“I am Jhelyn, one of the graduates of the Food for Hungry Minds School Class of 2025. It is an honor to represent my class on this very special day. 

My mom passed away when I was three years old. From then on, my aunt has been taking care of me, together with her other children. My father, on the other hand, has a new family now. At an early age, I have to be independent. I usually wake up very early on my own so I can be on time for the school service. I have to do my assigned tasks and fix my things without being supervised at home. When I run out of supplies for my projects at home, I need to be resourceful. I ask my classmates for help. Sometimes their parents let me do my project in their house so I can borrow things. Life has really been challenging. My family is barely making ends meet despite my guardians really working hard. 

Looking back at my younger self, I wouldn’t be this person who could come up on stage to speak or even perform in front of the audience. 

I was timid and hesitant to speak in class. So, my teachers would call my attention because I was not participative. I didn’t even like to lead. I just wanted to stay in my cocoon all day. 

Thank God, we have activities like Morning meeting in school. Morning meeting is a safe place for me to share my feelings and opinions. Definitely, this has helped me overcome my lack of confidence. I started participating in class and speaking up my mind. Before I knew it, I had significantly improved in my confidence and in my academic standing. From being a Group B student, a struggling learner in Grade 4, to getting academic awards consistently in the next grade levels. Being the top students in Grade 6 was far from reality when I was starting in Hungry Minds. I’m really grateful that I’ve improved a lot. 

I was able to accomplish them with flying colors because Hungry Minds instilled in my the value of perseverance and excellence. Aside from empowering our minds, Hungry Minds also provided our basic needs. That’s why I am really grateful that in my Hungry Minds, I get to eat breakfast and lunch. I receive free transportation, uniforms, school supplies and even get to visit difference places. This has greatly helped eased the financial burden on my guardians. 

Hungry Minds is not just a school but also a family for me. It nourished us, equipped us with socio emotional skills, and taught us values and principles that can help us in high school and beyond. 

On behalf of Class 2025, once again, thank you to Food for Hungry Minds and to our sponsors, the Larson family, for making a difference in our lives. Thank you for giving us the space to hope for a brighter future. You have helped us and our families greatly. Our dream is that we can be successful in our chosen careers in the future and give back to our communities and Hungry Minds. I know that our journey to success is just beginning. We pray that you will never get tired of walking with us through this life’s ups and downs. We also pray that God will shower you with blessings so that we can reap success together in the years to come.”