14/05/2026
An inspiring journey of one of our own...
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While most pass through the gates he guards, Clifford stays behindβcarrying a dream that refuses to be left outside.
In the quiet nooks of the Monkayo National High School, where footsteps die away and long hours stretch into silence, Clifford Mark R. Avena studies between shifts as a school guard chasing a long-held dream. Bound by duty and time, he still rises every day with quiet defiance, proving that age is never an obstacle to a dream that refuses to die.
He is an Alternative Learning System (ALS) student balancing lessons and working night shifts as a school guard. Despite exhaustion from work, he keeps attending classes with a steady determination to complete his education.
As Clifford himself says, βLisod siya ug kapoy, pero padayon kay nasudlan naman ni unya gusto man ko makahuman.β
Each lesson he studies after long shifts is a testament to years of sacrifice and dreams put on hold. Every page he turns is heavy with the weight of responsibility, but also with the hope for a brighter tomorrow.
Aside from being a guard, he also does vlogging, forming a small income that helps sustain his daily necessities. Through simple videos of his journey, he shares his story of perseverance while slowly building another source of support for himself.
What begins as raw footage of exhaustion and routine becomes a forum where hardship is transformed into purpose. Every upload is not just content, but a testament to persistence, proof that something meaningful can still be built from a life stretched thin by work and study.
Because of his strong faith, he can endure the daily difficulties he faces while working long hours and carrying increasing responsibilities. Whenever he finds time to pause, he spends quiet moments in prayer, drawing strength from the belief that Godβs timing never fails those who continue to trust.
When he is not on duty, he reaches out to others through the same faith that keeps him grounded. He gives away small Bibles to students, co-workers, and even strangers he meets during his travels and breaks.
For Clifford, even a single verse can become a source of comfort for someone silently struggling.
Having struggled to balance duty, education, and survival, Clifford finally reaches one of the milestones he once thought he had to set asideβfinishing his secondary education through the Alternative Learning System.
Every sleepless night, every lesson learned between shifts, and every hardship endured while standing guard all lead to this achievement. This is more than receiving a certificate; it is the culmination of silent victories over years of sacrifice and uncertainty.
His graduation becomes a landmark that signals the beginning of possibilities he once only imagined while standing at the school gates. As he walks across the stage, he carries with him the weight of every struggle he overcameβliving proof that perseverance can outlast even the hardest circumstances.
For Clifford, graduation is not the end of the journey; it is the opening of a new chapter.
And just like the guard who once stood quietly at the gates while dreaming beyond them, Clifford now steps forwardβno longer only holding lines, but finally crossing them toward the future he once watched from behind.
Writer: John Merrick Franciloso
Layout Artist: Edz Adrian Cagbabanua
