A scholarship for the family’s dependable one

In every family, there is that one member who will step up when others can’t, the one who can be counted on to take on tasks beyond what is expected of them, not so much because they were told to, but simply because helping comes naturally to them.

In the household of 52-year-old Ariel Dizon and his partner Jennilyn, 43, in Novaliches, Quezon City, that family member is 18-year-old Cyrin Joy.

The second of five girls, she learned early on from her scavenger parents that life was tough, so she took it upon herself to ease their hardships. At times, she plays the role of a second parent, accompanying her mother to junkshops on a “kolong kolong” (sidecar) while her father is away attending to extra work as a carpenter or painter. In the absence of both her parents who scavenge well into the night, she looks after her younger sisters while her older sister handles household chores.

Yet money remained tight at the Dizon household, this despite Jennilyn’s side hustle selling liquid dishwashing cleanser, or any cash contributed by Christian, a seafarer and the second of Ariel’s three sons from a previous partner.

Mindful of the efforts exerted by her family to cover their everyday needs, Cyrin sets aside whatever money comes her way—from a portion of her daily school allowance to modest earnings from her part-time jobs as a baby sitter and market vendor. When a younger sibling needed to purchase materials for her high school project, she provided the funds by dipping into her savings. And when Cyrin needed money herself, she tapped into her resourcefulness. For her own school projects, she repurposes usable items sourced from her parents’ recycling efforts. If no free bus rides from the local government are available to take her to school, she walks the route, a good 30-40 minutes away by foot.

“She’s the one I can depend on for responsibilities in the home and with the family,” said her mother with pride. “She has a real concern for her siblings. Before she leaves for school, she prepares food for them and feeds them. She’s a really big help to me.”

Cyrin’s help doesn’t end there. To reduce her parents’ expenses on their children’s education, she applied for a Tzu Chi scholarship in 2025. Aware of Tzu Chi’s support for beneficiaries seeking medical assistance, she was surprised to know that the foundation funds the schooling of qualified underprivileged youth too.

Finishing her Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering at Quezon City University is only part of this Tzu Chi scholar’s ultimate goal. She wants to lift her family out of poverty, give them a house and a business of their own so her mother doesn’t have to struggle. She also wants to support her younger siblings’ education.

“I want to experience what it’s like to be the one who gives,” she said.

Her future plans extend to Tzu Chi as well. Grateful for the opportunity to study under the foundation’s Educational Assistance Program, she is determined to reciprocate her benefactors’ generosity.

“I promise to come back, and when I return, I’ll be the one who gives back,” she said.

Her mother smiles at the thought. For now, they are big and bold pronouncements, but Jennilyn knows her daughter well enough to believe she is capable of seeing them through.

“She’s not the showy type who says ‘Mama, I love you,’” described Jennilyn of Cyrin. “She shows what she feels through her actions.”