Yolanda ‘graduate’

Eugenio Permejo, Jr. Bachelor in Secondary Education Major in English Leyte Normal University, Magna Cum Laude

A genuinely jolly young man, it was hard to believe Permejo,

Jr. experienced the horrors of Typhoon Yolanda when it struck his hometown in 2013.

“Na kat ir aka mi ma lap its a dag at tap os may sap a‘ duns a likodng ba hay na min. Noong nag- Yolanda, hindikamiagad lu mi kasper onung um a bot na hang gang dibdib an gtu big kin ab ahannak amid ahilw ala ka ming map u punt a han. Thankfully na kali gt asp ar ink amika hit na a a nod nayung ba hay na min ,” he recalled.

Surviving the typhoon was one thing but getting back on their feet was a totally a different story for the young student and the rest of his family.

By a stroke of luck, however, the same freezer they had been using in their humble carinderia managed to survive as they did.

“Kahit washed out talagalahat,yung ba hay,yun gt ind a hanna min,yungfreez erna mann ana a no day hindi nap asuk an ngtubig.Sa lo ob noon h in dir inn a sir a yungbaboy,inuminatmgasangkapkaya naka- survive kami. A few months after

open in our area so we were fortunate to attract customers,” he shared gratefully.

Through the efforts of each family member, they slowly rebuilt their former business as well as a new home.

Meanwhile, another challenge faced Permejo alone—to go back to school and graduate from college. It would have been easier just to give up and help the family rebuild their life but the boy remembered how much his parents wanted him to go to college because they never did.

Taking to heart his parents’ dream to spare their children from poverty through education, Permejo persevered.

Deciding to take up education like his two older siblings—both full-pledged teachers already— the 19-year-old hit a snag when he failed to make the cut for the SM scholarship.

“Hind ital ag aako puma sa noonguna, I wasn’t even part of the short list, I was on waiting list. Unfortunately, mar a ming hindi nakap ag patu lo y schooling after Yolanda so that’s when I was given the slot during my second year in college to become a scholar,” he openly shared.

Bent to show his appreciation for this valuable opportunity, he completed his degree Magna Cum Laude.

Currently preparing to take the Licensure Exam for Teachers, Permejo said he could hardly wait to become “a shaper of young minds.”

“I know that to become a teacher is a rewarding experience from when I had my year-long practicum. Iba yungef fe ctkapagn as as a bin gm ga students ,‘ G any an pa lay an .’ I’m inspired and energized to share my knowledge when they show they are eager to learn.”