Security Guard in the Morning, Student at Night: Woman Graduates From College

Meet Jennibeth Dayao, a security guard who’s now a college graduate

JENNIBETH DAYAO – A security guard in the morning and a student at night, has graduated from college.

Dayao has had an impressive career in security for 15 years. For the past decade, she’s been working as a security guard and CCTV operator at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde. What makes her story remarkable is that not only is she an essential part of the security team, but she’s also a proud graduate of Benilde with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, majoring in Marketing Management.

Dayao takes great pride in her job, evident from her Facebook bio that says “Proud Security Guard.” She considers her diploma one of her most significant accomplishments, especially at her stage in life. She belongs to a group of mothers and security guards who dared to dream of going back to school and earning a college degree.

Interestingly, Dayao didn’t plan to pursue higher education when she started working at Benilde ten years ago. Her initial goal was to support her brother financially through college. It was only after her brother graduated that she began to think about going back to school herself. She realized she wanted to study more when the right time came, and she credits her bosses for allowing her to balance work and study.

Being a working student isn’t easy. Before the pandemic, Dayao would finish her demanding 12-hour shift at 5 pm and then attend classes from 6 to 9 pm. This schedule required excellent time management. She appreciated the shift to online classes during the pandemic because it provided flexibility. She could fulfill her duties as a CCTV operator and keep up with her coursework.

Dayao considers her return to education and earning her degree as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. She’s thankful to her colleagues, especially her fellow security guards, for their support. She strongly believes that anyone, regardless of age, can pursue a college education.