Artist Club
Talavera ma, 55, oldest CLSU undergrad coed

Iluminada Mangalos, 55, a mother of six and wife to a physically disabled farmer in Talavera, does not see age or civil status as a hindrance to getting a college degree.



She is in her senior year at the Central Luzon State University (CLSU) College of Education. Her classmates call her "Manang" in deference to her age.



Mangalos failed to go to college when she was younger as her parents died when she was barely three, leaving two of her siblings supporting the needs of 8 other brothers and sisters.



What helped Mangalos fulfill her dream of going to college -- no matter how seemingly belated -- was a scholarship program of the provincial government initiated by Gov.Tomas N. Joson III and co-sponsored by CLSU, intended to provide help to poor but deserving students who want to go to college. The program offered nightclasses in a sub-center in Talavera where, fortunately, Mangalos lives.



She took the scholarship examination and passed. After studying for a year in the Talavera sub-center, she took an examination for admission to the CLSU College of Education. Not only did she pass -- she landed fifth among the top examinees.



Mangalos says school work is hard but she enjoys it. She studies her lessons after fulfilling her domestic obligations, and while in a jeepney on her way to school in Muņoz. When her final class for the day winds up at 8:30 PM, she still has to prepare dinner for the family.



In April, Mangalos hopes to finally graduate with an elementary education degree. She plans to prepare for the licensure examination for teachers to be given in August next year, take the Civil Service career professional examination, and apply for a teaching job where she will cease to be called "Manang" and be referred to as "Mrs. Mangalos" instead. ### [Digested from Daily Inquirer feature story by Dr. Anselmo S. Roque]




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