This UP Student is Proof That Determination Can Pay Off

When opportunity doesn’t find you, sometimes you have to fish it out of the stars like UP Student Carl Audric Guia.

It’s literally a leap for the stars as UP Rural High School student Carl Audric Guia makes it with a full scholarship to four of the top schools in America. His determination to take up astronomy even touched his mother, who revealed that they couldn’t afford the tuition even if they “sold their house.”

“Di ko alam kung bakit ang talino niya. Sabi ko, kahit ibenta ko pa ang bahay natin, ang sarili ko, di pa rin kaya ang tuition sa Amerika,” Carl’s mom, Angelene, reveals.

Yet, he finally makes it. How did he do it?

If the stars won’t come to you, you go to them.

In a quick interview with journalist Karen Davila, Angelene reveals that her son did not accept that he couldn’t do it. “Di siya pumayag na di kaya,” she shares, revealing also how she quickly shot down the idea when Carl told her. “Noong sinabi niya sa akin, sabi ko agad na di natin kaya bayaran iyon.”

But when everything is on the internet, all it takes is some hard knocks digging, and scouring to find the programs and opportunities needed. Which is exactly what Carl did. He dug up resources, joined programs, and found whatever he could to tutor himself for the SATs, even scoring 1540 and making sure to always request financial assistance in his applications.

There are just some things that we don’t take “no” for an answer. And for better education and a brighter future, this UP student did exactly that. Now with his scholarship, his mom beams with pride just how brilliant her son is in spite of her fears.

When our kids want the stars, sometimes, they get it themselves.

While we do adore obedient kids, there are days that we wish they weren’t. Especially when many of us have just accepted the harsh realities of money and managing a household, it’s also our job to let our kids try and fly. They don’t have the proverbial glass ceiling yet and it’s not our job to remind them of it. If anything, it is also our duty to make sure they shatter it and reach for the stars.

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