Liezel Nudalo Formentera is now ready to work toward achieving her lifelong ambition in the field of education.
Formentera works as a street vendor in Cebu, Philippines, and hopes to improve her family’s situation someday. The only way she can see doing so is to further her education and get a better job. She could not finish elementary and high school, but she was determined and decided to join the DepEd’s ALS (Department of Education’s Alternative Learning System) program.
ALS is a parallel learning system in the Philippines that gives students an alternative to the formal education they already got. She didn’t have to miss out on her primary education because of ALS.
In 2018, Formentera finished high school, and she began to sign up for college. She went to Cebu Technological University to earn a Bachelor of Industrial Technology with a major in Computer Technology (CTU).
Because she also has to look after her children while she is in school, there were times when she felt physically exhausted from her work. They also experienced financial difficulties, but her farmer husband assists and supports her. There were times when she wanted to give up on her studies when times were tough, but she considered her children and the life she has worked so hard to provide for them. Thus, she worked harder for it.
She understood that there is no age limit on learning. Today, she remains overjoyed and grateful that she never expected to graduate from college. “Life is like this when you are confronted with hard times; simply pray to the Lord, and your blessing will arrive when you least expect it. This is for my children and my hope for the prosperity of my family. My children will not face poverty as I did.” – she happily shared with their local newspaper, The Philippine Star.
