“Despite having the confidence that I would meet the requirements, I still doubted myself if I would make it… But you know, prayers do work.”
Kelly Jane P. Sudario, or simply Kelly, grew up in the outskirts of Kalilangan, a municipality in the Province of Bukidnon in Northern Mindanao. Farming was their primary source of livelihood. Her father, along with her grandparents, are farmers. They tilled the land tirelessly to support their daily needs, especially to support their education together with her three siblings. Life was simple for Kelly back then. She was an achiever, and an active student joining journalism contests and other extra-curricular activities back in high school. She was a dreamer, full of energy, full of potential – an adventurous soul ready to take the path less taken.
Despite growing immersed in the farm, Kelly wanted to take up Hospitality Management in college. She found the demeanors of those she would see very enticing, and dreamed one day of becoming like one of them. But with their situation, she knew she wouldn’t be able to make her dreams come true as her parents could not afford what she wanted to become.
“That invitation opened a door for me, one that I knew would definitely help me and my family.”
When the Educational Assistance for the Youth in Agriculture or the EAsY Agri Scholarship began in 2020, Kelly was among the fifteen (15) youths in Region 10 who qualified for the first batch of the Easy Agri Scholars. It was through the Municipal Agriculture Office of Kalilangan, Bukidnon that Kelly knew about the scholarship, and without a second thought, she grabbed the opportunity, setting aside her dream of wanting to be in the hospitality management industry. Kelly would remember how she prepared so much to qualify for the scholarship, but negative thoughts would always block her way, “despite having the confidence that I would meet the requirements, I still doubted myself if I would make it.” But it was as if all the negativities were flushed off when her prayers were granted as she received the news that she made it.
Kelly strived hard to keep up with the requirements to maintain her scholarship, despite the challenges and the restrictions that the pandemic gave, she did not give up. She wanted to do so much, from balancing her studies, personal life, and extracurricular activities, little did she know she was already doing too much. “It was in my third year in college when I got preoccupied with my involvement as the chairperson of the Agricultural Extension Department, I was pressured to meet deadlines more so with the limited face-to-face interactions, I was not able to keep track of my grades.” Kelly had a goal, when she was granted the scholarship, she set goals for herself and promised to find balance in everything she wanted to do. As stated in the memorandum of agreement signed by the scholars and ATI, a 2.5 total GWA must be maintained to keep the scholarship. That moment was when she realized that she had to know how to prioritize things to stick to her goal. With the proper mindset and attitude, Kelly regained herself and remained on track and even finished her degree in Bachelor of Science in Agriculture Major in Agricultural Extension, cum laude, at Central Mindanao University.
“I have no regrets in choosing agriculture because I know I made the right choice.”
Looking back, Kelly remembers how being a scholar, guided by the Local Scholarship Committee of ATI Region 10 and her family, became her driving force to be an inspiration to the youth and to be of big help to her family. As she says, “hearing testimonies from people who have been participants of ATI trainings, farmers who have been successful in their agricultural innovations, and personally having the opportunity to be taught by resource persons from the institute during our mid and year-end scholarship assessments are my driving forces, my eye opener that agriculture has so much in store for me and my family… Agriculture is an open door of opportunities waiting for individuals to come in.” Whenever Kelly gets hit with these realizations and becomes knowledgeable of modern agricultural practices, she would immediately transfer this knowledge to her family so they would also benefit from it.
Kelly was right about applying for that scholarship, she was right about choosing agriculture, and now her self-doubts are nowhere to be found. Never mind trading her dream of wearing heels with boots and sweaty clothes, because the path she took was where she was nurtured and grown. It was the path less taken, but the right one for her.
“The journey in agriculture may be tiring and muddy, but wait til you reap what you have sown.” At present, Kelly is now a Licensed Agriculturist and is still connected with ATI, no longer as a scholar, but as an inspiration to the youth to serve as a catalyst of a competitive and prosperous agriculture and fisheries sector towards a vibrant economy.
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