๐‚๐”๐‹๐“๐ˆ๐•๐€๐‘ | ๐๐จ๐ญ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐†๐ฅ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ, ๐›๐ฎ๐ญ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐…๐š๐ข๐ญ๐ก: ๐€ ๐“๐€๐”๐ข๐š๐งโ€™๐ฌ ๐‰๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐ž๐ฒ ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐’๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฏ๐š๐ฅ ๐ญ๐จ ๐‡๐จ๐ฉ๐ž

๐‚๐”๐‹๐“๐ˆ๐•๐€๐‘ | ๐๐จ๐ญ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐†๐ฅ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ, ๐›๐ฎ๐ญ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐…๐š๐ข๐ญ๐ก: ๐€ ๐“๐€๐”๐ข๐š๐งโ€™๐ฌ ๐‰๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐ž๐ฒ ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐’๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฏ๐š๐ฅ ๐ญ๐จ ๐‡๐จ๐ฉ๐ž

In the journey of life, the pursuit of education was often driven by success through recognition and academic achievements. But for some, the struggles that come along the way makes it beyond reach. As another semester concludes, Tarlac Agricultural University (TAU) would like to commend another remarkable graduand who wasnโ€™t solely concerned about earning a degree but about holding onto faith in the face of adversity.

Avegay Ta-a, a graduand from the College of Engineering and Technology (CET) who took up Bachelor of Science in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (BSABE), is a proud son of Mr. and Mrs. Isidro B. Ta-a, a loving brother to seven siblings, and a dedicated father and husband.
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Being a child of a fisherman and meat vendor, his journey is not a path paved with ease. Albeit coming from a low-income family, he never gave up on his studies although he was not a top-performer in academics, he brought pride to his province and received admiration from his peers for representing his Sepak Takraw Team in Regional Sports Events. He continued his admiration for sports and chased his dreams until he finished high school.

Living in a flood-prone village in Abra, his family decided to move to Tarlac where they sought new life and continued shaping their familyโ€™s journey. After the familyโ€™s relocation, Ta-a pursued his dreams in Pangasinan Merchant Marine Academy (PAMMA) in Dagupan, Pangasinan where he also met his wife Shane Angelica Moreno. Together, Ta-a and Moreno crafted their aspirations, and built a strong and joyous bond where they both chased their ambitions. After two lovely years, they received an angel from above who further strengthened their perseverance to provide a brighter future for their respective families and for the family they created in Rosales, Pangasinan.

With a love story from two hearts striving to achieve a contented life, Ta-a was tested for his resilience when, after a year, he found out that his daughter had stage-four cancer. He had to give up his studies to take care of his daughter while supporting his wife to continue her nursing studies. The years of grueling medical expenses also pushed him to look for a job. After two years of her daughterโ€™s valiant fight with cancer, Ta-a lost her. The grief was indescribable that he forgot his dream of finishing his studies to help his parents and his dream of a rewarding and prosperous life.

Despite the overwhelming challenges, Ta-a and his wife started over again. After working for almost two and a half years, he was finally able to return to school at TAU because of the free tuition policy. "I am very optimistic about finishing school because I have experienced the challenges of not being able to advance in work due to not having a college degree. Despite feeling exhausted from traveling almost every day from Rosales to TAU and balancing farming at the same time, I still managed to encourage my younger, less experienced classmates to continue their education because I know how important it is,โ€ he stated.

โ€œTAU broadened my skill set and I learned the importance of different engineering principles in improving our agriculture. It also gave me a chance to meet beautiful people. It's a long journey but I kept pushing forward. I persevered, and I made it through," he added.

Amidst challenges and despite not graduating as an honor student, Ta-a is one of the graduands who will walk to stage for this yearโ€™s second Midyear Commencement Exercises on 16 January. He is a fitting reminder that there are students who are trying to fight for their dreams to receive a diploma. A piece of paper so valuable that such will serve as a testament to every hardship and dedication, demonstrating the importance of education as a powerful tool to surpass lifeโ€™s seemingly insurmountable challenges.

Congratulations for making it in college and in life, TAUian.

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Article and Poster | Information Unit