Applications with Specialization in Business Analytics. After all the hard work, I graduated with an honorable mention. 

It’s been 2 years since I joined Globe Telecom, a leading telecommunications company in the Philippines, as a data scientist. I’m also finishing my master’s degree in Science in Information Technology at De La Salle University. I’m so happy to have been able to benefit from these opportunities. I know this started with ANCOP and that first step toward my dreams. 

To ANCOP, I want to say thank you for the opportunity that had been given to me. I can say I’m blessed to have been chosen. On behalf of my family, I want to express gratitude for this grace that had been shared with us. 

To my fellow scholars, keep dreaming and never settle for less. Remember that the strongest storms produce the brightest rainbows. Being a scholar is one of the things you can take pride in. Keep fighting for your dreams! (Yvonne Grace Dolorosa)

How did a clueless and pressured high school student become an aspiring professional teacher with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education? Truth be told, I almost didn’t make it. 

Our family of six was sustained solely by my father’s income and my mother’s sideline efforts as a housewife. It was barely enough to feed us and send all four of us to school at the same time. I could only hope and pray to Almighty God that things would get better, and I would be able to go to college. 

But that hope wavered when one day, my mother asked me if I could stop going to school until my older brother got his degree. I started feeling hopeless. Even my faith in God’s timing that I firmly held on to weakened. But even when my heart faltered, I didn’t stop praying and believing that, in time, God would make everything right. 

God answered my prayers through ANCOP, especially through the sponsors who gave me the chance to be where I stand today. Being an ANCOP scholar, I wasn’t just able to graduate with little strain on my family’s finances — surrounded by His beautiful instruments — I also grew in love and faith with God. 

Currently, I teach at Glendale School. Through my job, I can help form my students into compassionate and loving future innovators and servants of God. I’m also preparing to get my teaching license soon. 

I’ll continue working hard for my dreams, my family, so that I can continue to declare, with my head held high, that by God’s grace, I made it here —  I am here. (Brienz Athena Suaberon)

What kind of hopes can a 25-year old out-of-school-youth have in life? As a son of a driver and a housewife, I didn’t have much. Though life was hard, I kept on praying though that I would get a college degree against all odds.  

It was after a Couples for Christ (CFC) member in our area encouraged me to apply for an ANCOP scholarship that my life would change for the better. I was heading a provincial youth conference as its event head when that CFC leader called me up, telling me that my application had been rejected because I was overage. With a heavy heart, I tried to understand the situation. Maybe there was a deeper need to prioritize the education of the younger ones.  

Hope, however, didn’t leave me. Just a few moments later, something I can only consider a miracle happened. She called me back, saying a CFC member was willing to support my college education. She said I could even enroll the very next day if I wanted to! I was happy beyond words. It only took minutes for God to completely change my life. 

I enrolled right away at the Cebu Technological University for a four-year industrial technology course. After graduation, I was hired as a designer and project manager by the construction firm where I had my internship. After some time, my dream of becoming an architect seemed to be calling me back. And so I decided to work part-time and took up a 5-year course in architecture. Now, I’m happy to share that I’m months away from graduation. 

I only have gratitude to Our Lord, to the CFC community, and to ANCOP for opening the door to my dreams. Most specially, I’m thankful to the generous heart that sponsored my education. Dahil po sa inyo, nakapag-aral ako. (Because of you, I got to study.) 

It definitely doesn’t end here. With all my skills and talents, I’m hopeful that I can help others in need by giving back the blessings that were shared to me and my family. (Yvonne Grace Dolorosa) 

Prayers don’t go unanswered. I held on to this promise, while struggling to reach a dream that lived only in my hopes. I never met my mother, nor did I ever know who my father was. I grew up with my maternal grandmother, who single-handedly raised me. 

Unfortunately, I had to leave my grandmother after graduating from elementary school. I went to live with my aunt to enter high school in Cebu. Grateful for their love and support, I studied hard  and finished my junior year  with honors. 

My life took a turn before my senior year. Finally reunited, I moved in with my mother in Las Piñas that summer. I had to live with three of my half-siblings and a sick stepfather, all trying to make ends meet with my mother’s wages as a laundry woman. 

There, I would walk 3 kilometers to school—leaving home every morning with nothing in my pockets for food nor transportation.  Going to school without eating breakfast nor having lunch  after class was quite normal for me. But still, I persisted. I felt the difficulties piling up, but I didn’t  let them crush my spirit. 

It was in college that God answered my prayers. After a fateful meeting with a friend, a series of events kicked off that would eventually secure me a scholarship sponsored by ANCOP Singapore. 

With the support I needed, I worked hard and studied harder. I was a consistent dean’s lister from year one until I graduated with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Accountancy, cum laude. 

My utmost gratitude goes to ANCOP and my Singapore benefactors for making my dream a reality. They really are the bearers of God’s promise of hope and a better future. I promise that just like them, I’ll also  be an instrument of hope to others. All glory and honor to the Almighty God, my Rock, and the Source of everything good! (Brienz Athena Suaberon)

Struggling and striving. These seem to be what my life has been all about. I’m the youngest in a family where my mother is a housewife and my father is a messenger for a law firm. There are days when we’re not sure if we can eat three square meals.  

 It was a small miracle I even made it to college. But I had a sense life would get better because I could study. Things could change. Even as a third-year engineering student with tons of school requirements, I knew there was something in life I could look forward to.  

That all changed with what is still the greatest test of faith our family has ever had. I still remember what kind of a day it was when our family received another blow. My brother was severely injured in a motorcycle accident. Yet again, we needed to stretch our already meager budget.  My brother’s medical treatments weren’t cheap. On some days, it felt like we had to choose who would survive: my brother or the rest of the family.  

I’ve never felt so hopeless in my life. Giving up seemed like the only thing I could do. I had so many questions in my mind, but a part of me was still clinging on to hope. Maybe God was still listening. Maybe He was still merciful. 

And just as suddenly, our life would change. I also remember what kind of day it was when I got the news. I found out I got a 5-year scholarship sponsored by ANCOP China which would cover college fees, including National Certificate in Mechatronics Servicing certifications, as well as my internship.  

“We had not been abandoned! We had not been abandoned!” This is all I could think of as I told my parents the good news. “It was all a test!” I was so happy. Hope was alive, and it made me stronger. Almost overnight, life was better than it had ever been in a long time. I was even more motivated to study for my dreams. Shortly after, I joined CFC Youth for Christ where I shared my story to other young people my age, telling them that nothing is impossible with God.  

My dreams are as young as I am. I’m 21 and now a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Electronic Engineering from Quezon City University. Life’s test has now become my testimony. (Yvonne Grace Dolorosa)