PHI Studied by Candlelight
Sender: AnonymousEe
Hello. I’m sharing this story not because I want anyone to pity me. I’m sharing it because I want to remind people that my experience should never have to be the same as yours. I was simply given a different starting point, and I learned to make the most of what I had.
I was a working student from an underprivileged family. I worked at a fast-food restaurant to sustain my education—to help with transportation, food, school requirements, and the everyday expenses that came with staying in school.
I didn't have my own books. Whenever I needed something to study, I borrowed books from the school library. I would bring them home, read them carefully, and return them when I was done.
Our house also didn't have electricity.
So when night came, I had a very simple source of light:
a five-peso candle.
And honestly, I am grateful for that candle.
It may have been small, but I never looked at it and thought about what I didn't have. I looked at it and thought about what it allowed me to do.
It gave me enough light to read a borrowed book.
Enough light to write an assignment.
Enough light to review one more lesson after coming home from work.
Most importantly, it gave me enough light to keep my dream alive.
The light was small, but it was enough for me to keep going.
I could have complained about the darkness. I could have focused on the fact that other students had things I didn't. But I slowly learned that constantly looking at what I lacked would only make me forget to be grateful for what I had.
So I chose gratitude.
I was grateful for the five-peso candle.
I was grateful for the books I could borrow.
I was grateful for the school library that gave me access to knowledge I couldn't afford to own.
I was grateful for the job that allowed me to continue studying.
And I was grateful that, despite everything, I was still given a chance to pursue an education.
Of course, it wasn't always easy. There were nights when I was exhausted from work, and studying was the last thing I wanted to do. But whenever I saw that little flame beside me, I reminded myself that I didn't need everything to be perfect.
I just needed enough light to continue.
I am a fruit of inadequate resources, but I never wanted that to become an excuse for an inadequate dream.
So I worked.
I borrowed.
I studied.
I kept going.
And eventually, I graduated as class valedictorian.
People may see the medal, the title, and the achievement. But when I look back, I remember the things that brought me there—the fast-food uniform, the borrowed books, the long days, and that little five-peso candle.
I don't remember it with sadness.
I remember it with gratitude.
Because that candle taught me something I will carry for the rest of my life:
You don't have to have everything to be grateful. Sometimes, having just enough is already a blessing.
I didn't graduate to prove that I was better than anyone else. I didn't do it for recognition or to make other people feel proud.
I did it for myself.
For the younger version of me who had very little but still dreamed.
For the student who borrowed books because she couldn't afford them.
For the working student who came home tired but still chose to study.
And for the girl who sat in a house without electricity, grateful for a five-peso candle because, for those few hours, it gave her enough light to see the words on the page—and enough hope to see a future beyond it.
My story is not meant to say that hardship is necessary for success.
It isn't.
I hope your journey is easier than mine. I hope you have electricity, books, a comfortable place to study, and people who support you. You deserve those things.
But whatever you have today, be grateful for it.
Because sometimes we become so focused on the light we don't have that we forget to appreciate the little light already in front of us.
Mine cost five pesos.
It wasn't much.
But I am thankful for it.
Because while it was burning, so was my dream.
P.S. To the person who uploaded this, thank you for giving my story a place to be heard. I’m not sharing this so people will feel sorry for me. I just hope someone out there who is struggling sees it and realizes that their situation today doesn’t have to define where they end up tomorrow. Please keep my story anonymous.
Sender: AnonymousEe
Hello. I’m sharing this story not because I want anyone to pity me. I’m sharing it because I want to remind people that my experience should never have to be the same as yours. I was simply given a different starting point, and I learned to make the most of what I had.
I was a working student from an underprivileged family. I worked at a fast-food restaurant to sustain my education—to help with transportation, food, school requirements, and the everyday expenses that came with staying in school.
I didn't have my own books. Whenever I needed something to study, I borrowed books from the school library. I would bring them home, read them carefully, and return them when I was done.
Our house also didn't have electricity.
So when night came, I had a very simple source of light:
a five-peso candle.
And honestly, I am grateful for that candle.
It may have been small, but I never looked at it and thought about what I didn't have. I looked at it and thought about what it allowed me to do.
It gave me enough light to read a borrowed book.
Enough light to write an assignment.
Enough light to review one more lesson after coming home from work.
Most importantly, it gave me enough light to keep my dream alive.
The light was small, but it was enough for me to keep going.
I could have complained about the darkness. I could have focused on the fact that other students had things I didn't. But I slowly learned that constantly looking at what I lacked would only make me forget to be grateful for what I had.
So I chose gratitude.
I was grateful for the five-peso candle.
I was grateful for the books I could borrow.
I was grateful for the school library that gave me access to knowledge I couldn't afford to own.
I was grateful for the job that allowed me to continue studying.
And I was grateful that, despite everything, I was still given a chance to pursue an education.
Of course, it wasn't always easy. There were nights when I was exhausted from work, and studying was the last thing I wanted to do. But whenever I saw that little flame beside me, I reminded myself that I didn't need everything to be perfect.
I just needed enough light to continue.
I am a fruit of inadequate resources, but I never wanted that to become an excuse for an inadequate dream.
So I worked.
I borrowed.
I studied.
I kept going.
And eventually, I graduated as class valedictorian.
People may see the medal, the title, and the achievement. But when I look back, I remember the things that brought me there—the fast-food uniform, the borrowed books, the long days, and that little five-peso candle.
I don't remember it with sadness.
I remember it with gratitude.
Because that candle taught me something I will carry for the rest of my life:
You don't have to have everything to be grateful. Sometimes, having just enough is already a blessing.
I didn't graduate to prove that I was better than anyone else. I didn't do it for recognition or to make other people feel proud.
I did it for myself.
For the younger version of me who had very little but still dreamed.
For the student who borrowed books because she couldn't afford them.
For the working student who came home tired but still chose to study.
And for the girl who sat in a house without electricity, grateful for a five-peso candle because, for those few hours, it gave her enough light to see the words on the page—and enough hope to see a future beyond it.
My story is not meant to say that hardship is necessary for success.
It isn't.
I hope your journey is easier than mine. I hope you have electricity, books, a comfortable place to study, and people who support you. You deserve those things.
But whatever you have today, be grateful for it.
Because sometimes we become so focused on the light we don't have that we forget to appreciate the little light already in front of us.
Mine cost five pesos.
It wasn't much.
But I am thankful for it.
Because while it was burning, so was my dream.
P.S. To the person who uploaded this, thank you for giving my story a place to be heard. I’m not sharing this so people will feel sorry for me. I just hope someone out there who is struggling sees it and realizes that their situation today doesn’t have to define where they end up tomorrow. Please keep my story anonymous.