The Child Who Refused to Disappear: A Graduation Story That Gives Us Hope
Once a child of the streets, Eugene dela Cruz now holds a degree with honors from Ateneo, and a story that inspires every parent and child
When a child graduates from college, it brings joy—and often relief—to every parent. But for some children, especially those who grew up with little or no support, getting there means overcoming what feels impossible.
Over the weekend, Eugene dela Cruz marched alongside many students in Ateneo de Manila, earning his Economics degree with an honorable mention. His Facebook post went viral, detailing the heartache and challenges he endured to finish school.
“I Wasn’t Supposed to Make It Here”
In his post, Eugene recalled his struggles as a 12-year-old boy, saying he wasn’t supposed to make it.
“I ceased to be a child. I became a ghost in the city—roaming Metro Manila’s unforgiving streets, not from bravery, but because I had nowhere else to go,” he shared.
“I begged for coins, rationed a single stale bread across three desperate meals, and found refuge wherever night fell, drenched beneath tricycles when it poured, curled up in dark alleyways when it didn’t.”
In two of his previous Facebook posts, when he graduated from high school, Eugene spoke of his parents’ separation and his struggles to finish school. Some even said he deserved what he experienced, but despite the naysayers, he chose to love himself and to work better.
There was a time he felt invisible, and when the opportunity to return to school came, he grabbed it. But it also meant facing the hardships he went through.
“I was behind, underprepared, haunted by memories I couldn’t name. ‘Who am I,’ I wondered, ‘to hope for a future?’”
A Second Shot at Life
When he got into Ateneo, Eugene wrote that he found belief and clung to every hope he had. He got into Ateneo on a scholarship and even passed two other universities.
To augment his income, he did choreography for dance festivals and provided his services as a tutor even as he carried heavy books and notebooks to school.
There would be days, he admitted, that he felt he didn’t deserve to be in school. “I worried my poverty would echo too loudly in those hallowed halls. But I stayed because, at the very least, the people that I have encountered throughout my Ateneo journey made me feel that I belong and said, ‘You matter.’”
Eugene said he will always be grateful to Ateneo for giving him a new family, including those who believed in him to finish his studies.
“I wasn’t meant to make it here, but by some grace, I did,” he concluded.
When grit and perseverance meet
Eugene admitted in his essays that there were instances when he wanted to give up. But he proved that, like many people, one can write their story of perseverance.
He showed that finishing school was an opportunity to open doors and turn his life around. But beyond courage and inspiration, Eugene’s story is proof that hard work and heart can rewrite even the hardest beginnings. And maybe, for kids who feel unseen, it’s the reminder they need: you matter, and your future is still yours to claim.
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