There is nothing more liberating than crossing a seemingly impassable bridge. When people mistake you for a mediocre who would not even dare to go on the other side, there is only one destination you should tread on — growth through the process of proving them wrong.
Hailing from the City of Butuan is a 23-year-old Virtual Assistant who has once skipped his steps in personal growth but is now ready to take on the challenge of building himself more and more each day.
This VA is a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Education Major in English in Mindanao State University-Main Campus in the year 2019 and has officially started working in Ripple VAs last December in the year 2020.
Growing up was a typical stage for this VA, but the phase surely influenced his perception of himself. Being severely under-invested and deemed as a mediocre child, he was induced to learn things on his own and fend for himself. This affected the way he sees the world and made him realize that people should be given the chance to prove themselves without a hint of preconceived judgment. He knew he would never be the kind of person who would set a limit of what other people can be. With this, he is now a person who assists them towards their optimum self.
“I always try to help others who are inexperienced or under-trained as much as I can because I know what it's like to have no one to help you out,” he confessed. Holding to this statement, while lending a helping hand to his clients virtually, he is also guiding the learners of our society through the instinct of an educator. Yes, you read it right. This VA is also working as a Senior High School teacher in a public school in Butuan City.
Being both an assistant and an instructor, a typical working day for him is waking up at 6 or 7 in the morning with a usual 6 to 7 hours of sleep. He would do work for his clients for 3 hours and would head to school after. Then, he would work for his clients again for another 3 to 5 hours. With his essentially packed schedule, he finds refuge in the fact that he can now pay for his bills. Up for the better, he still pursues to be more financially independent by juggling his everyday grind. In this way, he can also give back to his family.
Confessing to being a lover of white chocolate, he knows that there is nothing sweeter than knowing someone has put faith in you and believes in your capabilities no matter how lowly you think of yourself sometimes. This has become the most compelling thing this VA has ever experienced.
“When an amazing person decided to believe in me despite having no talent or skill, that’s when I started to see the world differently,” he said.
With this, he revealed that Ripple had become his lighthouse when he was sailing through one of his darkest periods in life. Like a seemingly lost ship among the heavy current of the sea, he has been found.
This found gem is none other than Cyd Batalon—an educator, a virtual assistant, a manga reader, an anime enthusiast, a hefty eater, and most importantly, a person of growth who crossed the bridge no matter how impassable it gets.
