{"id":17087,"date":"2025-10-21T01:59:34","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T17:59:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/?p=17087"},"modified":"2025-10-21T01:59:34","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T17:59:34","slug":"mekeni-employee-graduates-college-magna-cum-laude","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/2025\/10\/21\/mekeni-employee-graduates-college-magna-cum-laude\/","title":{"rendered":"MEKENI EMPLOYEE GRADUATES COLLEGE MAGNA CUM LAUDE \u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

PORAC, Pampanga \u2014 A production employee at Mekeni Food Corporation recently graduated Magna Cum Laude at the Pampanga State University.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Kenneth Calma, a 25-year-old production employee at Mekeni Food Corporation, finished his Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education Magna Cum Laude.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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But behind the medal and the applause is a story of grit, sacrifice, and unwavering love for family.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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From production floor to academic honors, Kenneth\u2019s \u00a0\u00a0earning a college diploma was not just a personal dream\u2014 it was also the dream of his entire family. <\/strong><\/p>\n

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Born and raised in Balubad, Porac, he is the son of Rosito and Reyna Calma, a barangay tanod and a devoted housewife.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Growing up in a household with eight siblings, life was never easy. But it was always filled with hope.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Kenneth\u2019s siblings worked tirelessly to support the family. Linuel and Genesis served as house boys for Mekeni\u2019s executive officers, Lito and Adrian Garcia.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Merwin worked in the warehouse while Jennica and Jivon joined the packaging crew. His brother Rosito, with the help of the Garcia family, graduated with a degree in Accountancy from Holy Angel University and became the family\u2019s breadwinner, until illness struck. While his twin brother, Kevin, was not able to finish his studies. <\/strong><\/p>\n

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At a young age, Kenneth knew that the card he was dealt with was not easy. Yet, he never let that stop him. While still in Grade 12, he began working as an on-call worker at Mekeni, doing everything from sweeping warehouse floors to carrying goods and cleaning homes. He was determined to help, to contribute, and to dream.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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In 2020, Kenneth became a regular employee at Mekeni, working as a checker in the packaging section. Then he resigned in 2021 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, but he continued part-time work in the warehouse while enrolling at Don Honorio Ventura State University (now Pampanga State University) to pursue a degree in Elementary Education. In 2023, he reapplied and returned to Mekeni as a production worker.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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His days were long and his nights even longer. Kenneth worked from 6 p.m. to 2:30 a.m., often extending his shift just to earn a little more for tuition.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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After a few hours of sleep, he would go to school from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.. The exhaustion was real, he often fell asleep in class, but his teachers understood. He was excelling, despite the odds.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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There were moments of doubt, even depression. Kenneth admitted that he initially kept his studies a secret from his supervisor, afraid of losing the job he loved. But he held on, driven by a promise to himself and to his mother, who always dreamed of having a teacher in the family.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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With tears in his eyes, Kenneth shared, \u201cWala po lahat ng ito kung wala \u2018yung nanay ko at pamilya ko. Lahat ng ginagawa ko ay para sa kanila. Gusto ko baguhin yung cycle ng buhay namin para mabago ang buhay namin.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

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And he did. With years of hard work, sleepless nights, and relentless determination, Kenneth graduated Magna Cum Laude. His achievement is not just his\u2014it belongs to his family, his community, and to Mekeni, which stood by him through it all.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Mekeni played a vital role in Kenneth\u2019s journey\u2014not just as an employer, but as a support system. From the production floor to the executive offices, Kenneth and his siblings found opportunities, mentorship, and encouragement. The company\u2019s culture of compassion and community upliftment was instrumental in helping him pursue his education.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u201cSobrang thankful po ako. Kung wala ang Mekeni, baka hindi po ako nakapagtapos ng pag-aaral. Malaking impact po iyon sa buhay ko at tinatanawan ko ng malaking utang na loob ang Mekeni,\u201d he said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Pruds Garcia, President of Mekeni, shared his thoughts on Kenneth\u2019s achievement, \u201cKenneth\u2019s story is a testament to the power of perseverance and the value of community. At Mekeni, we believe in giving people not just jobs, but opportunities to grow and transform their lives. We are proud to have been part of Kenneth\u2019s journey.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Garcia added, \u201cAng tagumpay ni Kenneth ay tagumpay ng bawat Mekeni employee na nangangarap. We celebrate not just his academic success, but the courage it took to pursue it.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Kenneth proudly received his diploma and Magna Cum Laude medal from Pampanga State University, joined by his supportive parents, Rosito and Reyna Calma \u2014 a powerful testament to perseverance, hard work, and the unwavering support of family.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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To those who feel like the \u201clast card\u201d who dreams of changing the fate of their family, Kenneth offers this message: \u201cKung gusto mo talaga \u2018yung isang bagay, paghihirapan mo \u2018yon. Habang bata ka, kailangan mag-aral ka. Hindi habang buhay malakas tayo.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

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PORAC, Pampanga — A production employee at Mekeni Food Corporation recently graduated Magna Cum Laude at the Pampanga State University.   Kenneth Calma, a 25-year-old<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17088,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17087"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17087"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17087\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17089,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17087\/revisions\/17089"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17088"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17087"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17087"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}