Inspiring

Computer Science Student with No Computer Succeeds, Builds Parents’ House at 26

Born poor, a computer science student with no computer managed to succeed and build her parents their own house when she turned 26 – that’s after growing up with the landlord occasionally embarrassing her parents by using a megaphone to collect their delayed rent (with the entire neighborhood listening).

Computer Science Student with No Computer, Now Coca Cola’s Project Manager

Winnie Talosig-Rebancos is Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines’ technology chief, but getting to that impressive position involved a lot of heartaches and challenges while growing up.

Yet she proved once again that poverty shouldn’t be a hindrance to success.

We’ve heard so many stories of poor people finding success with hard work and determination, but hers is a bit different because she and her family experienced the embarrassment of having their landlord use a megaphone to collect their delayed rent.

The entire neighborhood was listening, yet the heartless landlord did that three times in six months.

Seeing her parents crying broke Winnie’s heart. She was just 18 years old at the time.

Her parents struggled to make ends meet, but they made sure that she went to a good school, hoping that it could help improve her life.

She studied Computer Science at St. Paul University Manila. But they were so poor that she didn’t have a computer.

“Imagine taking a computer course but you don’t have a computer at home! My day would be filled with programming in my head, and then writing the programs, writing the codes on my notebook,” she reminisced.
“I would get it done the following day when I could get my hands on the computer at school.”

Winnie admits to feeling guilty that her brother had to go to a school that wasn’t his first choice because their parents could only afford to prioritize one of them, her. But she paid back by helping him and the rest of their siblings in their studies once she got a job.

As a fresh grad, she was given the salary grade of a specialist by the VP who was impressed with her plans in life.

“I told her I’m putting my brother through school. ‘I promised that to my parents. This is how much it will cost. And these are the bills I will pay monthly. I am taking care of the monthly expenses of the family, and helping my parents with these other things,’” she explained.

computer science student — Photo credit: TAMMY DAVID / Esquire Mag

Fulfilling Dreams

Thanks to her hard work, she was able to build a house for her parents when she was 26 years old.

“In three months at Coca-Cola, I got promoted. You can only be promoted only two levels, but I got promoted three levels at that point in time, enough for the salary to be at the minimum requirement for the bank for me to loan!” she shared.
“I brought my parents to the new house, and they were like, ano ginagawa natin dito sa bahay na to? And I said, dito na tayo titira!”

What an inspiring young lady.

What’s Entry-Level Salary?

It’s usually the lowest salary grade level that an employee is offered as a fresh grad or worker with no previous experience.

Inspiring

Teen Ridiculed for Charles & Keith “Luxury Bag,” Now a Model of Several Brands

A teen ridiculed for Charles & Keith “luxury bag” gets the last laugh after the brand signed her up as their model.

But that’s not all. She has also become the face of other brands, including an airline! Wow.

Let’s just say that those who mocked her aren’t laughing now, huh?

Teen Ridiculed for Charles & Keith Bag Becomes a Model

When 17-year-old Singapore-based Pinay teen Zoe Gabriel happily posted about her “first luxury bag” after getting a Charles & Keith tote as a present from her dad, several netizens mocked her.

Some were even mean enough to comment on her post, pointing out that Charles & Keith isn’t a luxury brand.

Other netizens jumped to her rescue, assuring the young girl that “luxury” is relevant and she was right in considering the bag a luxury, especially because her dad bought it with his hard-earned money as an OFW (overseas Filipino worker).

Soon, Zoe and her dad were invited to the brand’s headquarters where they had a tour of the facility. The brand also gave her more bags.

Later, it was announced that Zoe is the newest model for Charles & Keith.

But her turn of luck didn’t stop there. After visiting Charles & Keith, she was also invited by other brands for a visit and got freebies from restaurants and other companies in the area.

Recently, it was also revealed that the teen isn’t just modeling for Charles & Keith but has also been signed up as the face for several other brands.

For example, she can be seen wearing an AirAsia cabin attendant’s uniform while dancing to a TikTok video posted by the airline.

@flyairasia
Dare to dream with @zoe 🦋
♬ original sound – smokinaftereat – smokinaftereat

In another video, she can be seen dancing with the cabin crew.

@flyairasia
*Domestic: all-in from RM23. Asean: all-in from RM60. Includes airport taxes, MAVCOM fee, fuel surcharges and other applicable fees. T&C apply.
♬ i think he knows sped up – r & m <33

The future seems bright for this young lady – and it all started when people laughed at her over an innocent, happy post.

Good luck, Zoe Gabriel!

Famous Luxury Brands

Some famous luxury brands include:

Chanel
Dior
Gucci
Hermès
Louis Vuitton
Prada
Rolex
Tiffany

Inspiring

Relationship Goals? Pilot Couple Goes Viral

A pilot couple goes viral, with netizens commenting that they’re their relationship goals because of their impressive jobs – and they even work together. Talk about being partners for life!

Pilot Couple Goes Viral as They Share First Flight Together

Most couples have different jobs or professions – and that’s fine, of course. But a couple recently went viral for their job as pilots, especially after they shared their first flight together.

Luigi and Cello Custodio from Parañaque City are pilots by profession.

They met in 2017, became official in 2022, and got married 2 years later – but it was on December 8, 2022, that they shared their first flight together.

Although they have the same job and work for the same airline, it’s actually a rare moment for them to fly together. That’s why it was sweet that they were able to do it last December.

They even described the experience as “once in a blue moon.”

Because they don’t do it on a regular basis, the Custodio couple said that the moment was extra special for them.

They both described the experience as wonderful, with Luigi saying that he felt very relaxed because he was piloting the plane with his wife.

Cello also said that she felt happy with that shared flight, adding that she prefers to fly with him because it’s easier to be open about asking how she can improve and become a better pilot.

She shared that Luigi also gives her tips about flying, and it’s a good interaction for them without them feeling bad about the situation.

She also admitted that flying together was really one of their goals as a couple – and flying with their baby is their family goal. We can’t wait to see that dream come true!

During their first flight together, Luigi announced to the passengers that he was flying with his wife.

Many netizens were impressed by this couple, although some joked that they shouldn’t fight mid-air because something might happen to the flight. LOL

Aiming for the Best Couple Goals

There are actually a lot of goals that a couple can make – and you don’t have to become a pilot to achieve that.

Some couple goals include:

Graduating from college together (both graduating as cum laude or as magna cum laude is an added bonus)
Passing the board exams together (both ranking in the top 10 is definitely a huge bonus)
Opening a business together
Passing bar exams together

Inspiring

New Pilot Goes Viral as He Flies Above House to Thank His Parents

A new pilot goes viral as he flies above their house in their hometown as a way to thank his parents for their continued support so he can reach his dreams. Isn’t that wonderful?

New Pilot Goes Viral for Unique Show of Gratitude to Parents

How do you thank your parents for what they’ve done for you?

Most parents don’t really ask for anything in return, but it’s sweet to know that there are children who think of showing their gratitude in their own simple way.

For Jan Nicole Crencia, a new pilot, showing gratitude meant flying over their house so his parents can see him up in the sky.

On March 13, 2023, Crencia shared a milestone in his pilot career: he was able to reach the minimum accumulated flight time requirements for his commercial pilot license.

With that achievement, he decided to take a flight over his hometown in Sogod, Southern Leyte.

He happily announced the feat on social media, posting some photos taken from the air and one taken by his parents from the ground.

“I was able to fly atop our house as a way to show my gratitude to my parents who gave their endless support so I can reach my dreams in life, and so they can also see that all their hard work paid off,” he explained.
He also added a promise, “Even if they already spent a lot of money for my flying, they still didn’t hesitate to pay. Thank you ma and pa, soon, it will be my turn to provide.”

As he achieved this new milestone, he also thanked a certain Capt. Dwight, his mentor, for giving him a schedule so his plans will happen and for everything that the instructor taught him.

“I still have a long way to go, but I am already far from where I used to be,” he ended the post, also thanking God for being with him in every flight.

Isn’t that wonderful?