The viral life story of a sampaguita vendor turned Jollibee crew member inspires netizens

Social media is abuzz because of the story of a sampaguita vendor who now works at Jollibee as service crew. Adriane Niel Cuarte Igana, whom everyone now fondly calls Adriane, shared his inspiring and heartwarming story of determination with ABS-CBN News.

Adriane started out as a sampaguita vendor at age 11. His usual spot was near Jollibee Baliuag branch in Bulacan. He admitted how at first, a lot of people reacted negatively to his decision to work and earn money at such a young age.

Yung iba po kasi, negative ‘yung sinasabi na, wala ba ikang trabaho yung mga magulang mo? Ang akin lang naman po, tulong ko lang naman po yun,” he said.

For seven long years, Adriane toiled under the heat of the sun, withstood the dirt and hostility of the street, and powered through every negative comment just to help his family make ends meet. Because of his hard work, hunger and the lack of daily needs were no longer a constant experience in the Igana household. For this, her mother is eternally grateful.

“Swerte po ako kasi bihira ang mga anak na lalaki na tumutulong sa magulang,” her mother told ABS-CBN.

Adriane never felt shame for being a sampaguita vendor, because he knew it was a means not only to help his family, but also to help him achieve his dreams. See, Adriane wishes to become a store manager one day at Jollibee, and eventually even become a business owner himself.

Right now, he seems to be on the right track as he works hard both in school and at work — see, Adriane’s spot is still at Jollibee Baliuag — but no longer as a sampaguita vendor. This time, he works inside the popular fast food chain as a service crew.

Adriane may have already graduated from being a sampaguita vendor, but his seven long years in the job left him with a lot of lessons, and a couple of friends, too. One of them is netizen Rhyzz Balanday, who bought sampaguita garlands from Adriane almost everyday. Rhyzz has become Adriane’s ‘suki.’ She always had a fondness for him.

“Nakita ko sa mata niya.. nakita ko na mabait na bata ito. Kasi ‘yung pag approach niya, kung paano siya magbenta…,” she said.

That’s why it came as a shock to her when she no longer encountered him selling sampaguita around Jollibee Baliuag.

One time while eating at the same fast food store, Rhyzz was reunited with her “suki.” She was pleasantly surprised to find out that Adriane now works a better job as Jollibee crew. She hurriedly posted Adriane’s story on Facebook, and his story went viral in a jiffy. In a world full of infuriating and frustrating trending news, Adriane’s virality is proof that people are in need of some positivity in their lives. Netizens were impressed and emotional about Adriane’s story. A couple of netizens even offered him and his family financial help so that Adriane may reach his dreams with a little less struggle.

Even his superiors at Jollibee are impressed by Adriane, and were no longer surprised that his story inspired thousand others. After all, even they were awe-inspired by the young lad’s determination.

“Sobrang tyaga po kasi niya kaya talagang naniniwala kami na hanggang makatapos siya ng college, magkakaroon siya ng magandang trabaho,” Adriane’s supervisor commented.

For Adriane, his viral story could serve as an inspiration to others that poverty should never be a hindrance to dream big.

“Naniniwala po ako na basta ang tao, may pangarap, makakamit niya po ang tagumpay.”

As soon as ABS-CBN picked up his story, it has been shared and re-shared countless times. Hopefully, it will continue to impact a lot of people positively, much like how Adriane has been affecting the people around him. Way to go, Adriane!

Watch his viral story here!

What do you think of Adriane’s story? Have you encountered similar inspiring stories in your life? Is there anything you want to tell Adriane as he strives to achieve his dreams? Let us know what you think in the comments section below!