Boy under the light: Story of Perseverance

It’s the hustle, not the luck.

Justine Calderon became viral after being found studying under a streetlamp in Compostela, Cebu.

October 10, 2020 was the day Ezra Ruiz made a post on Justine’s situation. Ruiz said that she and her friends were on their way to eat when they saw a young boy out in the open and late at night answering his schoolwork.

According to Calderon, there was no electricity that time at his house that is why he had to find other means to find light to be able to answer his school work.

To some, the new normal of education might be easier; however, as a third world country, there are a lot of people especially students that are living in poverty and struggling to continue.

But struggles do not define a person - it’s his or her perseverance despite the number of falls one has taken.

Justine Calderon is more than just a boy who used a streetlamp to be able to study. He is like the other students who are doing their best to get through this new normal despite the number of hindrances that may come.

His experience is an inspiration but do not glorify his situation. It’s the hustle, the perseverance, and the will to succeed that take people to places.

Words by Alekka Cabalhug

Photo from Ezra Ruiz