15/10/2022
Shakers and Movers - The 2022 Ascend Recognition Ceremony
Two years has past when we first welcomed our first batch of students, it was not easy start, with the global pandemic hovering and health protocols in place, getting one to sign up was literally an ordeal and our mentors can attest to that.
Fast forward to 2022, things are better, life seem to be coming back to the original norm, so we finally laid out the red carpet and gave our students the recognition ceremony (RC) they deserve.
Date was set - October 7, 2022. Sent out invites to all students (now most of them have moved on), we were able to produce more than 200 students, imagine that - who would ever thought. We would love to have them all but most have already moved on - some with new jobs and cannot squeeze the date in their busy calendars, a lot of them are now venturing in a new life in a different country, a new set of OFWs in the EU, UK, US, Canada, Australia and wherever an opportunity welcomes them. We have a few currently working on shore, aboard cruise ships, how good is that and some of them decided to go back home for good. I could go on and on about all their stories but it would probably take so much of your time reading this. So let's talk RC!
Looking for the right keynote speaker for our RC was challenging, but then again, I realize we have one fierce lady who I personally call an Ascend Mover and Shaker. When we were barely breathing as a center, we go through length to advertise and market our program and it was there that she found us, she even enrolled together with her son. As a community leader in Qatar, she spearheaded community collaborations. Like all of us, she is also an OFW and was part of the first batch of students of Ascend. She even gave three scholarships grants to deserving students to enroll in our courses. What a feat! Simply amazing.
It was an honor and privilege to have Ms. Nhelie Rosopa as our very first keynote and guest of honor to our very first Ascend Recognition Ceremony.
In her talk, she stressed the need to get involved with the community, give back to the community and never stop learning. Like Ascend, she is an advocate of life long learning, she believes that lifelong learning is the key to one's success.
She stressed that "learning itself is so important. Learning has no time or age restriction, all that we need is a passion for lifelong learning.
Learning is something that takes place daily by interacting with other people and the world around us. Life often throws challenges at us, there may be hurdles to overcome, sometimes we compare ourselves with others who perform better than us, but one should never get demotivated. All these obstacles should not hinder our development of a lifelong learning process. It enhances our perspective towards the world to get better opportunities, thus improving our quality of life".
We were indeed honored of her presence, such a powerful and inspiring word of wisdom for our student. On behalf of Ascend, we bow to thee Ms. Nhelie Rosopa, for that inspiring message. Maraming maraming salamat mula sa Ascend!
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