He was a construction worker and he flunked a subject once.
But Chris Ian Gargar is not ashamed to admit these.
Gargar, a topnotcher in the recent Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET), said failing a subject in his first year as a BS Mathematics student at the Cebu Institute of Technology (CIT-U) was what prompted him to shift to education.
Gargar, 24, used to work as construction worker in Balud, Dalaguete.
He applied to be a working student and was assigned at the Alumni Affairs Office. His hard work paid off because eventually, he was made a scholar by the CIT Alumni Association (CITAA).
“Actually di nako ikauwaw, para nako it was a blessing in disguise, kay kon wa ko mahagbong adto di ko mapunta sa alumni affairs office sa CIT ug di ko ma-scholar (Failure is nothing to be ashamed of. It was what led me to my scholarship),” Gargar said.
He placed 10th in the teachers’ board for elementary division.
He graduated from the CIT-U in October 2014. He now works in an ESL company at the Cebu IT Park. His contract will end next year and he plans to apply for a teaching position at the CIT-U.
Gargar attributed his achievement to God, family, relatives and a school official who helped him in his studies.
The second of four siblings, he led a hard life.
He lost his father, Concordio, when he was 11. His father died at the age of 40 from overfatigue while working as ‘kargador’ to make ends meet. Two years later, his mother Ma. Mariza left for Manila to work as a helper, bringing his two younger brothers John Vincent and John Isidore with her.
His eldest brother, Juan Paulo, and John Isidore, who had returned to Cebu after one year in Manila, were left in the care of relatives.
Gargar graduated with honors from the Balud Elementary School. He completed his high school studies at the St. Mary Academy.
His first try in college was in 2007 at the UV Dalaguete, taking up Hotel and Restaurant Management (HRM). Because of financial constraints, he had to stop after one semester. He found a job as a construction worker.
For more than a year, Gargar survived on a meager salary of P180 to P200 per day as helper and painter in construction works.
In 2009, his cousin, Rosa Alma Hernaez who was then the head of the CIT Community Extension Services, helped him by enrolling him in CIT-U where he took up BS in Mathematics.
He had been away from school for a long time because of work, and had difficulty adjusting, so he flunked Algebra.
His cousin decided to let him take up education instead and encouraged him to apply as a working student.
He was required to work four hours a day at the CIT Alumni Affairs office. During his third year, he had a hard time continuing as a working student because of his internship.
Fortunately for him, CIT Alumni Association Vice President Charlie Ng presented him with a scholarship until his graduation. Ng also helped Gargar when he reviewed for the LET.
Gargar admits owing a lot to the people who were instrumental in his success.
He also expressed his gratitude to his aunt and uncle in Poblacion, Dalaguete – Rosita and Mateo Almagro – who became his second parents.
Now, he wishes for his family to be together again and for his mother to stop working and be with her family.
“Hinaut unta nga tungod nianing akong kalamposan nga magkabalik mi tanan, magkahiusa ming tanan (I hope that with my success, we will all be together again),” he said.
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