MANILA, Philippines – The story of Hapibel Duque begins in a place where life is often overlooked, as she spent 21 years living inside a cemetery in Pasay, an environment that shaped both her resilience and her unyielding belief in possibility.
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| Hapibel Duque, former working student who lived in a cemetery for 21 years, now recognized as Outstanding Global Educator. Photo courtesy: Hapibel Duque |
Now 37, Duque is a special education teacher in Daly City, California, but her success was forged in a childhood marked by poverty, fear, and long nights navigating a world far removed from privilege.
Hapibel exclusively shared her inspiring journey to The Summit Express, opening up about the faith and perseverance that guided her to success.
“I grew up inside the cemetery for 21 years,” she said, recalling how survival and education existed side by side, and how she and her brother remain the only college graduates and board passers from that community.
Determined to rise, Duque pursued a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Education major in ICT at the Technological University of the Philippines, working long hours at a mall in Makati to keep her college dream alive.
As a working student, she balanced demanding schedules and late shifts, admitting, “I was always worried about my safety when going home at night, but I had no choice except to keep going.”
Her preparation for the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) was grounded in discipline and faith, summed up simply as “hard work combined with consistency,” even as financial hardship tested her resolve.
“When I found out I passed the board exam, I celebrated quietly,” Duque said, choosing reflection over celebration after years of struggle.
Following her board exam success, Duque applied to teach in public schools in 2010, marking the formal beginning of her teaching career.
She later earned graduate degrees in special education and early childhood education, credentials that eventually carried her beyond Philippine classrooms to the United States.
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| Photo courtesy: Hapibel Duque |
In 2019, she cleared her California teaching credential, a milestone that transformed her journey from survival to service in American public education.
Today, Duque teaches students with autism and intellectual disabilities, managing the largest special education classroom in her district and guiding learners once considered unreachable toward independence.
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| Photo courtesy: Hapibel Duque |
Several of her students have transitioned into mainstream classrooms, achievements she attributes to individualized strategies, patience, and unwavering belief in every child’s potential.
With more than 15 years of teaching experience, she founded a Special Education Center in the Philippines and earned multiple distinctions, including Outstanding Global Educator of the Year in 2023.
“Rejections are only redirections into beautiful success,” she said, reflecting on setbacks that strengthened her faith rather than diminished her purpose.
Her personal credo remains unchanged: “Hardwork raised to the power of devotional prayer minus sins is equal to success.”
Looking ahead, Duque plans to pursue doctoral studies, hoping her journey from a cemetery to a classroom in America will remind others that perseverance, consistency, and faith can rewrite even the most unlikely beginnings.
— The Summit Express