Eugene Dela Cruz, once a homeless boy begging on the streets of Metro Manila, is now making waves online after graduating with honors from Ateneo de Manila University—proving that even the bleakest beginnings can lead to the brightest victories.
“I wasn’t supposed to make it here. Not to Ateneo. Not to any graduation. Not even to this very day,” Eugene wrote in a viral Facebook post that has touched thousands.
At just 12 years old, Dela Cruz became homeless after his parents separated. He spent four years scraping by—washing in public restrooms, sleeping under tricycles, and surviving on stale bread. “No one noticed when I vanished. No one asked where I had gone,” he recalled.
His life turned around when Ateneo’s Office of Admission and Aid, along with the Ateneo Alumni Scholars Association, granted him a scholarship. “They didn’t see empty forms, just a child desperate for a second chance,” he said. “They offered me something far more precious: belief.”
Through sheer determination, he balanced academics and work—tutoring strangers for rent and choreographing festival dances to feed himself. Despite the fear of being defined by his poverty, he said the Ateneo community made him feel seen: “The people that I have encountered throughout my Ateneo journey made me feel that I belong and said, ‘You matter.’”
Eugene earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics (Honors Program), specializing in Financial Economics, with a minor in Decision Science. He graduated with Honorable Mention and received recognition for having the Third Best Undergraduate Thesis in Economics.
“I may not have a relative cheering from the stands. I may not have a home waiting at journey’s end. But I discovered a new family,” he wrote.
His story, filled with pain, grit, and grace, is not new. Eugene has shared similar essays during his elementary and high school graduations. But this latest milestone—graduating from one of the country’s top universities—has struck a deeper chord.
“I wasn’t meant to make it here, but by some grace, I did,” he ended. And with that, Eugene Dela Cruz isn’t just a graduate—he’s a beacon of what hope and opportunity can do.
