WATCH: A UP graduate's story of hope and resilience along the railroads
MANILA, Philippines — Thomas John “TJ” Tenedero, "anak ng mambobote," and a recent graduate of UP Los Baños, wanted more for himself and for his family.
His father collected scraps for a living while his mother supported the family, struggling with long hours of work—all while TJ studied.
His dream was to get into the University of the Philippines Los Baños so that he could make something of himself, and eventually take his family out of poverty.
He did get into his dream university, but student life proved to be difficult. He struggled with balancing his work while completing school requirements. On top of that, he still had to make sure he was healthy.
He faced everyday challenges with almost no money in his pocket.
Fast forward to today. All of TJ’s hard work paid off as he graduated with a degree in Agricultural and Applied Economics. But TJ’s life in the academia doesn’t stop here—he plans to pursue a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing at University of the Philippines Diliman this time.
In the future, he plans to establish his own publishing company and make an impact in the country.
The future looks bright for TJ.
His advice? Never stray from your goals and take care of your health. Living healthy maximizes your full potential and gives you the drive to achieve your dreams!
Today’s youth should put their health first and make sure they get proper nutrition—a practice that Vitamilk encourages and hopes to share, with TJ’s story.
His story will be shown to almost 100,000 students across Central and South Luzon as Kalusugan para sa Kinabukasan School Caravan visits 100 schools, in support to DepEd’s and DOH’s initiative in fighting malnutrition. The initiative promotes healthy lifestyle and proper nutrition for a healthier Philippines!
