By Susan Claire Agbayani

A few days ago, my unico hijo (U.H.) told me that he was done with college, and consequently, is going to march on June 2011 with a baccalaureate degree in Chemistry.

About a decade ago, I transitioned from being an employee to being a graduate student scholar. Back then, my U.H. had to wait for me on the benches in the waiting area because–for security reasons–children were not allowed entry into the campus. Who would have imagined that a decade later, my son would do what I had failed to do back then? Finish a degree, that’s what!

If there is one thing that I had always wanted, it is for my son to finish college. I knew that with his diploma, he would be equipped to face the real world, seek and land a job, and join the work force.

Although I wasn’t able to give my son a lavish lifestyle (case in point: he was always shivering in the classroom even if he wore a jacket while his classmates sometimes even found the weather a bit “hot”), I know that the best gift I could ever give him is an excellent education.

It is our desire that he glorify the Lord in whatever path he chooses to trod. I look forward to how he could positively contribute to society in his own little way, one step at a time.