“Sometimes, the path you never planned is the one that leads you to the destination you were always meant for,” Tutor Dinnah Marie Dejito of the Tara Basa! Program under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) once said.

For anyone questioning their career path, stepping into the unknown can feel terrifying. People often search for clear signs and guarantees, afraid to commit to a journey we did not map out ourselves.

Just like these people, Dinnah spent years trapped in that same fear, constantly second-guessing if the road she was taking was even meant for her.

Enrolled at Cebu Normal University–Medellin Campus, Dinnah is pursuing a Bachelor of Elementary Education course, though it was not her first choice.

“If you asked me years ago what I wanted to become, teaching would never have been part of the answer. Education wasn’t my first choice,” Dinnah shared.

Financial struggles, school projects and assignments have been consistently heavy hurdles for Dinnah. And she went through the motions of her classes, looking for a way out or at least a sign to give her direction.

That sign became evident during her third year in college.

“A classmate introduced us to the DSWD’s Tara, Basa! Program, a government literacy initiative aimed at helping incoming Grade 2 struggling readers. At first, I wasn’t interested. I thought, ‘Tutoring? Class is already tiring enough, what more could this be?’” Dinnah said.

Designed as a reformatted educational assistance of the DSWD and community-based cash-for-work initiative, the Tara, Basa! Program mobilizes college students nationwide to serve as tutors and Youth Development Workers (YDWs). It acts as a dual-purpose intervention, empowering the youth as active partners in nation-building while creating a ripple effect of support for struggling elementary readers and their parents.

Dinnah was not immediately sold to the idea of tutoring. Her plate was already full, and the thought of adding another responsibility was exhausting.

With the persuasion of her friends and the need for the money to sustain her studies, Dinnah reluctantly filed her application. As she got accepted, Dinnah attended the 5-day Capability Building activity. After that, she walked into her assigned classroom at Medellin Central Elementary School for her first day as tutor.

“May 19, 2025, the first day of deployment. I stepped inside the classroom, and something shifted. The atmosphere was different, the smiles of the students, the way they looked up at me with hopeful eyes, that moment changed everything. I felt [a] rush of emotions,” Dinnah said.

Over the course of the 20-day Tara, Basa! sessions, Dinnah underwent a quiet but profound transformation. The financial assistance that initially drew her in took a backseat. The tutor forgot her own personal anxieties and began pouring her energy into the children who needed guidance.

“This wasn’t just about teaching phonics or reading simple stories. It was about connecting, about helping, about purpose. I no longer thought about the money,” Dinnah pointed out.

“Their small victories-reading a sentence fluently, recognizing a tricky word, answering a question correctly became my greatest joys. They reminded me that teaching isn’t about perfection; it’s about progress. And for the first time, I saw what teaching could be: a meaningful rewarding journey,” Dinnah added.

The sessions were not without challenges. The physical exhaustion of managing energetic children, handling students who struggled to focus, and balancing her own personal struggles tested Dinnah’s limits.

But instead of retreating into her old doubts, Dinnah treated these hurdles as life lessons. The experience taught her patience, resilience, and compassion. Helping in teaching the young learners gave Dinnah the much needed anchor and resolve as a budding educator.

“I was no longer the unsure education student who once doubted her path. I had become a mentor, a guide, and most importantly, someone who believed in her calling,” Dinnah said.

Today, if you ask Dinnah if she is certain about her degree, her answer is a resounding ‘Yes’. The program did more than ease her financial burdens; it gave her a reason to stay and build the nation, one child at a time.

“To DSWD and The Tara, Basa! Program, thank you so much. You have not only supported struggling learners, but also shaped future teachers like me. Your program lit a flame of purpose in my heart,” Dinnah said.

“Teaching is not just a job – it is a heart work. I now understand the saying deeply. The classroom became a place not just of instructions, but of connection. This program did not just open opportunities for me financially – it opened my eyes to the beauty of teaching. It gave me a front-row seat to see the difference one person can make in a child’s life. It anchored me to my purpose,” she added.

Dinnah recently shared her Tara Basa journey as part of the Tara, Basa! Program’s 2025 video storytelling contest, where she proudly took home second place in the Tutor Category. (KB)