Twenty
years ago, high school student Rizaly Lim and her four siblings would watch in awe
every time they pass by the construction of the first SM City in her hometown
Sta. Rosa, Laguna. All five children,
packed in the tricycle their father rides for a living, were all excitedly
looking forward to happy family weekends they would be spending at the huge
mall.
Today,
after graduating Summa Cum Laude through a scholarship from SM Foundation, Rizaly
is now a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) working as Accounting Manager for the
head office of SM Prime Holdings, a leading property developer in the
Philippines and Southeast Asia.
From SM Foundation scholar to SM Prime
accounting manager
At
a young age, Rizaly was headstrong about getting her family out of poverty. She
shares, “My father was the only one who worked for our
family, and because we were a large family, his daily earnings as a tricycle
driver were never enough.”
Rizaly
finished high school at the Balibago National High School as class
valedictorian in 2005 and was already sending applications for other college
scholarships when her teacher asked the top 10 students to go to SM City Sta.
Rosa for an interview with SM Foundation.
“Sa umpisa, hindi po ako naniwala kasi bago
pa lang sa amin noon ang SM City Sta. Rosa,” she recalls. She proceeded of
course, driven by the one goal of finishing college and helping her family. “Gusto ko rin po makapag-aral at makapagtapos
noon. Maka-work at makatulong sa family.”
A
few exams and interviews later, SM Foundation, Inc. (SMFI) went to visit her
and her family at home to inform them that she will be receiving a full
scholarship with monthly allowance until she finishes her course.
In
2010, Rizaly graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science Degree in
Accountancy. She went on to pass the Philippine CPA Board Exams on first try in
October 2010. The assistance of SMFI, she said, went beyond tuition and
allowances. “With full scholarship grants and monthly
allowances, as well as the opportunity to work at SM Store during our summer
and Christmas vacations, the SMFI scholarship has enabled me to help my family
financially.”
“I am the master of my fate”
While
other parents were buying their college kids the latest Nokia phone back in the
summers of 2000’s, Rizaly’s father gave her and her siblings weekly assignments
to accomplish during the summer vacation. “Our late father instilled in us the
love of reading and the value of studying,” she shared. “During summer, he
would assign us English words and their meanings to memorize and asked us to
recite these to him.“
Then
there's the memorization of motivational poems and speeches, one of which stuck
with her for life: “It matters not how strait
the gate,
how charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my
soul.” She shared that this last stanza of “Invictus”
by W.E. Henley had kept her motivated to look past the limitations
of her circumstances and focus on her personal goals.
Career at SM
SM
Foundation was established in 1983 by Henry Sy, Sr. and Felicidad T. Sy as the heart of
the SM group. It has established programs that are focused on nurturing and
caring for underserved communities where SM is present. It supports and
empowers host communities through education, healthcare, shelter, disaster
response, sustainable agriculture, and care for persons with special needs.
To
date, SM Foundation has assisted more than 8,000 college and technical/vocational
students, and has donated over 100 school buildings with a total of 334
classrooms built across the country.
Nurturing the graduates
extends beyond the classroom as SM Foundation also provides job opportunities
across the different companies of the SM group. The foundation organizes a
Career Fair specifically designed for its scholars.
From the Career
Fair organized by SM Foundation, Rizaly was able to get job offers from three
companies – among which was SM Prime Holdings, one of the largest integrated property developers in
Southeast Asia that offers innovative and sustainable lifestyle cities with the
development of malls, residences, offices, hotels and convention centers. It is
also the largest, in terms of asset, in the Philippines.
I still want to level up
“I haven't accomplished much yet, but
I value what I have already accomplished and received so far,” said Rizaly,
referring to the highest honors she has received in high school and college,
becoming a CPA, and being promoted to manager in within only a few years of her
work at SM Prime. “These are just a few
of the accomplishments for which I will be eternally grateful. I'm also proud
of my daily achievements at work, such as fulfilling particular duties assigned
to me. They make me happy and proud of myself, and they inspire me to do better.”
“Ang mga
dating pinapangarap ko lang, nagagawa ko na ngayon,” Rizaly said as she
related how she has been able to travel to Taiwan for vacation and do the
tri-city tour of Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. But her biggest dreams, she
said, remain centered on her family: to provide better for her family by
sharing with them what she has now. “Nothing is simple. Nothing is easy. Hindi ko naman to straight line lang na
na-achieve. Life is full of challenges. Just stay strong, keep the faith
and always give your best effort.”
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