[Filipino Institute PR No. 012-19]

Dubai—More than a hundred students of Filipino Institute (FI) filled the Asiana Hotel was filled last September 13, 2019 after completing 24 weeks of medical-related course.

The graduates composed of students of Medical Coding, Certified Nursing Assistant and Caregiving course received certifications which are KHDa and Actvet accredited recognized internationally which can be use for visa employment and application abroad.

Watch the full Graduation Highlights here:

Among the graduates is 40 years old Annalyn Aguirre who works as a helper here in Dubai. She shared to the FI team how difficult it was for her to complete the course given her travel time from home to university.

“Mahirap po talaga kasi nasa Villa po kami. Yung nbahay ng amo ko, bago ka makakuha ng taxi, kailangan mom una maglakad sa ilalim ng araw ng 30mins. Pagdating sa bus stop, papunta sa Al Dar University, 2 hours po. Kaya minsan nale-late po ako. Pero gusto ko talagang makatapos ng nursing assistant,” said Aguirre.

Securing approval of her employers was also a challenge for Annalyn.

“Tinago ko po sa amo ko yan. Kasi ayaw po ng amo ko, sabi nya, para saan pa raw. Hindi alam ng amo ko na nag-aaral ako pero pinagtapat ko sa amo ko. Nagmakaawa ako, nagalit siya sa akin pero sabi ko, ‘Please give me a chance, I want to level up for my kids’, at mula noon naging supportive na siya.

Annalyn sees her certification as a ray of hope as she plans to secure a caregiving position in Canada.

Another hopeful graduate is Maricon Balat from Oriental Mindoro. A 25-year-old breadwinner who also dreams of going to Canada to be able to provide more for her family. Watch her story here:

For 41 years old, mom of two, Mary Joy Walker, graduating from Fi gives her a sense of empowerment. She’s been living in Dubai for more than 8 years and is hopeful to secure a job to be an independent mom.

“I’m very happy ‘cause this is my third course. I graduated accounting and I’m a nurse and next medical coder. And during those ties that I took medical coding, I was vey depressed because me and my husband were on the verge of separation. I’ve learned about medical coding so I immediately enrolled with my kids and I wanna work again after 5 years of stopping to work and to be on my own. I want to be back on my feet,” said Walker.

Their guest of speaker, Ms.  Christina Calaguian shared several words of encouragement to the graduates.

“Follow your dreams. Plan for your goals, don’t stop. You made it today, invest in yourself, and learning is an never ending process. Education is a continuous process and live your life half full and not half empty,” said Calaguian.

Watch the full LIVE stream of the graduation ceremony here:

The President and Founder of Filipino Institute Mr. Gabriel John Rimando who was also present during the ceremony congratulated the graduates and gave them a valuable piece of advice which is to “keep the hunger for learning no matter what age, no matter the circumstance.”

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