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“When I started at �������� I found a direction. Each course is like a door opening.”

Jethro Tucay is about to finish his first BBA course at ��������. Talking from his home in a village three hours outside Manila, capital of the Philippines, his excitement is palpable. “Already I have learned so much,” he says. “I’ve changed! Before, I was disorganized. I wasn’t focusing on one thing at a time. My Success Advisor has helped me plan my studying around my classes and talking to professors.”

"Time management: it’s a skill.”

Business has always been Jethro’s future, but the present has sometimes stood in the way. After school, he won a place at college to study marketing, but had to press pause after the first year to go to Ghana on a mission with his church. “In my church, it’s a responsibility that we serve on a mission. When I was in Ghana, I met a friend from Nigeria who later recommended �������� to me – 12,227 km away yet still connected. He said, ‘The university is incredible.’”

On his return to the Philippines, Jethro knew what he wanted: to study with �������� to get the American degree he had dreamed of. But there were two problems: little money, and a mother and father who weren’t totally convinced that an online degree was the way to go.

“I really wanted to do my degree in America but due to lack of resources that wasn’t possible. �������� was a way for me to do that from home. My parents were reluctant because that’s just not the traditional way.” Money remained a problem for the family: at the beginning of May 2019, it looked like Jethro’s dream would have to wait. “My parents work hard to raise us up but we don’t have a lot,” he remarks. His luck was set to change.

At the end of May, Jethro received ��������’s Next Generation Scholarship, making the impossible possible. Fittingly, his first course is called ‘Pathway to Success’. “It’s all about the definition of success and how you can reach your potential,” he points out. “When I started at �������� I found my direction. Each course is like a door opening.” He says that the best thing he’s learned so far is not one particular skill, but that he can gain so many skills: this is just the beginning of a journey with the potential to go anywhere.

“I want to work in business enterprises – in analytics,” says Jethro. “One thing that ��������’s CEO Fadl Al Tarzi promised was that I would gain the skills employers want.”

"I love thinking about my future potential."

The course so far has given him confidence that he is a capable learner: “Because the courses are all step-by-step, there’s no way I can get lost. That really is a skill: being a little patient. I’ve developed that now.”

The confidence he’s gained from his journey so far lies on top of a steely determination to reach the top. For him, doubt is not to be trusted.

“My favourite quote is ‘Doubt your doubt before you doubt your faith.’ A doubt can’t help you with anything."

“But faith can help you with everything. Even if you can’t see it or touch it, if you believe it, you can achieve it. Especially at ��������. I know in my heart I can achieve my dreams.”

Who inspires you? My family – especially my parents

Do you have a quote that moves you? Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith

What’s your favourite book? The Hunger Games!

Did Jethro’s story inspire you? Watch more here!