Education students urged to study, work hard to excel

KIM Roxan Arong, 21, worked hard to pass the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) with flying colors.
As she went up the stage to receive her diploma from the University of Cebu-Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue (UCLM) last year, she told herself that it was not yet too late for her to excel.

She vowed to study and work hard for the board examination.

“Graduating without flying colors does not mean that you can’t excel in the future because you do not know what lies ahead,” she told hundreds of BS Education students from different universities in a forum organized by Coalition for Better Education (CBE).

Arong, a graduate of Bachelor of Elementary Education (BeEd) in General Education, landed on top 9 with a rating of 86.6 percent during the March 2015 licensure examination.

She shared with  students that she did not have it easy. She once worked as a Jollibee crew in the morning to finance her studies. She attended school in the afternoon until evening.

“It is not easy to find money. Please study hard and finish a degree,” she said.

Her father, a real estate agent, is the  breadwinner of the family. Her mother is a housewife. Arong is the youngest of three siblings.

She admitted that during her college days, she studied only during examination period. That’s why she worked hard during her review for the licensure examination.

“I studied in the morning, afternoon, and in the evening. I started my review in October last year and took the board examination last March 2015,” Arong said.

When she got tired, she read the Bible and said, “Lord, trabaho (review) na sad ko.”

She now works as an elementary teacher at UC-LM. She also teaches at the college department in the evening.
Arong, the youngest of three siblings, is the first teacher in the family.

Asked why she loves teaching, she answered, “I want to make a difference.”

The 21-year-old neophyte teacher said that she also wants to become an instrument and inspire others, especially those who are financially challenged.

“What you need to do is don’t stop working. Faith alone will not work if you also do not exert effort. With God’s help, everything will fall into place,” Arong said.