28/06/2025
๐๐๐๐ง๐จ๐ฅ๐ | ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ด ๐ฅ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ง๐ผ๐ด๐ฎ: ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐น ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟโ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฆ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐
๐ฃ๐บ ๐๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐๐ค๐ข๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐ข ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ถ๐ช๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฐ ๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ
"Ang buhay ay parang gulong, minsan nasa ibabaw, minsan nasa ilalim." These timeless words echo in many Filipino households, reminding us that life is full of ups and downs. But for one man, life wasnโt just like a wheel, it was the wheel. Literally and figuratively.
Meet Geneses Ojagan, a 32-year-old school driver whose journey proves that determination can take you places, even to a college graduation stage. For over three years, he has served as a driver and Administrative Aide I at Davao del Norte State College (DNSC). But this time, heโs not driving anyone to campus, heโs walking onstage, clad in a black toga, to receive his hard-earned degree in Bachelor of Science in Disaster Resiliency and Management under the Special Program for Adult Education at the Davao del Norte Learning Institute (DNLI)โDNSC.
His story isnโt your usual tale of a student. Itโs grit, sacrifice, and resilience. His journey to the summit of his dreams was not a smooth highway, it was a rugged path marked by sleepless nights, tight schedules, and the constant juggle of responsibilities. As he steered the college vehicle each day, he was also steering his life toward a better future, not only for himself, but also for the people he holds dear.
โFrom the time I started working as a driver at DNSC, I was surrounded by students and educators every day. It reminded me of the dream I once had: to finish college,โ he shared. โThe DNLI program gave me hope and an opportunity that fit my situation. I realized itโs never too late to invest in yourself and build a better future.โ
Wearing two hats, driver on the weekdays, student on the weekends, Geneses learned how to manage the ever-blurring lines between duty and dream. It wasnโt easy. He had to face academic deadlines after long hours of driving, sacrifice rest for recitations, and push through exhaustion just to finish assignments. But in every mile he drove, there was meaning. In every class he attended, there was purpose.
His dual role taught him life lessons beyond the classroom. The discipline, patience, and sense of responsibility he developed behind the wheel became vital companions in his educational journey. At the same time, being a student kept him grounded, curious, and humbled by the idea that learning truly never stops.
โIt was a journey full of sacrifices, challenges, and learning,โ he reflected. โI had to constantly shift between responsibilities, but in the process, I grew not just as a student, but as a person. Every ride I drove, every lesson I attended, they all became part of one story.โ
For Geneses, balancing his full-time job and college life tested every part of him, ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ด๐ผ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฐ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ: ๐๐ฝ๐น๐ถ๐ณ๐ ๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐น๐ฎ๐ถ๐บ ๐ฎ ๐น๐ผ๐ป๐ด-๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ. ๐๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ ๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐ต ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ด, ๐ฝ๐๐ฟ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐๐น, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ต๐๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฒ.
Now, as he stands on the threshold of graduation, Geneses Ojagan reminds us that success is measured by the perseverance you show on the way there. His black toga represents more than just academic achievement, itโs the culmination of early mornings, late-night drives, sacrifices made in silence, and a dream that never ran out of gas.
From the driver's seat to the commencement stage, Genesesโ journey is a moving tribute to every working adult who dared to dream again. And as he takes his final bow as a student and his first steps into a new chapter, he shows us that even drivers, too, can reach the summit, one determined turn of the wheel at a time.
Because this time, the wheels are no longer turning just for others. Theyโre carrying him to a future he once only imagined.
DNSC ILEGG Students Organization
DNSC ICSA
DNSC' Society of Teacher Education
DNSC Society of Fisheries Students
Layout by Rob Quema
Photos by Loijay Gil
