Amazing dwarf
SHE’S literally a dwarf. She stands just a little over two feet. She’s Leah Delgado, 35, from the remotest Barangay Cansalungon in Isabela, Negros Occidental. She’s a call center agent, and for the past seven years Leah “tailored” her life to greatness in spite of hardships and uphill challenges. Her being optimistic and goal-oriented propelled her to where she’s now.
My salute to this “little lady”. She “swallowed” all the bullying. “Focus” is her simple game in life. Amazing!
Talking to Leah up close and personal through “Ang Probinsya suBONG” program over Provincial Capitol’s Radyo Negrense is a privilege.
Asked what made her a call center agent in spite of her “smallness”, her simple reply: “Negros Occidental Learn i n g , I n f ormation a nd Technology Center (NOLITC).”
It’s NOLITC, the province’s technical and vocational school that honed her to become a call center agent.
It was her teachers in college in Isabela that referred her to NOLITC. After graduation from a community college in Isabela with the degree of Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT), she immediately enrolled at NOLITC for formal call center training for at least five months. And she paid nothing.
Upon training completion, she applied in several Business Process Outsourcing ( BPO) companies in Bacolod. Her first, second and third attempts failed.
She’s lucky in her fourth try, but she didn’t last there. She settled in the fifth and is making good now.
BREAD WINNER
Small as she is, and the eldest among three siblings, Leah proudly shared she’s a family bread winner.
“Since elementary, we grew up without a father,” she said.
Her mother was a hacienda laborer, with earnings only enough for their hand-to-mouth existence.
Thus, Leah promised to herself to study hard and make a difference someday.
She graduated in the elementary and high school always in the Top 10 of their class. But fund lack forced her not to proceed to college. For seven years she just stayed at home and helped her mother in their little sari-sari store.
But one day, her high school teachers called her up and asked her to apply for the town’s scholarship. What a fate, Leah was admitted!
In college, she still continued to struggle financially. But being madiskarte, she survived the numerous odds.
Now, she’s proud to say that with her monthly salary, she was able to build a house for her family, bought a rice farm and a carabao for her two siblings.
CAKE
Asked of one thing that symbolizes her personal success, Leah’s simple reply: cake! Why? Since she was a little girl, she never saw and tasted cake during her birthdays or other special occasions. But now that she’s earning, “I can even buy a whole cake.”
Yes, my heart “melted”. Relatable, especially for those who have similar status in life!
Moreover, what made me admire Leah was when she said, “Indi ako maluho!” She prudently spends her monthly income to what are just necessary. And three years from now, Leah is planning to retire. She wants to put up a mini-grocery mart in their town.
‘BREAK FREE’ Leah’s case is truly inspirational. Growing up in a poor family is more than a challenge. But being a person with disability (PWD) due to dwarfism is quite nastiest. But she never allowed to be “dwarfed” by reality. Instead, it motivated her to “break free” from a judgmental society.
In fact, she never minded the stigma related to her physical condition. She just armed herself with constant prayer s.
“God answered them one by one,” she said.
She said relatives doubted if she could land a job. “But I just ignored them.”
“What I’ve basically learned from NOLITC is to have patience all the times,” said Leah. “I can’t feel being discriminated in where I am now. The company really treats me an equal with others.”
‘TRICKY JOURNEY’
Leah’s story is extraordinary. “Lessons” from it are truly valuable.
Leah never succumbed t o any pressure. Rather, she fought everything with all her “might”, proving to all that she’s no ordinary being.
She may not be gifted with height, but she’s blessed with wisdom to use as her “bow and arrow” in fighting life’s horrid challenges./ PN