“Stand up and keep going.”
These are the words that Rhizza Mayor repeats to herself whenever she faces obstacles in life. Becoming a teacher is her lifelong dream, but it was never an easy journey.
One roadblock came after another. Her parents separated when she was young, her beloved father died due to diabetes, and they had no money to sustain her schooling. Finishing college was an elusive dream even though her mother worked hard to make ends meet.
But she stood up and kept going. Rhizza took up Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in English at Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology.
To support her aspiration of becoming an educator someday, she worked as a babysitter and sometimes, a pump assistant in a gasoline station. By night, she would attend her classes.
“If you have a dream, no matter how hard it takes to reach it, even when you’re tired – you will just cry for a while but you will stand up and keep going. My mother is my motivation to strive so I can graduate.”
She knew that the road toward her dream was long and winding, but Rhizza never hit the brakes. She prayed and held on to her faith that one day, God will send a miracle.
And He did.
With the support of their local church, Rhizza became a Back-to-School scholar of Operation Blessing Foundation Philippines, CBN Asia’s humanitarian arm.
Back-to-School is Operation Blessing’s scholarship program which aims to provide educational assistance to underprivileged yet deserving students like Rhizza so they can continue their education even during challenging times.
“Put God first in your life. Make Him the center of your heart and do not lose hope because He is willing to help you,” she shared to scholars like her.
The young Nueva Ecijano partnered her prayers with perseverance, and after 4 long years, she reached her destination. Last September 2020, Rhizza finally earned a bachelor’s degree.
“We’ve been looking for scholarship for too long. Then came Operation Blessing, which offered a great scholarship and helped me finish my studies. My heart is overflowing with gratitude! Even during the pandemic, they brought us relief. I am so thankful that I got the best scholarship,” she recalled.
While preparing for the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) to become a full-fledged professional teacher, she now works as a home-based call center agent.
“To the people who donate to Operation Blessing, thank you so much! You are a blessing to us! You are part of fulfilling my dream,” Rhizza ended.
Through your generous giving, Operation Blessing can support and empower the future educators of our country. Through your compassionate heart, these young people can now have access to quality education!
This Teacher’s Appreciation Week, are you willing to be a blessing to more aspiring teachers?
Partner with Operation Blessing today and help build dreams! You may give through Operation Blessing’s website or call 0939-921-5543 or 0918-906-7753 for more details.
You may also visit Operation Blessing’s Facebook page to know more about the work we do.
If you are moved to support CBN Asia’s entire Family of Ministries, click this link to know, how.
(DSWD-SB-SP-00112-2020 Nationwide)