Example of a short inspirational text and its structure

Spending his childhood collecting waste from empty plastic bottles did not stop this Filipino man from chasing his dreams. Even though he didn't expect it, he has now succeeded in wearing a toga hat and graduated from university.

Jeb Baclayon Bayawon thinks that he will collect garbage and empty plastic bottles all his life. That all changed after he took the opportunity to pursue education through the help of a foreign-funded foundation. Ten years after he got his chance, Bayawon managed to wear a toga with fellow Mindanao State University graduates, in June 2018.

As reported by Rappler, 23-year-old Bayawon shared in an interview that the road to earning a bachelor's degree was traversed with various obstacles. One of them is living in a landfill.

“I grew up in a landfill where I picked up recyclables and empty plastic bottles to help our parents make a living. We sold leftovers and bottles to thrift shops,” recalls Bayawon.

Bayawon will scavenge leftover food in the trash and cook it again at home. Regardless from Under the circumstances, Bayawon's father planted a hard thought in his head that education should remain a priority.

“My father always advised me to go to school. But when I was in elementary school, some classmates teased me about where I lived in a garbage dump and didn't have proper hygiene. Every time I open my lunch box during recess, they wince because they know that it came from garbage,” he said.

Being bullied and bullied makes Bayawon not want to go to school. Until finally his father suffered from tuberculosis and made him drop out of school.

“I was 12 years old when my father died. And not long after that, my mother breathed her last after experiencing hypertension,” explained Bayawon.

In 2007, while working on waste at a landfill with other children, Bayawon was interviewed by Thomas Kellenberger, a former law enforcement officer from Switzerland. Thomas is the founder organization private aid advocating the right of poor children to get an education in the Philippines. Bayawon later became one of the scholarship recipients and got the opportunity to go back to school.

“I continue my studies because I want to learn. I don't want people to look down on me." word Bayawon.

The foundation provided him with the necessary requirements for the school, starting from tuition fees, pocket money, and lodging. Bayawon also left the garbage dump. After completing his basic education at one of the local schools in the city, he took up an alternative learning system so that he could pursue higher education at his age.

“When I pass the assessment and the Equivalence Test, I can go on to college. The foundation has encouraged me to pursue it, so I took the entrance exam at Mindanao State University-Naawan,” explained Bayawon.

After passing the entrance exam, he chose to become a baccalaureate in English because of his interest in the language and his dream of becoming an educator. It was not a smooth journey as Bayawon had to overcome the inevitable challenges that come with pursuing a college education.

“Some classes are very difficult. I have to schedule and adapt. There are times when I can't relate to the conversations of classmates because they talk about life with their families who were completely different from mine, and their high school experiences that I didn't have." he said.

Who doesn't know Harvard University? This prestigious university in the United States is the dream of most people to be able to study there. Harvard University is one of the best universities in the world. The university, which is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, was founded in 1636.

Apart from its academic strength, it is the oldest university in the United States. No wonder the selection process to become a student at Harvard University is very strict.

Apart from being smart, those who can enter “Ivy League” universities often come from well-to-do families. However, this does not mean that students with modest backgrounds cannot be accepted.

Like a teenager named Athena Capo-Battaglia from New Yor, USA who was able to enter Harvard even though she didn't come from a wealthy family. Despite being homeless and living in a shelter, Athena was still able to study well until she was accepted at Harvard University.

The story of Athena being accepted at Harvard University went viral some time ago. Because Athena came from an underprivileged family background that didn't even have a home. Athena's mother could not pay the rent and had to live in a shelter, as reported by Liputan 6.com, reported by the New York Daily, Thursday (16/5/2019). Moreover, his mother had breast cancer and his grandmother died. This also became Athena's motivation to study hard.

“I felt like I had to go to college because this (the shelter) wasn't the place I wanted to live. I was like, 'OK, this is how I can get out and maybe in the future I can get a good job,' Athena said.

Before losing her home, Athena was indeed a smart child. He is one of the students at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts and always gets a 4.0 GPA and is the captain of the gymnastics team. The school itself is a school of famous artists, such as Jennifer Aniston, Al Pacino, to Ansel Elgort.

“I called my friend and screamed, 'Oh my God, I got accepted to Harvard!' It was so exhilarating. I'm used to challenging myself. That's what I've been doing my whole life." Said Athena who claimed to be traveling in a train when she learned the good news.

Not only excelling in academics, Athena also participated in the NYPD (New York City Police Department) program where she received training to help maintain environmental safety. Thanks to the program, he also had the opportunity to learn self-defense, patrol techniques, first handling accidents, and others. The 18-year-old girl was one of the people who received a $1,000 scholarship from the mayor's office.

Athena is now living on the Harvard campus. The student who wants to major in neuroscience plans to study and work at the same time. Later, during the holidays, he will visit the shelter with his mother as well as volunteer for the NYPD. Athena even thought about joining the police force after graduation.