Dedicated Young Boy Studies On the Sidewalk, Wants to Be Police Officer or Doctor

If you’ve ever complained about having to study for school or work extra hours at your job (and let’s be honest, we’ve all done that), let these photos of nine-year-old Daniel Cabrera be an inspiration. The young boy sits on a makeshift chair outside at night on the streets of Cebu, using a short wooden bench as his “table,” and studies.

So why does Daniel study outside instead of inside his home? It’s because the streets of Cebu (particularly his favorite study spot, an area near a bright lamp post in the parking lot at the edge of the McDonald’s driveway) provide more light than the nearby eatery he and his mother stay at (Daniel’s mother, Maria Christina Espinosa, also works at the eatery).

We all know this thanks to Rappler, who spoke with Daniel and his mother on Thursday night after photos of the young boy surfaced on Facebook. Those pictures were taken and posted by Joyce Torrefranca, who captioned the photos “I got inspired by a kid.”

And honestly, it’s easy to see what’s so inspiring about Daniel. When Rappler spoke with him on Thursday, he was in the middle of answering a sequence puzzle given by his teacher as homework, while other kids were off playing on the streets close by. The young boy keeps a rosary in his bag “to prevent my only pencil from getting stolen.” And when asked what he wants to be when he gets older, Daniel thinks for a few seconds, and then tells Rappler “I think I want to be a policeman….I also want to be a doctor.”

It seems like Daniel will never stop dreaming, striving, and working towards a better future from himself. Hopefully, one day soon, we can all follow his lead and do the same.

[Photo via Facebook]