https://www.linkedin.com/in/raymond-lopez-phd-4b228627a

Mr. Elle's Diary, Roswell, NM (2026)

08/24/2026

MY POV: Mga Bagay na na enjoy ko nung unang apak ko dito sa Jumerika! 🇺🇸💪🏼🙏🏼😁❤️💙👨‍🏫👩🏻‍🏫🌸🤝🧿

1. Sahod, of course. Since J1 ako nuon, tax free both federal and state for two years, kaya mejo tiba tiba at nakabayad agad ng utang sa pinas;

2. Fully airconditioned and may heater ang bahay and paaralan. Nakakayaman ang peg kaya ang bilis kuminis ng kutis yun nga lang, mabilis din mag dry ang lips and dumami ang balakubak 🫢😅;

3. Grabe ang mga serving ng pagkain dito, like pag pumunta ka sa restaurant, yung isang order ay pang buong lingo na kain muna, char! pang three meals pala;

4. Grabe! Ang lakas ng signal ng internet pati mga public wifi super lakas din. Kahit magdownload kapa ng videos or magpost ng tiktok vidoes mo every second ei pasok na pasok;

5. Ambilis lang bumili ng sasakyan at ng Iphone. Yung tipong sasabihin mo lang na window shopping, pag uwi mo may sasakyan kana at naka Iphone 18 pa! Bongga!

6. Walang marites tuwing alas tres ng hapon! Bihira ka makakakita ng mga tambay sa kanto na ang ginagawa ay manghusga kung sino na naman ang kasama mo! 🫢

7. On time lahat ng serbisyo, kahit simpleng appoinment lang ei talagang oras ay sinusunod dito. Hindi tulad ng pinoy time, na ang usapan ay 9am, halla 11am na wala pa pero kanina pa nagchat na OTW na daw ang lola! Nagmayat nga sipaten sika! Haha

8. Dahil sa lahat ay Englishera at spanish speaking, dito ko lang naranasan ang hindi mahiya na mag english kahit bako bako ang grammar. Haha kahit hanggang yes or no, uhuh lang ang sagot pasok na! Hindi tulad sa pinas nuon na, pag nag English ako, grabe ang mga mata at mapanghusga na bakit dapat ako nag eenglish ei kumakain lang naman ako ng bagoong na may kamatis!

9. Na enjoy ko rin ang maging feeling artista, sapagkat pag pumupunta ako sa mga public places, ako lang yung asian na nakikita nila...akalain mo yun, lahat ng mata ay nakatitig sau, yung tipong ang super ganda ko 😂😂😂 kaya sa mga single jan, for sure, makakabingwit ka agad ng afam! charot! 😂

10. Nag enjoy din ako sa linis ng kapaligiran. Dito wala kang makikita na nakakalat ng basura. Tas pati mga yard, green na green and well-maintained, sobrang ganda;

11. Nag enjoy din ako sa sobrang tahimik na lugar. Hindi tulad sa nayon namin na kahit alas 11pm na ei super videoke parin ang karruba. Tapos kahit 5 am palang grabe ang kapitbahay kung magpatunog ng radyo, akala mo may party palagi sa kanila.

PS: Tignan niyo po sa pic, pati basura talagang mahihiya, kasi malinis talaga ang mga karruba! 😁

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08/23/2026

ANOTHER JOB OFFER! Thank you, Lord! 😁🌸🧿👨‍🏫👩🏻‍🏫💙❤️🙏🏼🇺🇸

Another message na nakakatuwang matanggap from one of my mentees:

“Hello sir… I got my job offer po kanina lang sa North Dakota.” 🥹🇺🇸

Pero ang mas gusto kong i-highlight dito ay ang journey niya.

Last May, she messaged me asking for a mock interview because she had received her very FIRST Principal Interview invitation. Siyempre, we prepared and practiced together.

Hindi agad nakuha ang JO.

She continued applying. She continued showing up. Then last June, we had another one-on-one mock interview before another PI.

And guess what? That PI became the interview that eventually led to her JOB OFFER in North Dakota! 🇺🇸

Sabi niya:

“I thought wala akong chance sir… Ito lang ang PI ko right after our mock interview last June. Sabi ko sa sarili ko, this is a DO OR DIE interview kaya tinodo ko na.”

At mukhang tinodo nga! 😁 She even shared that the panel enjoyed listening to her stories during the interview. At sa dulo, tinanong pa siya ng superintendent kung marunong siyang kumanta dahil apparently kilala na raw ang mga Pinoy sa karaoke doon. 😂🎤

This is exactly why sa mock interview natin, hindi lang tayo nagme-memorize ng answers. We work on how you communicate your real experiences, tell your teaching stories, and connect with the interview panel.

The mentoring and mock interview can help you prepare, pero kayo pa rin ang lalaban sa actual interview. Her JO is the result of her own preparation, persistence, faith, and willingness to keep trying.

From “This is my first interview po talaga” to “I got my job offer in North Dakota.” 🥹

Congratulations, Ma’am! Deserve na deserve!

Another mentee. Another JO. Another teacher getting closer to the Jumerikan dream! 🇺🇸💪🏼🙏🏼

Lavarn lang nang lavarn!

08/23/2026

ANOTHER VISA APPROVAL! Thank You, Lord! 🙏🏼🇺🇸😁❤️💙👩🏻‍🏫👨‍🏫🧿🌸

Another message that makes all the mentoring work worth it. 🥹

What makes this one extra special? Ma’am first reached out to me way back January 2024, asking about my Mentoring Program and kung paano siya matutulungan sa kanyang U.S. teaching journey.

Fast forward to today…

8:00 AM — Visa Interview
1:00 PM — APPROVED! 🇺🇸

Same day! 🙏🏼

From simply messaging me and asking for assistance, to going through the long process of applying, preparing, waiting, and pushing forward… ngayon, VISA APPROVED na!

More than two years din ang journey na ito. Hindi overnight. Hindi instant. There were months of waiting and uncertainty, but she continued working toward that Jumerikan dream.

And today, I received the message:

“Same day approved po ako Doc… salamat po kay Lord at sa inyong mga blessings sa amin.” 🥹🙏🏼

Thank you, Lord! Another mentee is one step closer to Jumerika. 🇺🇸

Ma’am, YOU DID IT! Your patience, hard work, and persistence brought you here. I’m grateful that our Mentoring Program became part of your journey from the beginning hanggang sa VISA APPROVAL.

From January 2024 inquiry ➡️ mentoring ➡️ applications ➡️ interviews ➡️ JO ➡️ VISA APPROVED! 🇺🇸

Parang kailan lang, Ma’am. Ngayon, WELCOME TO JUMERIKA! 💪🏼🇺🇸🙏🏼

Lavarn lang nang lavarn! Another Jumerikan dream becoming a reality. ❤️💙

08/23/2026

Madam Mentor, gentle reminder lang po. 😁 If mag-share po kayo ng direct hiring links sa mentees ninyo, please huwag naman po sanang i-screenshot at i-share yung 50 States Direct Hiring compilation and other resources I have na ginawa ko specifically for my mentees.

I spent a lot of time, effort, and research compiling and organizing those resources. I’m happy that we have the same goal of helping Filipino teachers, pero sana we also respect each other’s original work and resources.

Gawa rin po tayo ng sariling compilation para sa sarili nating mentees, okay? 😁🙏🏼 Helping is good, but giving proper respect to someone else’s work is important too. 😁🇺🇸🙏🏼💪🏼🌸🧿👨‍🏫👩🏻‍🏫💙❤️

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08/23/2026

ANOTHER SUCCESS STORY! From “Are you still accepting mentees?” to VISA APPROVED! 🇺🇸🙏🏼

April 6, Ma’am messaged me asking if I was still accepting mentees. Tatlo silang magkaka-colleagues na sabay-sabay nangangarap makapunta sa Jumerika.

As the months went by, may pressure din. Yung two colleagues niya, nakakuha na ng Principal Interviews and Job Offers, habang siya naghihintay pa rin ng breakthrough niya.

Pero hindi siya tumigil.

She continued applying using the direct-hiring resources/spreadsheet from our Mentoring Program, tried different ways of reaching schools, and we also had our one-on-one mock interview to prepare her for her P*s.

Then things started moving FAST.

On her 3rd Principal Interview, she got her JOB OFFER! And ang nakakatawa pa, she still had two more P*s and even received another opportunity from the same district. From waiting for a chance to suddenly having OPTIONS! 😭🙏🏼

But the journey didn’t end with the JO.

She continued completing her requirements, preparing for her move, and using the resources from our program. Then came the message I’ve been waiting for:

August 10, 8:00 AM — Visa Interview
August 10, 2:00 PM — VISA APPROVED!
August 11, 3:00 PM — VISA ISSUED! 🇺🇸

And what she told me really touched me:

“I knew from the start you could help me, that’s why I reached out to you.”

But credit goes to Ma’am. The resources and guidance can help show the direction, but siya ang nag-apply, siya ang nagtiyaga, siya ang humarap sa interviews, at siya ang hindi sumuko.

From “Are you still accepting mentees?”
to Principal Interviews
to JOB OFFER
to VISA APPROVED & ISSUED!

And now, konting kembot na lang… TEXAS na! 🇺🇸

Congratulations, Ma’am! Deserve na deserve. Welcome to Jumerika! Lavarn! 💪🏼🙏🏼🇺🇸❤️💙

08/23/2026

Let us listen and be inspired by the story of my mentee, who went through 13 principal interviews bago niya nakuha ang pinakaasam-asam na JO. And now, he is ready to ace his Embassy Interview and conquer the USA!

08/23/2026

My POV: Normal lang sa isang teacher pag andito na sa Jumerika! 😁💙❤️🇺🇸👨‍🏫👩🏻‍🏫🌸💪🏼🧿

1. Normal lang na Pag chinat mo sila about "how to apply" ay very minimal ang reply or minsan ay seen pa. Ito po ay dahil sa sobrang nastress at pagod sila sa pag aapply at nagtratransition pa sa new environment so kailangan muna nilang magfocus sa trabaho nila;

2. Normal lang na pag humiram ka ng pera pero wala sila mapautang kasi nagbabayad payan ng loans sa PLI or agencies o kaya naman ay nag iipon para maka retire agad dito sa US, kasi hindi madali ang magtrabaho sa ibang bansa;

3. Normal lang na magtravel sila, post ng kanilang bagong gamit na pinamili at marami pang iba. Sobrang proud lang sila kasi hindi madali ang magtrabaho sa jumerika at sa paraang yan lang sila nakaka relax;

4. Normal lang na ung feeling natin sa kanila ay dina tulad ng dati nung anjan pa sila sa pinas...kasi po, dito mo madami kang matutunan na magpaparealize sau na meron pa palang kailangan matuklasan about sa sarili;

5. Normal lang na mag Englishera o Englishero kasi English po ang gamit namin dito sa US and most of the time nagsasalita sila ng English;

6. Normal lang po kung si teacher ay todo make up at outfit check sa facebook, kasi dito po sa US if dika mag effort minsan sa outfit ay para kanang homeless, charoot...mostly kasi dito ay may make up at wala din po kasing uniform;

7. Normal lang na pag nagbakasyon sa pinas ay naka iphone. Dito po kasi sa US, bihira ang naka smartphone...maloloka mga studyante mo dito pag naka samsung si teacher;

8. Normal lang pag si teacher ay biglan naging vlogger. Yung tipong from shared post lang ng rant sa dating workplace ngaun ei "A Day in my life as a J1 teacher" . Sa oag vlovlog lang kasi nila maipapakita ang malaking difference ng sistema ng education dito sa Amerika at home country nila;

9. Normal lang pag si teacher ay nagpopost ng bagong negosyo sa pinas kasi po alam niya na hindi madaling mag work dito sa US at anytime ay pwede lang mapauwi pag dimo ginalingan sa trabaho. At pag umuwi at natapos ang program, at least may source of income na;

10. Normal lang po kung dina nila kayo masyado chinachat. Wag po sana nating isipin na nagbago na sila, hindi po. Busy lang sila talaga sa trabaho, dito po kasi sa Jumerika, every second counts! Kaya pag may free time mga yan, mas uunahin pa nilang tawagan ang pamilya nila kasi nag iipon lang yan ng lakas para maka survive ulit sa hinaharap;

11. Normal lang if si teacher ay nakahanap ng afam! Basta walang sabit ah...kaya stop saying "isang Pinoy na naman ang makakaahon sa kahirapan! kasi, mali ang ganyang kaisipan. Deserve din niya ay lumigaya 😁❤️ At siyanga pala, sobrang ganda at gwapo ang tingin ng mga afam sa kayumanging kulay nila, kaya sobra silang mabenta!

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08/23/2026

Dear Teachers: Reminder lang po ah, please avoid burping out loud sa harap ng mga Kano after kumain. Please please please 🫣🧿🇺🇸🙏🏼💪🏼

08/23/2026

AND HERE’S ANOTHER JOB OFFER! Thank you, Lord! 🙏🏼👩🏻‍🏫👨‍🏫💙❤️🧿🥹😁

January 5, Ma’am messaged me asking for help because she wanted to start her U.S. application as a SPED teacher. One of her biggest goals was not only to work here in Jumerika, but hopefully bring her husband and two children with her.

We started from there. Through our Mentoring Program, we guided her with her application, gave her direction on where and how to apply, helped her prepare, and most importantly, kept encouraging her to continue kahit minsan nakakapagod ang process.

Then came the good news, she was selected for a Special Education teaching position!

And today, she received the JOB OFFER!

One thing that really touched me was when she said:

“Laki po ng part ninyo sa opportunity na ’to.”

But I told her, “It is all because of your hard work, Ma’am.” Because mentoring can provide the guidance, strategies, resources, motivation, and support, but at the end of the day, the applicant still has to do the work.

Sabi nga niya, the motivation, positive vibes, and guidance helped make the journey easier. And THAT is exactly what I want my mentoring program to be, not just links and materials, but someone guiding you throughout the process.

From “Please help me po” to “I’m selected po” and now a JOB OFFER!

Congratulations, Ma’am! One step closer na sa Jumerikan dream with your family. Lavarn!

Mr. Elle's Diary

08/24/2026

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