As I sit here, watching over my dad who’s starting to lose his battle against cancer, I can’t help feel sad. Sad that I’m now the one taking care of the person who spent most of his life looking after me – provided me with everything that I needed and worked so hard to give me a future that would allow me to slack off for the rest of my life if I choose to (but then he didn’t raise me that way).
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We’ve all been there. We’ve spent all our lives looking up to billionaires and fictional characters – the ones we think are very cool. All of us entered the halls of our colleges with a dream to finally get an engineering degree and live the good life. As we go through our lives enjoying our youth and independence, we often take credit for everything we’ve accomplished. We meet different people and immerse ourselves in our studies and college life. Later on, we forget those who really matter in our lives.
These things mentioned above, I’m guilty of all of them. And as I’m running out of time to make my father proud, here I am, writing this open letter as a thank you note to my father and to everyone else’s for being the real heroes of our lives.
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Here’s to the parents who supported us as we dream of becoming engineers – the ones who work hard to pay for our expensive tuition fees. To the parents who are willing to be in debt just to see their sons and daughters follow their dreams of building things and creating life-changing gadgets. Thank you!
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Here’s to the parents who taught us the value of hard work and determination. Entering engineering is no easy task but you taught us that if we’re determined to get that degree we’ve longed for, we will be able to cross the finish line later on. Thank you!
Here’s to the parents who were there to share with us the heartbreak of failing a subject we studied hard for. You were there to remind us that we can always try again. You were there to encourage us to fight for our dreams. You were there to accept us (and love us even more) despite all of our failures. You have always believed that we are capable to do great things even though we don’t see that in ourselves. Thank you!
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Here’s to the parents who taught us to dream big. To the parents who taught us that building skyscrapers are possible. To the parents who encouraged us to find solutions to all of our problems. To the parents who believed that even little girls can compete in an industry where big boys play the game. You have always served as an inspiration for us to work even harder to attain that engineering degree we’ve all worked so hard for. Thank you!
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Here’s to the parents who played a crucial role in building our characters. To the parents who served as the backbones of our engineering dreams. You have pushed us to reach our goals. Thank you!
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Here’s to the parents who will fly miles just to be with their sons and daughters when they go through mental breakdowns. Not everyone survives engineering but a lot of us did because of your guidance. You have helped us become stronger and better individuals in this tough competitive world. Thank you!
Here’s to the parents who are always one phone call away. When things get rough, you always lend an ear for confused souls. When we feel like giving up, you never fail to fight for us. When projects fail, you always find a way to save our asses. Thank you.
Here’s to the parents who clap so hard as soon as they see their sons and daughters finally get their degrees from their colleges. We really wouldn’t achieve that without all your love, guidance, occasional sermons and encouragements. You really are the heroes of every engineering student.
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Lastly, here’s to my father. You may not see me practice engineering but I will live my life trying to make you proud. Not everyone may get to read this but here I write to immortalize you in this open letter I share for everyone to read. It started with your dream to see my name with the title, “Engr.” I will make you proud, dad. I love you.
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(Mom, if you read this, I love you too.)
