Thirteen years ago, when ERDA scouted for new scholars in Smokey Mountain, Tondo, Manila, Naomi Geronimo was among those who qualified to receive ERDA support. Naomi wasn’t as prominent as her ERDA contemporaries but unknown to many, she consistently topped her class since grade school. Not surprisingly, she graduated valedictorian at the Lakan Dula High School in Tondo in 2014.
At the time, she was struggling to find a way to continue her higher education. She won a Merit Scholarship from the De La Salle-College of St Benilde (DLS-CSB) where she finished her human resource management course cum laude. She invited ERDA to her graduation.
But behind her colorful academic milestones, life wasn’t always easy. She had to cope with her studies, and grapple with family disputes, legal problems and financial inadequacy almost on bended knee. But in the process, she built emotional and mental stamina.
Back then, Naomi used to help her mother do the laundry of other people to earn a living. At the same time, she regularly joined academic and writing competitions, and used her winnings for their daily necessities at home.
At times, she would sell snacks and trinkets to her classmates. She did a part-time job as a secretary for a tiles and construction materials supplier and as a server in a local pub and cafeteria to raise money for some of her immediate projects and fees to correct her legal documents. Occasionally, she would help her fellow students and educators accomplish academic requirements for a fee.
When her father became ill in the province, her mother had to fly home to take care of him, leaving her children behind. As the eldest, Naomi had to attend to her younger siblings: prepare their food, take them to school, and pay for the bills. It was no mean feat. She had to do all these while striving to maintain the grades required by her merit scholarship.
It was the force of circumstances that led her to lose her appetite, develop anxiety attack, and suffer extreme weight loss during those times. At the time, her ERDA sponsor, the Pag-Asa Group of Japan, expressed concern after noticing significant changes in her health. The Pag-Asa representatives decided to give her an emergency fund until she could get back on her feet and finish her undergraduate degree. Despite these struggles, Naomi still found joy in volunteer work. She joined the scholars’ group in the institution to tutor those fellow students who found it hard to pass the semester. She even had a chance to do volunteer work for the Aeta Community in Zambales through the Summer of Service (SOS) Program of DLS-CSB’s Center for Social Action.
When “Typhoon Odette” struck at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, she also sent support to the ERDA community in Quezon City that was greatly affected by the floods.
On March 4, 2023, she trained the ERDA senior high school students from Manila and Caloocan City on how to write their progress reports. She shared her insights and past experiences with the younger generation of ERDA scholars on how to effortlessly transpose their social skills and human experiences to their progress report setting. ERDA chose her to be the speaker of the said workshop as she was among those who wrote a well-made and evocative progress reports back then.
Much has happened in the thirteen years since she started to be an ERDA scholar and advocate. Currently, she is working for an international bank and continues to provide for the majority of the household needs of the family and healthcare needs of her parents. The results of her sacrifice and hard work paid off when her sister graduated with an economics degree while her younger brother continued his studies at the Earist University. Recently, she added homeowner on her portfolio when she bought the house in full that they only rented before.
Her dream to own a business and travel the world remains a work in progress. For now, it’s her small success in life that counts.
#ERDA@50 #ERDA50SuccessStories #ERDAAmbassadorForEducation