Six years of perseverance lead Mamanwa Animal Science student to VSU graduation

When Dina C. Capua walks across the stage to receive her diploma from the Visayas State University (VSU) Main Campus on July 25, 2025, she will be carrying more than just the weight of six years of academic struggle. She will also be carrying the dreams of the Mamanwa tribe and the silent hopes of many indigenous youths who have long believed that a college education was never meant for them. 

“I am a Mamanwa,” Dina said without hesitation. 

“Known as kulot buhok, itom panit, low-life as what Bisaya people describe, pobre pero pure og mga kasing-kasing.”

[We’re often called curly-haired, dark-skinned, poor. But we have pure hearts.]

Born in Pangaylan, Agusan del Norte, Dina’s story traces its roots to the mountains, where she was raised away from the conveniences of urban life. 

Her family migrated from Mindanao and settled in a small community in San Francisco, Southern Leyte, where she learned early on that life was about surviving and dreaming, even when those dreams felt far away. 

Growing up in a Mamanwa community meant navigating through layers of invisibility. Their lives were steeped in poverty, yet their elders planted seeds of ambitions. 

“They told us not to be like them nga walay nahuman, puro lang kalisod. Though life was hard, we were told to go to school if possible. Manginabuhi lang sila para makapadayon mi,” Dina recalls. 

[They told us not to end up like them, uneducated and always struggling. Even though life was hard, they still encouraged us to go to school if we could. They will work so we can continue our studies.]

Still, in many indigenous communities, the encouragement to study often dies at the hands of ridicule and discrimination. Many children drop out after being mocked and alienated. 

For Dina, however, the poverty, the judgment, and the sense of otherness became fuel. 

“Ang kalisud sa kahimtang sa among pamilya ang isa sa mga naka-motivate naho,” she said. 

[Our family’s hardship was one of my biggest motivations.]

From Missed Exams to Second Chances

Dina never intended to study at VSU. Her dream was to take Criminology at Southern Leyte State University (SLSU), but failed the entrance exam in 2018. 

Discouraged, she decided to pause for a year. When 2019 came, she planned to retake the exam until an unexpected opportunity changed the course of her life. 

“One Sunday, a churchmate told my parents that someone from VSU was helping young Mamanwa who wanted to study. It was Ma’am Chai Ponce and the team behind Sungkip” she said. 

Sungkip is a community initiative reaching out to indigenous youth. They traveled into the mountains to speak to her and her family. 

Soon, Dina was scheduled to take VSU’s entrance exam ironically held at the very SLSU campus where she had once been turned away. 

That day, she almost missed her shot again. She arrived late and was already preparing to leave when she felt a sharp stomach ache and went looking for a restroom. 

On her way out, she heard someone shout: “Okay, linya ang gusto mo take.”

[Alright, those who want to take the exam, fall in line.]

She lined up. No expectations. Just a sense that maybe this was meant for her. 

She ended up being the third qualifier. 

“I do not know why I chose Agriculture,” she laughs. “My second choice was Environmental Science. But I never regretted it. I just sometimes feel like I don’t deserve to be an agriculturist.”

College, soon Dina discovered, was not a straight road. Her years at VSU were filled with uphill climbs academically, emotionally, and financially. 

“My first year was all about surviving. I was not used to so many people, and I came from the mountains. I was proud of where I came from but I had to adjust,” she said. 

And then, the pandemic came. Online classes, poor internet, modules, and isolation piled on her struggles. 

“I became depressed. Daghan kong subjects nga gi-drop. Na adik pod ko sa Wattpad,” she admitted. 

[I became depressed. I dropped many subjects. I even got addicted to Wattpad.] 

She failed major subjects three times, but she kept showing up even when her grades were failing, even when she was misunderstood, even when money was scarce. 

What carried her through were prayers, the tireless sacrifices of her parents, financial help from kind strangers, and sometimes utang or borrowed money just to make it through the day. 

Tribo Ko. Always. 

At VSU, Dina stood out but not always in the way she wanted. Students and teachers would often mistake her for a foreigner.

“Mangutana na sila kung unsa kuno akong lahi. Ako pod silang kanunay tubagon nga ‘Tribo ko. Mamanwa ug Manobo’,” she said. 

[They’d ask what race I belonged to. I always told them: ‘I am from a tribe. Mamanwa and Manobo.’]

She experienced culture shock and indirect discrimination, but she was no stranger to that. 

“I just did not let it stop me. I already expected people would look at me differently. That’s normal. We all look different.”

Still, she wanted people to learn. She willingly gave her time to students who interviewed her for projects and courseworks on indigenous people. 

Some teachers, according to her, were different. A few were deeply interested in preserving tribal culture and understanding their stories. Those were the ones who gave her hope. 

There were days she almost quit. Moments when the pressure, the poverty, and the pain nearly swallowed her. But what kept her going was never just about her. 

“It was for my parents, who gave up their dreams. For my younger siblings. For all the indigenous youth who are dreaming the same,” she shared. 

Now, she is set to graduate, the only Mamanwa student walking with the Class of 2025.

“I finally have the guts to say that I am one of the Viscans, and that I am a Mamanwa graduate,” she said with pride. 

Dina’s immediate goal is simple. She dreams of finding a job and supporting her family. 

Her parents are getting old and she still has four siblings. But she does not plan to stop there. She wants to find ways to give back to her tribe, whether through community service, mentorship, or simply by being visible. 

She hopes that institutions like VSU will open more doors for indigenous youth. 

“Hopefully, dili lang ako nga tribo ang maka human diri. I know you can do better for us,” she says.

[I hope I’m not the only tribe member who finishes here. I know you can do more.]

And to those who still think education is not meant for people like her, she has this to say: 

“Education is not just the key to success. It also changes how people see us. If non-tribes can succeed, so can we. Education is for everyone.”

Dina’s story is not about perfect grades or top honors. It is about endurance. It is about keeping faith when all odds are against you. It is about carrying your roots with you, no matter how far you go. 

“We, Mamanwa and Manobo Tribes, exist. And we deserve a quality education too,” she said. 

And this, right here, is proof. 

This article is aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 1: No Poverty; SDG 4: Quality Education; SDG 5: Gender Equality; SDG 10: Reduced Inequality, and; SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions.

• Prev
• Next