Dolly Verzosa, the team captain of Jose Rizal University's women's volleyball team, did not have a grand celebration to mark her 18th birthday.
According to Chino Trinidad's report on "24 Oras," the open hitter could have had one if she wanted to—her mother had saved enough money to throw her a party.
Her mom wanted a big debut where Dolly will wear a dress and they will have food catering for the guests. Dolly, however, had something else in mind.
"[I told her], 'Mom, let's not have [a party]. I want you to just save the money for my ticket to Manila,'" she said in Filipino.
Dolly surprised her family with that revelation. Instead of having a debut, she wanted to go to the capital and try her luck with sports tryouts.
Her courage ultimately paid off, as at that time JRU was recruiting new players to replace those who retired the previous season.
Dolly was pegged for a leadership role, and in her third year, she finally became the skipper of the team.
The journey was not easy for her, however. Back in high school, she was once told that she would not amount to anything in life.
"[They told me], 'You would not finish your studies, you'll just be unemployed. You won't achieve anything,'" she said.
Dolly said it made a mark on her, but instead of dwelling on the negativity, she used it as motivation.
"Don't hold on to resentment because sometimes your bitterness is one of the reasons why you haven't reached your dreams," she said.
—MGP, GMA News
