Nerissa Loyola – Bookkeeper and Accountant

Hi, my name is Nerrissa, and I was born in May, 1985, in San Jose, Northern Samar, Philippines. My parents and relatives were very excited because a firstborn baby came into this world. I am the eldest among three children and was enjoying being the apple of my parents’ eyes. However, when I was four years old, our family, made up of my father, mother, and sister, moved to my mother’s hometown in Leyte.

From my earliest days, I knew our family had to struggle with our finances because my father often got sick and my mother was a stay-at-home mum – earning only from selling some kakanin. I was fifteen years old when my father passed away due to Diabetes. That was the turning point of my life. I felt responsible for my mum and two sisters, so I started to look for ways to be able to help my mother put some food on our table. After school, I came home early to help my mother sell some cooked food. During summer vacations, I worked as a house helper and salesgirl, and brought home all the money that I made to buy food and school supplies for the next school year. Despite that difficult situation, I’m happy that I was able to help my family.

Since I was in elementary, my dream was to become a lawyer. I was a consistent top student in my class and graduated Valedictorian in high school. Because of that, I was blessed to get a scholarship from the government for my college education.

After four years, I graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Science Social Work, a preparatory course for law in the Philippines, with the hope that I will be able to pursue the latter in the future. I passed the Social Work Licensure Examination the same year I graduated and landed my first job as a Medical Social worker and secretary to the Board in a private hospital in Manila. I was already earning money and was able to send some to my family in the province. I enjoyed putting my learnings into action, doing social interventions and helping charity patients. I was happy meeting people and socialising with many new friends from different walks of life. I was also given the opportunity to participate in different trainings and workshops.

During my seventh year in the hospital, I met and eventually married my husband, a Registered Radiologic Technologist. When our first daughter was born, my husband and I thought of looking for another opportunity to be able to better provide for our family. We finally decided for me to transition to the BPO industry and my husband explored the field of Science education. With God’s guidance, my husband is doing great in his career.

When I was on my way for promotion in a financial institution, we learned that we were having our second baby, and my pregnancy was complicated. I was out of work for almost a year and during that time, I discovered the freelancing industry. After thorough research, my husband and I agreed for me to give freelancing a shot.

I am happy that I made this decision because I am enjoying the perks of working virtually and spending more time with my family. I am determined to pursue a career in this field and be successful in it. I believe God is rearranging my destiny and I’m willing to embrace the challenges I may face to become the best in this industry.

For a copy of Nerissa’s resume please click here.