BALANGA CITY, Bataan – In August 2015, we featured a young girl, Stephanie A. Gaña, as one of the Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines (TOSP). https://www.1bataan.com/stephanies-journey/
Last February 6, Stephanie once again took center stage as she received another award, the Istorya ng Pag-asa Award bestowed by no less than the Office of the Vice President, Leni Robredo.
Istorya ng Pag-asa is an initiative of the Office of the Vice President aiming to direct our social conversations away from animosity and toward positivity by spreading stories of hope. (istoryangpagasa.ovp.gov.ph)
This year, the OVP Hon. Leni Robredo awarded 20 Istorya ng Pag-asa champions featuring their extraordinary stories as ordinary Filipinos held last Wednesday, February 6, 2019 at Far Eastern University-Manila.
VP Leni thanked the champions for finding hope amidst the negativities and chaos in our country. “Thank you for a life well-lived, ” she added.
In one of the conversations with this writer, Stephanie had this to say: “Personally, I am still in awe and cannot believe that I was chosen to be one of the champions. They featured my story as a volunteer, a special education teacher, and as a founder of Balay-Dunong Program benefitting several communities in Manila with focus on the less privileged and children with special needs.
Yet, I know, that this is not just my story. These are also the stories of the people whom I met along this journey, of children who continue to dream, of families who still manage to laugh amidst hunger and poverty- they are the ones who truly inspired me to find and spark hope even in such a hopeless place. This is our story of holding on to our faith that there is still hope in our country.”
Stephanie is currently teaching at the Gugo Elementary School in her hometown Samal where she continues her journey – building her dreams, inspiring people, making her mom proud.
