The Drive to Excel: Scholarship and Perseverance

Penury spurred me and my siblings to excel and persevere in our studies. For me, academic excellence was crucial for survival.  “Apart from my desire to always excel in academics, it was imperative of me to maintain my scholarship. Otherwise, I would not be able to continue my schooling if we were to pay my tuition and other fees”.

Papang’s Bicycle Incentive at Padada Central Elementary School

Papang motivated his children with a thoughtful incentive, promising a bike to any child who topped their class at Padada Central Elementary School. For me,  the bicycle represented tenacity, convenience, and the primary means of affordable mobility around Padada, which Papang and many others used daily for work.

A Symbolic Reward: Working to Win and Delayed Gratification

Earning the bicycle was one of my earliest and most profound lessons in working to win. I recall the unique structure of Papang’s promise, which turned the reward into an exercise in Delayed Gratification: he would receive one part of the bike for each year I first honors, completing the full bicycle in Grade Six.

The annual reward breakdown was:

• Grade 1: One wheel
• Grade 2: Another wheel
• Grade 3: The pedals
• Grade 4: Handlebars
• Grade 5: Bike seats
• Grade 6: The bike frame

This gradual acquisition gave Papang the time to save for the desired reward while instilling in us, his children the value of sustained effort.

The Valedictorian’s Graduation

I successfully topped my class every year from Grade 1 to Grade 6. Despite this achievement, my family’s financial situation meant my wish for the bicycle would not be immediately granted upon my elementary graduation. I recall the challenging circumstances: “When I graduated in Grade 6, we did not have money to have my picture taken when I delivered my Valedictory and when my parents pinned my Valedictorian ribbon”.

Life Lesson

The bicycle was not there that day, and the ribbon was pinned without the flash of a camera. The immediate reward remained out of reach. But as I look back, the greatest gift Papang gave me wasn’t the wheels, the frame, or the promise of affordable mobility. It was the structure of that promise—the six-year challenge of sustained effort. The true reward was the habit of perseverance and the profound understanding that if you commit yourself to excellence year after year, the foundation for future success is built, piece by piece, long before the final reward is ever claimed. That bicycle may have been delayed, but the life lesson was delivered on time, shaping every challenge I have faced since.

Part 2 of 4