After working as a tutor and cleaning a gym to support her studies, the student graduated with first-class honours in law. She now hopes to build her career in the UAE and help others access similar opportunities.
DUBAI: Before Ana Kristine Elayda could attend online classes during the Covid-19 pandemic, she needed to earn enough money to buy a phone. The teenager from Sorsogon, in the Philippines’ Bicol region, spent her days completing schoolwork and tutoring other students before heading to a gym to clean.
Money was tight at home. Her mother worked as a construction site safety officer, while her grandmother, aunt, and uncle helped raise and support her.
Elayda remembers graduating from senior high school in 2022 with high honors and an average score of 97 out of 100 in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) strand.
“I am proud of that, not because of the medal, but because of what it took to get there,” she told Gulf News.
Years later, that determination helped her secure an opportunity to study law in Dubai. Financial assistance, professional experience, and support from people around her have helped her pursue a career she once struggled to imagine.
How a Dubai Opportunity Changed Her Path
Elayda’s academic record caught the attention of Antonio Maria Varvaro, an Italian lawyer based in Dubai. He offered to sponsor her legal studies through his firm, where she would also gain work experience while pursuing her degree.
At 19, she moved to Dubai and stayed with her aunt and other relatives, giving her a familiar support system as she adjusted to life in a new country.
She began working as a legal assistant and paralegal, gaining experience in contract review, client work, and the daily operations of a law practice.
Her academic performance also helped her secure a 30% scholarship towards her Bachelor of Laws (LLB) at Middlesex University Dubai.
“For a family like mine, every dirham of that mattered. I went from attending online classes on a phone, which I had cleaned a gym to afford, to sitting in a lecture hall with classmates from all over the world,” Elayda said.
Balancing Law School With Work
Studying in Dubai introduced Elayda to an international academic environment that differed from her previous experience.
Her schedule was demanding. She spent mornings at university and often worked at the law firm in the afternoons. She also took internships, including unpaid placements, and smaller jobs to cover personal expenses and build professional experience.
“It was tiring, but it meant that by the time I reached my final year, I already understood how the law works outside a textbook,” she said.
Balancing work and study left little room for anything else.
“The biggest obstacle was time. I was studying a demanding law degree while working, and there were no spare hours.”
She also had to adapt to the British-style legal education system, which placed greater emphasis on independent analysis and constructing clear arguments than on memorising information.
“I stopped trying to prove I belonged and simply did the work, every day. The grades followed,” she said.
Finding Confidence and Learning to Ask for Help
For Elayda, the UAE offered more than access to education and employment. Living and studying in Dubai brought her into contact with people from different backgrounds and helped her become more comfortable sharing her own story.
She once viewed her background as something she needed to overcome or conceal. Over time, she began to see it as part of what shaped her discipline and determination.
“Dubai taught me that where you start does not decide where you finish. I also learned that resilience alone is not enough. I needed people. My family here, my classmates, and the mentors who took a chance on me. Asking for help was something I had to learn, and it changed everything,” she said.
She recalled that when she first arrived in Dubai, she was reluctant to speak up in a lecture hall. She has since become more willing to contribute and take her place in professional settings.
Preparing for a Career in Law
Elayda has now graduated with first-class honors in law, but she sees the achievement as a milestone rather than an endpoint.
She is preparing for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination, the route she is pursuing to qualify as a solicitor.
Alongside her academic and professional development, she has completed internships involving international trade and arbitration. She has also earned certifications in Incoterms 2020, international arbitration, standby letters of credit, and anti-money laundering.
“My long-term goal is to build a career in the UAE and, one day, to open the same kind of door for another student that was opened for me,” she said.
Elayda credits her grandmother, mother, aunt and uncle, as well as Varvaro, for helping her reach this stage. Their support has helped her move from working to afford basic educational needs to preparing for a professional career in law.
Her Message to Other Students
For young expatriates facing financial pressure or uncertainty about their futures, Elayda believes their starting circumstances should not determine how far they can go.
She encourages students to use the resources available at their universities, seek honest feedback from people who can help them improve, and take opportunities even when they feel unprepared.
“Your circumstances are your starting point, not your limit. You will never feel fully ready to show up anyway,” she said.
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Dubai student Ana Kristine Elayda
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