Manila Bulletin
Philippines
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It's never too late: An orphaned bread winner's journey to a hard-earned diploma and a successful life as an OFW
Philippines
National
It's never too late: An orphaned bread winner's journey to a hard-earned diploma and a successful life as an OFW
It's never too late: An orphaned bread winner's journey to a hard-earned diploma and a successful life as an OFW
By Jel Santos
Published Jan 31, 2026 03:56 pm
When Jonathan Toledo stopped going to college at 19, it wasn’t for a lack of dreams
that held him back- - -it was the need to survive and provide for his siblings.
His mother died in 1999, leaving a family of nine without its main source of support.
Forced to work, Jonathan decided to set school aside so his siblings could live.
More than a decade later, at 35, he returned to the classroom, not to prove anything, but
to finally earn what he once believed was beyond reach - a real diploma.
The loss of his mother did more than leave an emotional void. It dismantled the fragile
stability of their household.
The small family-run eatery she operated had been the family’s lifeline, and when it
closed, everything changed.
“We were nine siblings, from different fathers. Hindi kami mayaman (We were not
wealthy),” Jonathan recalled.
“Lahat kami noon nakadepende sa nanay ko (All of us depended on our mother at the
time).”
With bills to pay and no steady income, school became a luxury Jonathan could no
longer afford.
Work, however, could not wait.
Growing up overnight
Jonathan’s first job was as a service crew at a well-known bakeshop in Meycauayan,
Bulacan.
It was an early lesson in responsibility –long hours, modest pay, and the quiet pressure
of being needed at home.
According to him, there were moments when he believed his education was over for
good.
“Oo, naisip ko na baka hindi na ako makabalik sa pag-aaral (Yes, I thought I might
never be able to return to school),” he said.
“Mas kailangan ko magtrabaho para mabuhay. Sa akin din kasi umaasa iba kong
kapatid (I needed to work to survive. Some of my siblings were also depending on me).”
While many of his peers were completing degrees and starting careers, Jonathan was
learning adulthood the hard way, one shift at a time.
Clock ticking
Years passed. Jobs came and went. Plans shifted. At one point, he said he even
prepared to work in Dubai, but the opportunity did not materialize.
By 2012, Jonathan was already 35, haunted by the fear of growing old without a
diploma.
“Natakot ako na tumatanda na ako na walang hawak na diploma (I was afraid that I was
getting older without having a diploma),” he said.
That fear, he said, proved to be the turning point.
Jonathan decided to return to university, fully aware of the challenges ahead.
By then, he was already working as a fitness instructor – a job he got in 2005 after
discovering a passion for fitness years earlier.
The work helped sustain him financially as he balanced school and employment.
He resumed his studies and completed AB Communication Arts at the University of the
East–Caloocan, juggling academic demands with work responsibilities.
Return to school
Going back to school after years being away was not easy, Jonathan said he initially
found it awkward that he was obviously older than most of his classmates, and he had
to balance work with exams, deadlines, and eventually, thesis writing.
“Kailangan talagang maayos ang schedule sa trabaho at pag-aaral. Lalo na kapag
exams at thesis, sobrang time-consuming. Nakaka-drain physically and emotionally
(You really need to properly manage your work and school schedule. Especially during
exams and thesis, it’s extremely time-consuming. It drains you physically and
emotionally),” he added.
Still, he pressed on, guided by a simple belief that one must pursue one’s dream.
“Kapag may pangarap ka, kailangan mo talagang paghirapan (If you have a dream, you
really have to work hard for it),” Jonathan said.
“Hindi mo makukuha ang isang bagay nang biglaan. Alam ko rin na sa huli, para sa akin
ito, para sa future ko (You can’t get something instantly. I knew that in the end, this was
for me, for my future),” he went on.
Refusing to waste a second chance
Jonathan said there were days when quitting crossed his mind, but he was steadfast.
“Ito na ang second chance. Ayoko na itong sayangin. Clock is ticking. Hindi na ako
bumabata (This was already my second chance. I didn’t want to waste it. The clock is
ticking. I’m not getting any younger),” he said.
Instead of focusing on hardship, Jonathan chose discipline and perspective.
Also, he found encouragement among his classmates who were equally determined to
finish what they started.
A moment years in the making
Graduation day came in 2015, Jonathan recalled, and he was deeply emotional after
years of sacrifice, delay, and perseverance.
“I was on Cloud 9,” Jonathan recalled.
“Teary-eyed. Hindi ako makapaniwala na nagawa ko (I couldn’t believe that I did it),” he
added.
Holding his diploma, he told himself: “Ayan, kumpleto na pagkatao mo. Kaya mo na
humarap sa mundo na taas-noo (There, you are already whole. You can now face the
world with your head held high).”
Today, Jonathan works as a fitness instructor in Hong Kong, carrying with him the
diploma he once thought was beyond reach.
His journey is a quiet reminder that no dream is ever truly lost – only delayed, until
courage and perseverance make it possible!