Jessica Scholars reach new heights

Jessica Scholars reach new heights
Shay Cullen

The Jessica Smith Scholarship fund was set up to honor the memory of a dedicated young woman. The selfless volunteering of Jessica Smith has inspired many young Filipino girls to better themselves and go back to school. She had a heart and commitment for the poor and the needy. Jessica devoted herself to the betterment of the children in Africa and now her legacy lives on in the Philippines.

That example of goodness and concern has inspired almost two hundred students in the Philippines who have benefited from higher education because of Jessica and her family.

There are now several teachers, caregivers, office employees, and many graduates in various jobs as a result of the help of the Jessica Fund. They too are earning and helping their younger brothers and sisters get an education. That is the Philippine tradition; the child that graduates first and gets a job helps their family succeed.

They are pulling many more out of poverty. By going to school and getting a qualification they are eligible to apply for good professional employment and they are then empowered to help others.

Education is the escape hatch from poverty and oppression. It is also a powerful way to prevent human trafficking and the recruitment of young vulnerable out-of-school teenage girls into the sex industry. Without an education girls are easily despondent, feel hopeless and are quickly drawn to drugs and sexual exploitation. Going to school is a reprieve from the awful prospect of a life of sexual exploitation.

These young people are desperately eager to learn and succeed and going to school is a status symbol and a goal for most young Filipino youth. They are encouraged and inspired by the opportunity provided by the Jessica Smith Scholarship fund that empowers them and propels them into a better more educated and prosperous life.

They have strong values and commitment to the community and willingly volunteer to do community service and help with environmental clean up. They join Tree planting teams with the Aeta indigenous people help the Aeta with their mango harvest. Several Aeta students in the program have graduated and become teachers and returned to their villages to teach the children. They have come home, the once hopeless, impoverished girls are now grown, are educated qualified teachers. They are proud respected heroes of their village.

That means they worked hard with the support of Jessica and made it through to graduation, received a diploma, a hard won ticket to freedom and success. No matter how difficult it is for the children of the poor to get to school they will learn and develop their intellect, determination and values of life and are willing to help others to succeed and overcome their problems and beat the vicious cycle of poverty

At present two other college students ,Marly and Julie, out of total of fifty scholars Jessica scholars, are from an impoverished background and are proudly doing their internship at the Preda Foundation. They and many more will have a better happier life ahead of them and their families also.

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