I HAVE been writing about destinations, travels and journeys in my previous columns. This time, I will discuss about a different kind of destination, one about journeying to achieving one’s dreams.
For almost two years, I have witnessed individuals who have renewed their hope in finally earning their degrees through the Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency Program (Eteeap) of La Consolacion College Bacolod (LCCB). As a lecturer in Advanced Marketing in LCCB’s Eteeap, I see the desire of many students to attain this goal of getting their college diplomas as they really work hard to achieving their dreams.
The Eteeap is a program of the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) that was enacted through Republic Act 7722, or the “Higher Education Act of 1994.” This was even strengthened by Executive Order 330, which allows “Adopting the Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency Program (Eteeap) as an Integral Part of the Educational System and Designated Ched to be the Authority in its Implementation.”
A number of my pupils were already students in this university called life, as they have been working, engaging into business or earning a living even when certain circumstances have withheld them from finishing their college education.
Still, many of them yearned for that degree for various reasons, whether for work promotion or regularization, or to prove to themselves or to others that they are capable of completing their formal education.
Recently, 54 Eteeap students graduated in LCCB with the degree of Bachelor of Science in Business Administration majoring either in Marketing Management or Human Resource Management. As Ronilo Sarito, who gave the Voice of the Graduates, shared: “I have always hated being late, which is why I make it a point to be always on time. It is because I believe that ‘time waits for no one.’ But I never thought there will come a time that my son’s favorite quote would be applicable to me at this point in my life. Obviously, I was not able to be on time in everything. I would not be in front of you today if I was able to get my college diploma on time.”
Yet, the Eteeap is not just a mere venue of getting a diploma. The students realize that it has become a vehicle for them to learn more and acquire additional knowledge – discovering more of themselves and of others.
It was an experience that brought them through many twists and turns, equipping them with more tools for their respective trades. As they neared the end of their journey as students, they come to appreciate many things in life. As Sarito added: “We may have been late in getting a college diploma but perhaps, some things are really not meant to happen on time, as greater things happen in God’s time.”
I am honored to have been part of their adventure. Seeing them go through each ordeal and surpass every challenge is heartwarming in itself. I have always acted as an informal guide to my friends whenever we travel to new places, providing directions to where we should go. I never imagined that I would be doing such to students in the Eteeap as I help them traverse through the course of their study. That moment when they reach their destination – there on the stage in their toga receiving their diploma – is priceless.
If this is one journey you want to take, it is never too late. LCCB’s Eteeap is still on the roll and it is available to transport you towards your college dream.
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Claire Marie Algarme blogs at http://firsttimetravels.com. Follow her as @firsttimetravel on Twitter and Instagram and like her Facebook page First-time Travels.