Inspiring

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Shared the Story of a Determined Filipina, and it Went Viral

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11 years ago

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Oct 21, 2015 01:48am EDT

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Ann Moises

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“A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work.”
–Colin Powell

Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and CEO of the biggest social media site Facebook, recently shared an amazing story about a hard-working woman from the Philippines named Riza, who decided to pursue her dreams despite life’s challenges.

The story went viral.

Riza lives on a small island where collecting seashells is the only job available for the women. However, she dreamt of greater things in life so went against all odds and studied computer science in town.

While writing her thesis, a strong typhoon hit the island. She couldn’t leave the island for weeks.

Fortunately, Riza and her classmates were able to find a way to communicate and write their thesis through Facebook’s Internet.org— a Facebook-led initiative that provides free basic apps and affordable internet access to people who can’t go online.

With perseverance and determination, Riza finished her thesis and was able to graduate. She’s the first in her family to gain a degree in computer science.