They called him "the boy who smelled like garbage". But one day, everyone fell silentā¦
Juan Pablo woke up every day at 3 in the morning.
It wasn't for sport. Nor for pleasure.
It was because he worked collecting garbage⦠before going to university.
Yes, they called him the āgarbage boyā.
But he said nothing.
He just lowered his head, opened his notebook⦠and kept going.
Because while others slept, he had already worked four hours.
While others mocked, he kept dreaming of being an engineer.
Not for fame. Not for luxury.
But to give his family a better life.
He bathed as best he could in public restrooms.
In winter he froze. In summer the sweat burned him.
Sometimes he arrived with the smell of the truck still on him.
And no one wanted to sit next to him.
They laughed softly. They opened the windows. They looked at him with disdain.
But he endured.
With dark circles under his eyes, tremors in his hands, and a strength that didnāt fit in his thin body.
Until one dayā¦
After a difficult exam, the teacher entered the classroom and said:
āEveryone failed.
(Long pause. Confused looks).
āEveryone but Juan Pablo.
āHow does he do it? āthey said.
āThe teacher surely helps him āthey whispered.
Then the teacher raised his voice:
āDo you know what Juan Pablo does?
He works from 3 in the morning collecting garbage.
And still⦠he gets here. Sits down. Studies. Doesnāt complain. And gives more than you.
That, gentlemen⦠that is merit. That is greatness.
And you, instead of mocking⦠should learn from him.
That day, several lowered their heads.
One came close to ask for forgiveness.
And the teacher, with respect, sat next to him and said:
āDonāt stop, Juan Pablo.
Not everyone will see it. But I do. And many more will see it too.
What you are doing⦠is worth gold.
Juan Pablo just smiled.
And that day, inside, he knew he was not alone.
That his struggle made sense.
And that, although the road hurtsā¦
the one who endures with a clean heart, one day, shines.
š± Never give upš
#PersistencePays