John Marvin A. Javier’s original plan was to work and save money before going to college.
"I knew I would have a lot of problems apart from my studies. We were financially struggling; it was likely that I would have to carry additional burdens while studying. That is why I decided that I wouldn't continue with college," he recalled.
Javier was one of the many Filipino students whose education was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. When the government announced the shift to online classes, Javier didn’t have a device to use, nor could his family afford to buy him a mobile phone. “We only had one mobile phone, but it was the kind that breaks easily when dropped. You even had to remove the battery to charge it. The only solution I could think of was to look for a job,” he narrated his experience.
It was during his job search that Javier came across Iskolar ni Juan (INJ), the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation’s (GBF) one-year technical-vocational scholarship program. Javier's track was in engineering, and after learning more about INJ’s Mechatronics training for senior high school graduates, he decided to apply. He borrowed a friend's computer to take the exam and attend the interview. “What my father earned was just enough for our daily needs,” Javier shared. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, both my sibling and I were studying—we were both in high school. I said I would look for a job.”
Through the Iskolar ni Juan program, Javier was able to graduate with a TESDA NCII certificate and land a job in Universal Robina Corporation as a Machine/Production Operator. Because of the stability of his job, he was able to save money and is now pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering.
Javier’s original plan to work and save money before studying did not go exactly as planned but it turned out to be a better path for him. “When I joined Iskolar ni Juan, I felt even more motivated to study—it made me even more eager to continue studying. The dream I had of going to college, which seemed like it was fading away, was revived,” he said, emphasizing that if there is one moment in his life he’d look back on without any regret, it would be joining and choosing the Iskolar ni Juan program.
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GBF offers the Iskolar Ni Juan program, a fully subsidized one-year technical-vocational scholarship with employment opportunities to senior high school graduates who are interested in mechatronics.
Applications are ongoing for Iskolar ni Juan Batch 27 until March 21, 2025, apply now: http://bit.ly/INJScholar2025
