As part of our 45th Anniversary, we'd like to share with you these "Laking Adarna" stories. These are messages from friends of the company, beloved customers, and partners, whose lives have been impacted by our service as much as our House has grown from their support.
This fifth letter is from Ciara, one of Adarna House's former employees.
Dear Adarna House,
You were my first real leap into the world of work, yes, but more importantly, into the world of stories that mattered.
When I joined in 2009, I was fresh out of college, unsure of what path I wanted to take. But you gave me a place to start—a place to grow. To be honest, I didn’t think I’d last long in a customer-facing role. I was mostly introverted, more comfortable behind the scenes. But it turns out, it was through meeting clients and partners that I learned the most. I got to hear stories of children who lived in the worlds of Chenelyn, Nemo, and Estrellita: children whose lives were shaped by your books.
I still remember my first task when I got hired: it was to sit in the showroom and read. That was it. I spent weeks doing that, and honestly, it was the best onboarding experience I’ve ever had.
I stayed for nine years. I really thought I was going to retire there. It wasn’t always easy—there were hard days, real challenges. I wasn’t the best employee all the time, but I didn’t leave because I lost heart. I left because my heart grew, and I needed to learn more and do more to keep up with it. I realized I wanted to serve—to carry what I had learned, to keep learning, and to use it to listen, to support, to reach those whose stories often go unheard.
My journey to becoming a humanitarian worker started with you. And I carried that love for reading into the next chapter of my life. In a shelter for children, I met a young survivor who had been through more than most people ever will. Some days, it was hard to connect. But one day, I started reading to her, and that’s how we found each other. It was through your books. That’s when I realized just how much stories can heal. You taught me that books don’t just entertain; they comfort, they inform, they transform.
The values I hold now—compassion, courage, a commitment to children’s rights—were shaped in that old showroom in Scout Castor. You were where I learned that representation matters. That Filipino kids deserve to see themselves in the stories they read. That language is a kind of love. You didn’t just teach me how to work; you shaped how I see the world.
Even after I moved on, your voice stayed with me. The lens you gave me—the one that sees the story behind the statistic, the child behind the policy—still shapes everything I do. I’m still living in a world where stories matter. They are very real, and they deserve attention. And I wouldn’t be here doing this work, telling these stories, if not for you. I guess that’s what being Laking Adarna really means—being shaped by the stories, the people, and the purpose I found within your walls, and carrying all of that into the world, wherever I go.
Some people call their first workplace a stepping stone. But you were more than that. You were the springboard that launched me forward, and the anchor that reminds me where I came from.
Adarna House will always be home.
Puno ng pagmamahal at pasasalamat,
Ciara
The story of Adarna House continues in upcoming essays. Like and follow us on Facebook and Instagram to catch the next release.