The Story of Grief, Grit and Grace: A Fisheries Scholar’s Journey
In a humble coastal barangay of Punta in Aparri, Cagayan where the sea meets the struggle of daily survival, a young man’s dreams once seemed as distant as the horizon. But recently, clad in his graduation robe and a smile both proud and tearful, 23-year-old Lolan A. Alcarion, walked across the stage—Magna Cum Laude—a living proof that resilience, love, and opportunity can turn tides.
Lolan, the fifth among seven siblings, was only 16 when his world was turned upside down. In 2018, his mother died of a lingering illness, leaving behind not just children, but a silence that echoed through their home. His eldest sister, Levy Pancha at 25 barely an adult herself, stepped up. She set aside her own aspirations, never went to college, and became the second mother they desperately needed.
“My sister gave up everything,” Lolan recalled, with pain in his voice. “She stopped school so we could continue ours. She cooked, cleaned, and worked, she became our light.”
Lolan dreamed of becoming a Chemical Engineer. But with poverty as a constant shadow and a father who earned just enough as a small-scale fisherman, college seemed impossible. That was until the Fisheries Scholarship Program came into the picture.
“I had to be practical,” Lolan said. “I was offered a chance to study Fisheries through the scholarship. It was a free education, and other financial benefits with a monthly stipend of P5,000. I couldn’t say no.”
Lolan’s neighbor Mrs. Alice Sebastian, a former Municipal Agriculturist at the Local Government Unit of Aparri, was the one who introduced the scholarship program that the DA-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources offers to interested college students who want to pursue fisheries course.
With the encouragement of his teacher in high school Ms. Julie Anne Medrano- Antipaso, who spoke highly about the fisheries scholarship program and having two cousins who are also fisheries professionals, Lolan made up his mind and took the qualifying examination in December 2020.
Never had he known that decision would redefine his life.
Hooked on Hope
Every month, the Php 5,000.00 stipend modest as it was, made a world of difference. It paid for his daily fare, covered basic school supplies, and at times, stretched to buy rice or fish for the family. In a home where every peso mattered, the scholarship was not just financial aid—it was a lifeline.
“Hindi lang para sa akin ‘yung scholarship,” he explained. “Para rin sa pamilya ko. It allowed us to breathe.”
For Lolan, the 5K stands for an acronym which every thousand expressed in letter “K” or kilo, a prefix that means one thousand, represents a Filipino word (Karapatan, Kaisa, Kasiyahan, Kalinga, and Kamalayan).
He even mused, every time, he receives his stipend, he often feels mixed emotions as he is so touched how the FSP personnel from the DA-BFAR 2 treats them. For him, as if they are knights in shining armor saving a damsel in distress.
College life wasn’t easy. Lolan juggled from doing odd jobs such as working as helper in a sari-sari store, dishwasher in a famous restaurant, and sleepless nights as a student, all while carrying the weight of expectations, his family’s hopes resting on his shoulders. He had no room for failure.
“There were days I wanted to give up,” he admitted. “But when I remembered my sister’s sacrifice, my father going out to sea at 3 AM, and my siblings praying for me, I pushed through.”
His perseverance paid off.
At his graduation ceremony, Lolan stood tall, not just as a Magna Cum Laude graduate, but as the first degree-holder in his family. Of all the cheers coming from the audience, none louder than his sister’s sobs of joy. For their family, it wasn’t just a diploma—it was dignity, it was victory.
Being the family’s pride, Lolan could only hope that his youngest sibling pursuing a degree in education would follow his footsteps and carry on their mother’s dream.
A Future Anchored in Purpose
Now, Lolan is looking at the future with renewed vision. He no longer dreams of becoming a chemical engineer. Instead, he hopes to contribute to the very sector that helped him rise—fisheries. Maybe, he can still use his passion by integrating it in other fields like in food technology.
“I’ve come to love this field,” he said. “There’s so much I can do to help communities like mine. I want to work on sustainable aquaculture and eventually give back to the program that gave me a future.”
His story is one of many shaped by the Fisheries Scholarship Program, a silent force that transforms the lives of children from fishing villages into empowered professionals.
And for Lolan, the sea that once represented struggle now mirrors hope, opportunity, and a future he’s just beginning to explore.
For Lolan, “finishing college through the FSP is not just my victory, it is a beacon of hope for everyone who dares to believe. The scholarship program can change and shape someone’s life with proper guidance and acknowledging the importance of recognizing our inner compass”.
