Scholarships: Meet Irish

Irish, 20, lives in Aurora, Pilar, Bohol, one of the Philippines’ Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDA). She comes from a large family of ten, with eight children all still in school, supported solely by her father’s income of around PHP 12,000 per month from farming. Despite these financial hardships, Irish is determined to break barriers through education. She is now in her second year of the Diploma in Midwifery program at the University of the Philippines Manila School of Health Sciences, Palo Branch, where she began studying in 2022. The course is both challenging and rewarding, equipping her with vital clinical skills and knowledge to serve underserved communities. For Irish, receiving a Dana Asia scholarship has been transformative as it has lifted the heavy financial burden from her parents and allowed her to focus on her studies and career goals. She dreams of continuing her education through nursing and eventually medicine, aspiring to become a doctor dedicated to providing healthcare to those most in need.