Pursuing a Dream: To Study Abroad

Everything is just happening so fast. Still, I am very thankful that God opens another door for me. I believe this is God's perfect timing. :)

Let me quickly introduce myself. I am Mariel Anne Laxamana, currently working as a Production Coordinator for a TV network in the Philippines and I am hoping to pursue a scholarship offer for my master's degree abroad.

My scholarship story goes...

Several weeks ago, we received the official announcement that my beloved project, where I work as a Production Coordinator, will be terminated by April. All of us were shocked and saddened by the news. I have been part of this project for more than 3 years now. But aside from the job, I know that I'll be missing my workmates whom I consider family.

Then, it struck me. This might be a sign from God---that I should make a career move. I have been looking for new opportunities (work or study) since last year but nothing happened. And then like magic, after the said announcement, suddenly I am receiving texts, calls, and emails from different organizations and companies. YES! Suddenly God is opening so many doors. One of which is a scholarship test.

I took the scholarship test for SP Jain School of Global Management without any expectations as it was difficult. I applied for GMBA specializing in Marketing Management.

Two weeks after the scholarship test, they emailed the results and to my surprise, I passed the exams! After that I went through the process of interviews and case study. And the offer finally came last week. The offer included 90% waiver for the tuition fee and 50% for accommodation across all three campuses in Dubai, Sydney and Singapore.

I was so overwhelmed but since it's not a full scholarship, I thought, how will I get funds to support me?

Because I wanted it so bad and don't want to give up so easily for the reason of insufficient funding, I immediately sought help from my family and friends. However, no one can lend me money at the moment. I also do not have enough savings as my earnings in the network are not that high.

I believe that this is an answered prayer and this is what God wants me to do. The program will intensively improve my skills as a professional in a global scale. This will also be a great experience of learning not in a classroom setup but applying the theories in the real world. Pursuing a master's degree will greatly help me make a better career, as it improves my credentials and opens up wider scale of opportunities from new acquired skills , knowledge, and experience.

If I make a better career, this will benefit my family in the future especially my mom, who is an ofw. I want my mom to come home and not to work anymore.

Moreover, I see that this opportunity would help me learn how to start my own business. Ever since I was a kid, I have a dream to start my own business through which I can give opportunities to people who are in need. This is my way of giving back all the love and support that my family and friends gave me.

I also have a vision of helping children who are not able to get a proper education by establishing a free school for them.

All these I hope to do as I pursue this scholarship offer and opportunities I will have after.

I do hope that you would find in your heart to help fund my studies for me to be able to achieve my goals.

Rest assured that all the funds that will be gathered here will be funds for my studies and necessary living expenses abroad.

You can reach me through [email protected] for any questions you may have. If you supported, I would be glad to hear from you too, or let me know if you'd like to receive updates while I do my studies.

Thank you so much and God bless you!