Being independent at an early age is considered an achievement by many, but not for Jasmin. For her, growing up without parents to guide her entails a lot of hardships and challenges. Her father died when she was just six (6) years old, while her mother decided to work as an OFW to support her financial needs.

Jasmin’s life in Marillac Hills started on February 2015 when the transfer took place by virtue of the Regional Trial Court in Cagayan de Oro City, when she was involved in a drug- related offense. At the age of 16, she was brought to Marillac Hills for training and rehabilitation.

Living and staying with different people is one of the challenges that Jasmin faced during her stay at the institution. When she was a newcomer, some of the residents were afraid and intimidated by her presence. Jasmin had a hard time building camaraderie with her co-residents which once got her into trouble. Even so, Jasmin immediately apologized and sincerely promised to be more patient and considerate of others.

During her stay at Marillac Hills, Jasmin learned a lot of life lessons. She learned how to control her temper, learned how to say sorry, learned how to be contented, learned how to accept her own flaws, mistakes, and the weaknesses of her co-residents, and through that, Jasmin eventually learned to develop her leadership skills.

Jasmin was one of the recommended residents of Marillac to avail the scholarship program of Rotary Club of Metro Aurora, called the Cooking for Life Program–a short term course for culinary offered by the Center for Culinary Arts. Because of her determination and perseverance, she performed well in school and was commended as an “Outstanding Student” by her grantee and passed the National Certificate (NC II) test given by TESDA.

After completing the course which ran from August 2017 to March 2018, she had her On-the Job trainings at the Premier Hotel in Sta. Rosa, Laguna and at the Cravings Restaurant in Katipunan, Quezon City. Finally, after all her hard work, she successfully graduated from the Cooking for Life Program on Commercial Cooking II under the Culinary Education Foundation and was awarded rank 7 in her class.

After being reunited with her family on April 28, 2019, Jasmin continued her education at STI College – Alabang taking up a four-year course in Hospitality Management.

Jasmin accepted all the challenges in life and made it her inspiration. She chose not to dwell in loneliness and instead, she focused her energy on improving her skills. Her determination, courage, and passion helped her conquer all the hardships she faced and led her into being an active member of the Rotary Club. ###