SOON-TO-BE CSU 10TH CAMPUS: A HOMEGROWN HOPE FOR THE YOUTH OF BAGGAO

It’s almost enrollment season again, and a mother from Baggao, Cagayan, sits quietly by the window of their bamboo house, calculating what little savings she has. Her eldest daughter has just graduated from senior high school—and dreams of entering college in Tuguegarao City.

But questions weigh heavily on her heart.

"How will we afford the boarding house? The daily meals? The uniform? The projects?" she wonders, the weight of financial uncertainty pressing heavily on her shoulders. Sending their daughter to college is a four-year battle requiring sacrifice, resilience, and hope.

This is the untold story of many families in rural areas in Cagayan. Behind every smiling graduate photo is a parent who pawned land, borrowed money, and skipped meals just to give their child a chance at a better life. For them, education is not merely a right. It is a dream fought for every single day.

That is why the symbolic launching and groundbreaking ceremony of the future Baggao Extension Campus—soon to be the 10th Campus of CSU—on a four-hectare land in Brgy. Santor, Baggao, is a long-awaited answer to the prayers of parents who once believed that college was only possible if their children left home to study in the city or in faraway places.

A Message to Every Parent

To the parents of Baggao and beyond, the ones who lie awake at night worrying about tuition fees, those who work extra hours in farms, those who cry silently behind doors wondering if they’ve done enough – this campus is for you and your children.

It is for your quiet sacrifices. For the dreams you hold for them and for whom they want to become someday. For the hope that they will one day build a life better than your own.

CSU extends its deepest gratitude to 3rd District Congressman Joseph “Jojo” L. Lara, a member of the CSU Board of Regents, and to Dr. Zara De Guzman Lara, the project site’s benefactor.