The Success of Jocelyn Aragon from the Philippines
“My four children are now able to attend school and gain their education because of the Mentors Philippines program. This is very important to me and my husband. We want to give our children the opportunity for education, to become successful, and have a better life,” says Jocelyn Aragon.
Jocelyn grew up in a family with eight children in the Philippines. Her father was a fisherman and worked his best to support his family. Jocelyn learned at a young age the value of hard work. When Jocelyn was nineteen years old, she married Jerwin Aragon. Jerwin works as a cook for a private company and together they have four beautiful children.
Looking back Jocelyn remembers, “We were just barely getting by. I wanted to do more to help my family financially, but I had little children at home that I needed to take care of. I started a small business outside of my home and began selling street foods. Once a week I would travel to the city markets to purchase products for my shop. People would purchase my products because of the convenience and availability.”
Shortly after going into business for herself, Jocelyn’s sister told her about Mentors Philippines. Jocelyn was excited about the program. She worked hard with her mentors and learned additional business skills that have helped her become more successful. “With my loan am able to purchase additional products at a lower cost to me helping my profits increase.”
In the short time that Jocelyn has been involved with Mentors Philippines, her income has increased to around $145 USD per month. She excitedly looks forward to growing her business even more.
Jocelyn feels that she can give back by telling her friends, family, and community about Mentors Philippines. She wants to provide mentoring and possibly employment to others. She hopes that she can be an example of hard work and engaging in business for a better tomorrow.
