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English Artice
English Artice
cum laude
from PNU AMANDA LAGO,GMA News April 20, 2013 12:16pm
Like most of the Philippine Normal University graduates who marched last
April 5, Erick Marco Ramos had to overcome a lot of challenges to finally get
his diploma. Unlike most graduates, however, Ramos challenge was
overcoming his disability. You see, he's almost completely blind.
Still this didn't stop him from graduating with a magna cum laude to his
name. Its not so much that Ramos is a blind student, or just a student who
happens to be blind. The thing is, he also happens to be brilliant. Aside from
graduating with Latin honors in BSE English, he studied for a year in the
United States under the Fulbright program. He's also a volunteer teacher at a
computer school for the blind, a member of their college debate team, and a
creative writer. Surprised by award Ramos has had trouble seeing since birth,
and gradually started to lose his vision when he was in his teens. By the time
he lost his functional sight at age 20, he was already expecting it. The award
from the academe came as a total surprise, though. It was a shock to begin
with, he shared. Ramos explained that he never thought he would be
considered, because he didnt know if his year in the States would be
counted as part of his record. When he finally marched on the stage to
receive the award though, the initial shock gave way to acceptance and
gratefulness. I felt na it was all worth it, he told GMA News Online in a
phone interview. It would seem that vision loss is only a minor setback for
Ramos. Now, armed with a computer that converts text to speech, Ramos
seems poised to conquer the world. He remembers the challenges he faced
while doing his practice teaching, but it was more of a culture shock for his
students than anything else. On teaching, he said, wala masyadong
difference, explaining that its even easier now because he can use
multimedia materials. Ramos has always wanted to be a teacher, and he is
now applying for jobs at several schools, including the one where he took his
internship. Out of the dark ages, being born with vision however, it was
never very easy for Ramos. His coming-of-age had been marked not only by
the typical teenage angst, but by a gradual vision loss that left him
depressed. I jokingly called it the dark ages. I was going through the vision
loss, it was a bit discouraging, he said. However, he got through it with the
help of his family and friends, as well as the support of people who were
facing similar situations. It got easier because I had a support group. I knew
people who were going through the same thing. . . Im thankful because I
have supportive parents, he shared. Along with his parents, Ramos
weathered the challenges of learning how to live with visual impairment,
including several rejections from schools who didnt or couldnt cater to his
special needs. Now, Ramos wants to make sure that other students who are
facing a similar predicament will receive the same opportunities and support
he did. He has been volunteering at ATRIEV, a computer school for the blind,
since 2008. His word of advice for those facing similar challenges, and not
just for people with disabilities: know what you want and pursue it. Knowing
how to get what you want is important. Be sure to know what you want, he
said. As an afterthought, he says: Know what you have going for you.
Ramos certainly knew what he had going for him--that is, brains, a heart, a
great support system, and, despite blindness, unwavering vision. KDM/YA,
GMA News
The article tells about how a person with a disability was able to
achieve on what seems to be impossible. And with it, he showed hard work
and competence. He was able to graduate as a Magna Cum Laude in his
school. Me, as student being educated, is currently developing and
enhancing my skills for the betterment of myself and the society. Reading the
article inspired me to also achieve something that I would never thought I
could. Of course, in every challenge there would be problems that I must
overcome. And these problems can be our weaknesses. In the article, Ericks
weakness is his blindness which gave him a disadvantage. I myself also have
a weakness and it is my lack of confidence. I realized after reading the article
that Erick didnt give up so easily but rather turn his disadvantage into an
advantage. So thats what I have to do, to pull myself up by using my
weakness as my motivation. With these, I can properly learn and cope with
the lessons and activities administered by the teachers. By accomplishing it,
I can say that I can support myself. In the article, Erick wanted to be a
teacher to share his knowledge and to help people. I believe that as a
student, we also have duties and that is to help others which will contribute
to the wealth of our people. As for my experience during my high school life,
I never failed any subjects. But instead of bragging about it, I help my fellow
classmates who have difficulties in understanding the lessons. In that
manner, I can say that Im an educated Filipino, not because I go to school
but because I share what I have learned. The article inspired me to achieve
my goals through learning, supporting myself, helping and contributing to
the society.