G Tongi reflects back on juggling school while being a mom
With graduation season upon us, we couldn't help but look back at the times we reached our own milestone whether it was five or 10 years ago.
And the same goes for former TV personality G Tongi as she looked back at the day she graduated at her dream school, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), exactly 10 years ago.
She tells her reader, “These photos showed up in my FB from 9 years ago today. There are those moments in your life that feel the most momentous for one reason or another… this was mine.
“After becoming a mother at 27, I knew I wanted to apply myself to be able to reach what I envisioned.
“The day I graduated from college was bittersweet because of the untraditional path I pursued.”
Giselle mentioned that she studied at a community college for two years while balancing being a mom to a two-year-old Sakura Anne and tending to her growing baby bump.
She and her family then moved to the West, allowing her to pursue her studies at UCLA.
Adding, “I am one of only two Filipinos in the entire Communication Studies major that fall.
“It took me another 2.5 years to get to this day in 2011 because I petitioned for a double minor in film, television, digital arts, and theater.”
Those years, according to G Tongi, were the “most challenging” as she faced the demands of family life and the career she wanted to pursue.
“I slept late every evening, only hitting the books after the children got tucked into bed after a bath and storytime.
“I share my story because again, I find myself back in school, family by my side, constantly cheering me on under similar yet historic times. I thrive when challenged even under unconventional occasions.”
She then reflected on how graduates of today must be feeling as the world is facing a global pandemic with the future still looking very uncertain.
Advising, “We may have put a pause button on the way in which we move, but the constants remain the same: Hard work, dedication, and tenacity will yield the same results.
“It's especially daunting, however, trying to be productive and proactive at this time, but when there is a goal in sight, focus, and battle to rise to the challenges before you.
“Keep your eye on a prize and it will happen, perhaps not in the way you expect but far more than you can imagine.”
Read her full pep talk below:
G Tongi left the Philippines in the early 2000s and immigrated to the United States after marrying husband Tim Walters in Boracay on February 19, 2005.
Together they have a daughter named Sakura Anne Marie and a son named Kenobi Benjamin.
She studied at the Lee Strasberg School of Acting in New York City and obtained her bachelor's degree in communication studies at the University of California, Los Angeles.
G Tongi reveals reason why she left showbiz and migrated to the US