A Filipino student from the province of Quezon is touching netizens’ hearts online due to the incredible determination he displayed in a now-viral photo.
In the image captured by his teacher Mark Pee Ortil Pornasdoro, 11th-grade student Jeric Reyes was doing homework inside a classroom at the Malusak National High School in Atimonan, Quezon well beyond school hours.
According to Pornasdoro, he found Reyes at around 7:30 p.m. inside his classroom during an inspection while preparing for the coming typhoon.
He discovered the student alone, doing his homework that was originally due yesterday afternoon but was moved the next day because classes were suspended.
The student apparently chose to do his assignments at school because he does not have electricity at his house.
When the teacher expressed concern that the student must be hungry since it was way past dinnertime, the boy reportedly reassured his teacher that he has just a few more assignment questions left to do.
“He also said that he would eat later. As if the pain of hunger was his friend. As if he had to get used to the pain of suffering,” Pornasdoro wrote in Filipino.
“He just lives here in Barangay (Village) Malusak where there is no electricity and people only use a gas lamp,” the teacher said in the post. “People shouldn’t let go of this source of light. Even if it gets late, even if he gets hungry. [He stays] just to study, just to learn. It’s noble.”
Pornasdoro further noted that students like Reyes make it so satisfying as a teacher to face the challenges that come with his profession.
Reyes soon finished his assignment and left the classroom before 8 p.m.
“Makes me cry, but my soul is smiling. There is hope,” the teacher wrote at the end of his Facebook post which has received more than 180,000 reactions, 37,000 shares, and hundreds of comments.
“I was crying while reading the good teacher’s post and learning the student’s struggles,” one Facebook user wrote. “He may be hungry but he has dreams which he hopefully fulfills in the future. I will pray for him.”
“I teared up sir,” another one wrote. “I hope he overcomes all the hardships he faces and he may continue to make the right decisions in life. I salute this kid.”
In a later post, Pornasdoro uploaded another image of Reyes reading the words of encouragement netizens wrote for him.
Featured Image via Facebook / Mark Pornasdoro
