At the young age of 21, Mary Herbel Santiago carries herself with dignity, grace, and strength that some of us will have to wait a lifetime to possess.

Herbel comes from a family of five in Montalban, Rizal. Her father, a graduate of Masbate College, is a vegetable vendor traveling to and fro Quezon City to sell his goods. Her mother stays at home to look after their home. Both her older brothers finished high school, but to help augment the family’s income, they decided to work as a security guard and construction worker respectively soon after high school.

Herbel is the youngest and the first college graduate among the children.

When Herbel was in 6th grade, their house burned to the ground, destroying the little that the Santiagos had. They continued to live in Montalban which was quite a distance from her school, the Payatas High School.

Despite the 40 minute ride she had to take everyday for four years, the adjustment she had to make as a new student, and the financial challenges at home, Herbel remained at the top of her class and graduated valedictorian in 2006.

DREAMING OF COLLEGE

College was only a dream for Herbel. With her father’s earning of R100 on a good day, even a college application seemed impossible.

But Herbel was able to prepare for the college entrance examinations under Ateneo de Manila University’s Pathways to Higher Education and its partnership with the Loyola Student Center.

“Without the enrichment classes and reviews during the summer, I know I won’t be able to pass the exams,” Herbel now looks back.

She also got the chance to apply to partner universities like Ateneo, La Salle, Miriam College, etc – all for free. This meant that along with the preparation she underwent, she now had a fighting chance at pursuing college. She was determined to complete the enrichment classes, even saving up the little allowance that she had to pay for her transportation to and from Ateneo.

And so as fate would have it, Herbel passed the Ateneo College Entrance Test.

“We didn’t have anything; we barely had enough to eat. Going to Ateneo seemed impossible. It was just the ideal,” she recalls.

But that ideal soon became a reality with the help of generous partners. Ateneo’s Office of Admisison & Aid granted Herbel a full scholarship that covered tuition and miscellaneous fees and even afforded a small stipend. USSC-RCPI, a Pathways partner, understood the financial challenges a typical college student would incur and decided to also help Herbel cover these.

And so, Herbel enrolled in the Ateneo, taking up AB Literature in English.

FROM PAYATAS TO ATENEO

Even with the scholarship, it wasn’t smooth sailing for Herbel. There were many adjustments to be made from the moment she stepped into the Loyola campus. It was a different environment for Herbel, she was no longer in a public high school; she was enrolled in one of the most prestigious Catholic universities in the country, where she was no longer the best. She was just one of the very many talented students here. There were also more expenses to be covered, from photocopies to computer rentals. The P100 daily transportation and more than an hour ride to and from Ateneo became more difficult to sustain.

Herbel then decided to move to Katipunan, learned to live independently and still do well in school, even making it to the dean’s list on her junior year. She worked part-time jobs around the Katipunan area, from teaching English to Koreans three hours a day, to covering and writing the UAAP games for an online employer.

It seems like too much for a teenager, but Herbel’s experience has allowed her to grow, to learn her strengths and utilize them.

“I learned how to be a survivor, to not buck in front of overwhelming circumstances and to multi-task,” she says.

She learned how to balance her responsibilities at home, her job, and life in the Ateneo. She proudly shares her achievement of getting a grade of B+ for her individual thesis on Masbate Literature, which she achieved without owning a computer! She was able to enjoy her college life, make friends, deepen her appreciation and love for Literature and maintain her grades. She proved that she can do it, that we were right in believing in her – indeed, she beat the odds!

MORE DREAMS

Last March 27, 2010, Herbel marched up the stage and received her diploma from the Ateneo. This time, she certainly has more dreams. She wants to pursue a career in media in hopes of honing her creativity and talents. And as she leaves the walls of her dream school, she will continue to do what is more, to excel in her field, to exceed expectations of her - to embody MAGIS with renewed strength, grace and dignity.

If you would like to help more students like Herbel finish college and attain a better future, please contact Pathways to Higher Education at (02) 426-6001 local 4048 or send an email to ddejesus@ateneo.edu.