My Cambridge "Make Difference" Story

   

Two and a half years ago, I was intensely deliberating if I should buy the bus ticket to see my pregnant wife. She was in South Dakota while I temporarily lived in the graduate school’s dorm in Fairfield Iowa. 

     At that time, after completing the foundational academic courses, I fortunately became eligible to seek employment under  CPT (Curriculum Practical Training) terms. I was hopeful. However, I knew that it might take several months to really land a job, more so knowing that I only hold a nonresident visa.

    With no source of livelihood yet, that bus ticket was ultimately a luxury to afford, nonetheless. I was expecting that the hospital bills would continue deluging their way to dig the remainders of our moribund financial means. 

     Looking at the ultrasound photos of my beautiful daughter, in her yet primordial form, I told myself “I will be by their side! Bahala na!”. It’s a Filipino way of saying “I am taking the chance so let it be!”. 

      Now, I work in Cambridge with a grateful heart for the work visa sponsorship granted to me. I do still have moments of discernment as there are still lots of things to figure out. However, ever since, the challenges came my way never impinged my ability to perform a familial role. When caught in difficult situations, my manager would be open for some arrangements and my teammates would remind me: "Family first". The culture of flexibility and kindness fostered integrity and fueled commitment naturally and vehemently. 

       I managed to make career steps while fulfilling my personal life’s aspirations as a father and a provider. I was honored to be promoted after a year. I found myself in the horizon filled with opportunities for advancing my skills and knowledge base. The awesome people and the diversity indeed expedited my growth. 

       I experienced the possibilities. Possibilities that could still have lodged in my imaginations if I did not choose and was not selected to work for this company, a home that embodied great values and thriving culture.  Ignited by gratitude for the realization of these fulfilling possibilities that flourished both in my personal and professional life, I reflect: it is time for me to explore more ways to help expand the possibilities Cambridge enables to others.