The sun shone brightly as I walked across the stage, my heart pounding with a mix of excitement and relief. This was the moment I had been waiting for—my high school graduation. Clad in my cap and gown, I held my mother’s hand tightly. She had been gone for nearly three years, working tirelessly as a domestic helper abroad to provide for me and my siblings. Now, she was here, standing beside me, sharing my triumph. It was the happiest day of my life.
Growing up, I had always admired families that stayed together—united, loving, and free from hate and deceit. I had wished for that kind of home, but fate had a different story for me. I am the eldest of four siblings from a broken family. My father, a man driven by his own desires, was unpredictable, controlling, and unfaithful. No matter how much my mother tried to reason with him, he never listened. What he wanted, he did. To him, I was more of a servant than a daughter, and life under his rule was suffocating.
When I was fifteen, my mother made the hardest decision of her life. Knowing that my siblings and I had a future to build, she left to work abroad, hoping to secure our education. The youngest of us was only three years old at the time. I had to grow up fast, taking on responsibilities beyond my years.
As time passed, rumors about my father and another woman surfaced. When he confirmed it, we knew it was time to leave. My siblings and I packed our things and moved to my uncle’s house. The separation between my parents was messy, filled with angry texts and heated phone calls, but it was inevitable. For the first time in a long while, we felt a sense of peace away from the chaos.
Fast forward to today, I am in college, a working student juggling my studies and responsibilities. It hasn’t been easy. I initially planned to study education, but life took an unexpected turn, and now I am pursuing engineering. The challenges are overwhelming, but I push forward. I have learned that life is unpredictable, but as long as I stay on the right path, hope remains.
The future is uncertain, but I hold onto the belief that it will be better. I want to be an inspiration to my siblings and the next generation—to prove that no matter how difficult life gets, perseverance and resilience will lead us to a brighter tomorrow. Life is tough, but so am I. And I know, somewhere ahead, success is waiting for me.
