Chicharon vendor’s son graduates magna cum laude

He was not even in Grade 1 when his father died of liver cirrhosis but Kim D. Limosnero made his mother proud when he graduated from Bachelor of Science in Accountancy as magna cum laude, with cumulative GWA of 1.256 at the University of the Philippines Visayas Tacloban College (UPVTC).
Chicharon vendor’s son graduates magna cum laude

But his success was highlighted by the fact that he’s the son of a chicharon vendor, something that many people believe was very relatable.

Though his father died when he was still a very young kid, Kim vividly remembers helping out in their chicharon business.

“As small children, the only help my two brothers, sister and I could offer was to pack chicharon pieces by hand into small transparent cellophane. A pack of chicharon is normally sold for P2 in small sari-sari stores,” he shared.

When Loi, their dad, died, their mother, Rosalina, became the sole breadwinner for the family and their source of strength. With four small kids to feed and send to school, Rosalina had a big task ahead of her. She wasn’t able to finish college; thus, she couldn’t find a high paying job. So, she continued to do what she and her husband had been doing: sell chicharon.

“Every morning, she would wake up around 4 a.m. to start managing our business -- estimating how many packs and bundles of chicharon she could sell for the day, communicating with our suppliers regarding the availability of the primary inputs to our manufacturing operations, transacting with numerous wholesalers and retailers, and at times negotiating with them on quantity discounts,” Kim said.

When he learned that he was going to graduate as valedictorian of batch 2018 at their school and as magna cum laude, he didn’t tell his mother. He meant to surprise her.

So, when the honor graduates were called on stage, Rosalina shed tears of joy at the surprise!

Chicharon vendor’s son graduates magna cum laude
Photo credit: Facebook / Kim Decolongon Limosnero

In his valedictory address, Kim called his mother ‘the summa cum laude of my life’.

“To my mother, the summa cum laude of my life, you have sacrificed so much to bring me to where I am today. Hindi ka na nakahanap ng ‘forever’ sa kakatrabaho mo for over 15 years, since Grade 1 pa lang ako, and halos wala ka pang masyadong pahinga araw-araw para lang maitaguyod kami ni Kenneth, JR, and ate Loelie,” he announced.

“Kahit di ka man nakapagtapos ng kolehiyo, nakakamangha na nakaya mong buhayin at pag-aralin mag-isa kaming apat na magkakapatid sa loob ng labin-limang taong iyon. At ang mas nakakamangha pa dito ay nakaya mong i-manage ang sarili mo, na manatiling young, beautiful and parang walang ka-stress stress. Ikaw nga talaga ang tunay na summa cum laude ng buhay ko.”

Congratulations to you both!

— The Summit Express



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