- Iah Bantang Seraspi opens up on her life and her road to topping the board exams
- She says she refused to let poverty hinder her from reaching her dreams
- Her recipe for success includes determination and empathy for others
MANILA, Philippines – “People may not see the contents of my stomach, but they will definitely see the capacity of my brain.”
So said LET topnotcher Iah Bantang Seraspi in summing up why she didn’t let poverty prevent her from reaching her dreams.
Opening up about her life in an interview with ABS-CBN, Seraspi said while being poor handicapped her, she never became embittered over her circumstance.
“For me, poverty became a blessing, so never did I become bitter about our situation,” she said. “I promised myself that everything I have accomplished now I attribute it to what I have faced in the past when I was young.”
Indeed, her father Miguel who works as an extra on a fishing boat shared the times they were teased by their neighbors about being poor.
The taunting took place even in front of their children at times.
“Sometimes they would call us patay-gutom and we accepted it, but the important thing is we never stole from anyone, we just live quietly,” he said.
For all their acerbic remarks, however, those who taunted the Seraspi family never saw the myriad of gold medals and awards Iah won as a student and which were kept inside their nipa hut.
And as far as the No. 2 in the recently-concluded Licensure Examination for Teachers is concerned, her success story is proof anyone can reach their dreams through hard work and determination.
“I am a testimony that poverty is never a hindrance to success,” she said.
View video:
Post a Comment