The Essence of Being Romeo

Romeo Gipanao Lobedecis the first was a laborer from Quezon City in the Philippines. He raised his family of ten children, along with my mother Elonia, in one of the poorest neighborhoods of Metro Manila. Life was not easy for Romeo or his family. Very few could appreciate the degree of poverty that was life for the Lobedecis family. Romeo worked as a landscaper. The time spent at work was not measured by the hours in a workweek, but by the amount of Pesos needed to feed a family of twelve. This meant that he worked seven days a week, early morning until late into the evening.

His sons worked beside him when they were not in school. Though many children from disadvantaged families left school by the age of ten, Romeo knew that his children would only have a better life than he would, if they continued their education. I knew from a very young age that I, Romeo Cabiles Lobedecis the second, carrying my father’s namesake, would continue my education well beyond that ever achieved by any family member before me.

I am the first Lobedecis to go to college. When my scholarship money ran out, my family and I struggled to fund my education. The value of an education was so important to me that I persevered through the adversity of poverty surrounding me. Not only did I achieve my family goal of obtaining my bachelor's degree; I achieved my personal goal of obtaining my master's degree in education. It is only fitting that my advanced degree be in the field that was so important to me since my early childhood.

Being an educator allows me to give back to the community. It also affords me the significant opportunity to inspire young minds to achieve more than they feel they are able to or destined to. My background sets me aside from most of my colleagues in that I overcame the struggle and culture of poverty in a country where an education is a privilege and not a right.

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Previous blog entries:
Mar 16	-	mothering
Jan 11	-	Beauty of Mathematics
Dec 20	-	A Puppy's 12 Days of Christmas

My Car Quits Working Today.m4v

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