At age 70, this new high school grad is looking forward to college

Flordeliza Edroso (third from left) takes her place as a member of the Valenzuela National High School graduating class of 2014. VALENZUELA CITY PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE

MANILA, Philippines—Most people her age would be enjoying life in the slow lane, content in spoiling their grandchildren and basking in the achievements and success enjoyed by their children.

But not 70-year-old Flordeliza Edroso. Just last week, she graduated from Valenzuela National High School in Valenzuela City and is now thinking of going to college.

“I want to take up HRM (Hotel and Restaurant Management) so that I will have the confidence to manage a small business on my own,” she told the Inquirer in a recent interview.

Edroso, who lives in Malabon City with her husband, Agapito, and their three children, said that getting an education had been a struggle from the time she was a child.

“I was born into a poor family,” she said. “We were 12 siblings all in all and by the 1960s, we younger ones in the family really had to strive hard to get into school.”

At that time, she was a student of Caloocan High School. To fund her studies and help her family out, she worked part-time at a plastic factory in Manila.

Obstacles

Edroso said that during her first two years in high school, she would drop out and then enroll again, a cycle that went on because of her long working hours or the lack of money. “In the end, I had to stop after finishing second year. I was already 25 by then,” she recalled.

This was also around the time she met Agapito who promised her that he would push her to complete her high school education. However, when she became pregnant, she had to put her dream on hold to earn a living for their growing family.

The couple’s two sons are now aged 43 and 36 while their daughter is 40 years old. Despite their age, they still live with their parents. Agapito has retired after working at a soft drink bottling plant in Valenzuela City.

“And before I knew it, my three children had already finished college. My husband also had his diploma. I was the only one in the family left without a high school diploma at the very least,” Edroso said.

The thought of going back to school, however, did not enter her mind until the teasing began two years ago.

“My family constantly teased me about my lack of a college education. Also, whenever our friends would come over to our house, I would shy away from them because they were all professionals,” she told the Inquirer.

Eventually, with the encouragement of her husband, she approached the principal of Valenzuela National High School in Marulas, which was just near their house.

“They thought I was a parent enrolling my child in the school. But when I told them I was going to be the student, they were surprised but gladly took me in,” she said.

Edroso said she thoroughly enjoyed the two years she spent in school because she felt like a student again. She even wore the school uniform and never minded the age gap between her and her teenage classmates who fondly called her “Nanay.”

“Studying is hard,” she said. “But for me that hardship—of walking all the way to school, of listening and understanding lessons, reciting and doing homework—was fun and I enjoyed it.”

Edroso (center) with her class adviser Shammy Santiago and Valenzuela Mayor Rexlon Gatchalian who has offered the new high school graduate a college scholarship. NATHANIEL R. MELICAN

“This was my first time to teach in high school and the first time that I encountered a 70-year-old student. I was surprised but I really admired her desire to finish high school,” Edroso’s fourth year adviser, Shammy Santiago, said.

“Ms. Flordeliza was an active student. She participated in the discussions, took notes and recited just like any other student. She loved English and whenever I asked the class to write a journal, her fluency in writing her thoughts and experiences in English showed,” she added.

Inside the classroom, Edroso formed a special bond with the rest of the students, Santiago said.

“Her classmates were very protective of their Nanay. I remember one incident in November—that was the only time such a thing happened— when her classmates ganged up on one of their other classmates after the boy made an apparently hurtful remark,” Santiago said.

“During recitation, Ms. Flordeliza was asked where she thought she would be in 10 years’ time. This boy then said, maybe in jest, that she would be in Karuhatan. Her classmates got irked because he was referring to the Karuhatan Public Cemetery. So after class, they ganged up on him,” she added.

Last March 28, Edroso got up on stage to receive her high school diploma.

Moment of truth

“It was unbelievable. Everyone wanted to have their picture taken with me. When the time came for me to get my diploma, I felt like I was floating, like my feet were not touching the floor. I’m just thankful that I was given this chance to finish high school. After the ceremony, my husband came up to me and hugged me. He was happy, saying that finally, I was able to complete high school!” she said.

Valenzuela Mayor Rexlon Gatchalian, meanwhile, has offered Edroso a scholarship at Valenzuela Polytechnic College.

“We offered her the scholarship because she deserves it and she makes us proud. Ma’am Flordeliza’s story is definitely one that will inspire people. She may not be from Valenzuela but her desire to finish school and achieve more is a story that we want to tell over and over again,” he said.

Edroso’s success story has already inspired other people to continue their education regardless of their age.

“One of my janitor friends who’s now 50 years old told me she wants to continue her high school studies. Another woman in our neighborhood calls me ‘idol’ and also wants to go back to school again,” she said.

But for Edroso, graduating from high school is just the beginning.  “I am eager to begin my college education,” she said.

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