Tricycle driver with short stature earns ISUFST honors

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BAROTAC NUEVO, Iloilo — Before Gerobe P. Arce walked across the stage to receive one of Iloilo State University of Fisheries Science and Technology’s top academic honors, he had already spent years taking a different kind of daily test.

At 24, the graduating Bachelor of Industrial Technology major in automotive student balanced schoolwork with his work as a tricycle driver, ferrying passengers, maintaining his own vehicle, and using his earnings to support his daily needs and education.

On Thursday, June 11, Arce received the Academic Distinction Award during the Dayaw 2026 Recognition Rites at the ISUFST Main Campus–Poblacion Site University Social Hall in Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo.

He also earned the Best Thesis and Best OJT Trainee in Automotive awards, marking a standout finish to a college journey shaped by persistence, skill, and discipline.

For Arce, the road to recognition was not built only inside classrooms or workshops.

It also ran through long days on the streets, where he alternated between driving his tricycle, attending classes, and keeping his dream within reach.

One of the most moving moments of the ceremony came not during the awarding itself but in the quiet presence of his father, who stood beside him and who also lives with short stature.

Years ago, his father taught him the lesson Arce still carries with him: limitations do not have to define a person’s future.

Earlier this year, Arce recalled that he never seriously thought of leaving school despite difficult days, saying his love for machines and his desire to help his family kept him moving through long stretches of work and study.

His story has since become familiar across the ISUFST community, reflecting the values highlighted during Dayaw 2026: integrity, social justice, discipline, and academic excellence.

The recognition program, themed “Bunga sang Katampad kag Kaalam: Ang Dungog sang ISDA para sa Kauswagan sang Tanan,” honored students whose achievements were earned through commitment, resilience, and service.

Recognition speaker Roldan L. Caperocho, an alumnus of the ISUFST Pioneer Batch and a 2013 BSHRST graduate, reminded students that success is rarely instant and more often grows through consistent effort and sacrifice.

The medal and certificate Arce received recognized academic distinction, but behind them were years of quiet persistence, honest work, and a refusal to let circumstances dictate what was possible.

As he stood with his father and friends during the ceremony, the moment felt less like the end of a chapter and more like the reward for a promise he had made to himself long ago: to keep moving forward, no matter how difficult the road became. (Herman Lagon, Ricky Ramos, and Jhomar Baladhay | PAMMCO)