Xyza Cruz Bacani, domestic worker turned photographer, receives master’s degree from NYU

Xyza Cruz Bacani, a former domestic worker who has since become a photographer, is one of the graduates raising the Philippine flag at New York University.

On Facebook, Bacani announced that she had just graduated with a master's degree in arts and politics at NYU.

Sharing photos of herself in a toga, the photographer said NYU took a chance on her even if she did not have a college degree.

"I am a scholar and grateful to people who paved the way for me to dream, who saw my potential and extended their generosity," she said.

She expressed her gratitude to her parents for teaching her kindness and grit.

"I am an artist. I always have been and always will be an artist in service because I am not my circumstances," Bacani said.

Bacani, who used to be domestic worker in Hong Kong, is known for her photographs which mirror the life of Filipino migrant workers. Her photos have graced The New York Times, CNN, and other well-known galleries and museums all over the world.

"I think I was there to be the voice of those domestic workers who remain unheard, whose voices have been muted," Bacani said in 2015.

In the same year, she was named one of the recipients of a fellowship by Magnum Foundation, a prestigious scholarship that allowed her to study in New York.

Michael Purugganan, a biology professor and former dean of science at NYU, also congratulated Bacani in a Facebook post.

He said two years ago, "NYU was so impressed with her [Bacani] that even without a college degree, they accepted her (with scholarship) into the rigorous M.A. in Arts Politics program at the Tisch school."

Bacani joins a batch of NYU graduates that includes Vice President Leni Robredo’s daughter Jillian, who is receiving a bachelor's degree in mathematics and economics. – Hermes Joy Tunac/RC, GMA News