Maybelline Mangosan is the first child of five children. Her mother, Rosemarie, is a responsible housewife and her father, John, is a diligent farmer. Through the help of church leaders, the couple pondered on the importance of the sacrament of baptism.
Maybelline with her four siblings were baptized in 2020 at dap-ay Astol in Barangay Tetep-an, Sagada, Mountain Province. After her baptism, Maybelline enrolled in the youth ministry. After sufficient instructions and trainings, she served in the daily 6:30 a.m. mass. From Tetep-an Norte, she hikes to reach the church. Maybelline is a lovely lady and at 16, finds joy in serving the Lord as an altar server.
On July 13, ANHS revealed another feature of Maybelline, being the only student awarded with high honors from 33 completers.
Despite the pandemic, she has proven that everything has a lesson to teach. She is proof that poverty is not a hindrance to success and difficult situations will shape a person to become better.
Her motto in life is, “Life must go on despite the odds.” Maybelline has a good team of inspiration – her family, teachers, church leaders, and good peers.
Laziness and wrong priorities were overcome by the loving guidance of her mother. Indeed, parents’ guidance is critical in the formation of a child.
Here is Maybelline’s speech that deserves a listening ear:
“Our distinguished guests, teachers, parents, visitors, friends, fellow completers, and everybody here today. Gawis ay agew tako am-in.
Today’s gathering marks the exodus of grade 10 students in junior high school. We thank everybody here in attendance for taking time to be a part of our moving-up ceremony. It is a special day that will surely be cherished for the rest of our lives.
Our journey in high school started when we enrolled as beginners in this school. We had countless memories that either made us cry or smile whenever we reminisce. We experienced getting annoyed, hurt, dismayed, and challenged.
On the other hand, we shared ideas, observations, conclusions, and solutions. We laughed, danced, sang, cheered, and lived together until the saga of the Covid-19 broke out. It started as a mere epidemic in China that ferociously spread causing a pandemic affecting us all. It has turned our lives 180 degrees, making us wonder how to continue education.
Thankfully, the Department of Education found a doable remedy – modular education. We have suffered the stress of sudden transition from our usual school-home routine to a home-school setup. Apart from these, we were able to move on and adapt to the new world.
These experiences helped us mold our life to mean stronger and more creative to face difficulties. It taught us lessons that constantly guide us as we journey on. It made us better persons.
Behind all of these are our beloved teachers, parents, friends, classmates, and anybody else who contributed to the shaping of our identity.
To our dear teachers, we are indebted to you. We are grateful for everything you have done for us. You had countless sleepless nights to check on our papers and prepare for the next lesson. You had suffered the stress of finding better ways of presenting the modular lessons so we could understand it. You have shown us kindness, forbearance, and tolerance despite our hardheadedness. You did not only become our educators but also you made yourselves our sisters, brothers, friends, coach, advisers, consolers, inspiration, and many more.
To our dear parents, words are not enough to express how much we appreciate your efforts in supporting us. You have sacrificed a lot to provide for our needs while trying to make ends meet. You did not mind the heat under the burning sun and the cold when it rains for as long as you work to provide our necessities. Parents, you are doing well.
Finally, to my fellow completers, let us salute ourselves for being able to pass all the circumstances of high school life.
Let us keep the flame of desire to pursue our dreams. Let us take all the lessons we learned and use them as weapons to face higher level of education. May we have all these experiences as inspirations to continue our journey in life. God bless us all and thank you very much. Matago-tago tako am-in!”
Reach me at [email protected] or 0905-165-3669.
April 24, 2024
