Even after students complete their Kumon study, their eagerness to pursue greatness doesn’t dwindle but flourishes even more. Their journey in Kumon, filled with academic and life lessons, has ignited their hearts and minds to gear up for endless possibilities ahead.
Attesting to these are Kumon Completers Carvey Ehren Maigue, Nicole Alexis Tan, Ma. Arselene Aquino, and Engr. Leo Dones. The Kumon days of these achievers are long done, and they have already gone far in their chosen fields. Aptly, as Kumon Philippines nurtures Filipino children’s love for learning on its 25th birthday, let’s look back at the story of learning and success of these Kumon achievers and discover how Kumon propelled them to where they are today.
Carvey started Kumon in 2002 but stopped when he was in Grade 6. Later realizing how completing Kumon could help him prepare for and excel in college, he returned after five years and completed the Math Program.
“I learned that Kumon is more than just Math and Reading. It teaches us how to learn and use our skills to learn other things and develop ourselves further. In our ever-changing world and with the wealth of information that we now have access to, Kumon gives us that edge by allowing us to convert this myriad of information into solutions that would ultimately benefit humankind,” Carvey shared.
Carrying his learnings in Kumon throughout his engineering study, Carvey won the first-ever Sustainability Award of the international award-giving body James Dyson Award 2020 for inventing a technology that harvests ultraviolet light and converts it into electricity.
Like Carvey, Kumon Completer Nicole experienced the full advantage of Kumon beyond school.
As she took on the Category Operations Manager role at a multinational company, she felt that the character development and academic skills she developed through Kumon made it possible for her to become flexible and conquer the fields of sales, marketing, and business management.
“One will not only learn the formulas but also develop character in Kumon,” she noted. “I was able to apply the training I have undergone in Kumon. I was also able to apply the rigor of training modules for promoters in the same way that I experienced the rigor of answering the worksheets.”
“Through Kumon, I have developed self-discipline, which has allowed me to allocate my time well, optimize my work, and finish at a faster time. I can find easier ways to do things, and I can prioritize what to do first,” she added.
Little did Leo Dones know that he was about to embark on a fun, life-long learning journey when his mom enrolled him in Kumon when he was in third-year high school. Back then, he also did not realize that Kumon would leave a lasting mark even now as he works as a software engineer.
“Kumon developed my skill to think outside of the box. Since the Kumon Math Program shows you the basics, you are highly encouraged to think outside of the box, especially on the higher levels. This skill helped me so much in shaping my work ethic as a Software Engineer – I need to create alternative ways in solving anything, even if the issues were technical,” he shared.”
For Areselene, joining Kumon in 2002 was bliss as Math has always been her favorite subject. Aside from sharpening her math skills, she became more cautious in solving problems to avoid errors, developed a love for reading, and honed her comprehension and time-management skills, all crucial to her current career in banking and finance.
Carrying these skills in her day-to-day work, she has been recognized as one of the Top Employees of BDO in 2014.
Reflecting on what made her into the successful woman she is today, “I was blessed enough to have two supportive mothers, my mom, and my Kumon Instructor, Teacher Nelia. Both of them have always encouraged me to continue and finish Kumon. They would always tell me that I will see the benefits of all my hard work and effort once I finish. In fact, my mom would always remind me that there is always happiness and fulfillment after all the sacrifices.”
Even if Carvey, Nicole, Engr. Leo and Arselene have already achieved great heights; they always look back at how Kumon nurtured their love for learning. This is what keeps them grounded and guided as they pursue greater things in life. On the other side of it all, the success of Kumon Completers and the small wins of Kumon students are what pushed Kumon Philippines to where it is today.
