{
  "id": 15386727,
  "title": "From tutoring and cleaning a gym to law school: How Dubai helped this student graduate with first class honours",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/18/from-tutoring-and-cleaning-a-gym-to-law-school-how-dubai-helped-this",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-18T09:04:18.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf News",
    "slug": "gulf-news",
    "url": "https://gulfnews.com/uae/people/from-gym-cleaner-to-law-graduate-dubai-students-journey-1.500714854"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Dubai has been instrumental in the academic and professional journey of Ana Kristine Elayda, a Philippine native who was determined to overcome financial hardships. Growing up in a family with limited resources, Elayda worked multiple jobs, such as tutoring, and cleaning to afford the basic necessities, including a phone to attend online classes during the Covid-19 pandemic.\n\nElayda's academic performance, particularly in STEM subjects, caught the attention of Antonio Maria Varvaro, an Italian lawyer based in Dubai. He offered to sponsor her legal studies, and she moved to Dubai to study law at Middlesex University, while working as a legal assistant and paralegal. Her efforts earned her a 30 percent scholarship towards her Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree, making her journey from cleaning a gym to sitting in a lecture hall a reality.\n\nStudying in Dubai exposed Elayda to an international academic environment, demanding a rigorous schedule, and the British-style legal education system emphasizing independent analysis and constructing clear arguments. She had to adjust to the new system, which was challenging but ultimately rewarding, as her grades followed her hard work.\n\nLiving in Dubai also provided Elayda with a diverse social network and helped her embrace her background, not as something to overcome, but as a part of her identity that shaped her discipline and determination. She has learned to ask for help, which played a significant role in her success.\n\nElayda is currently preparing for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination to qualify as a solicitor and has undertaken internships focusing on international trade and arbitration. She has also earned certifications in various legal aspects. Her long-term goal is to build a career in the UAE and eventually open a similar opportunity for other students, just as Varvaro opened doors for her.",
  "summary": "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 Bicol region of the Philippines, spent her days completing her schoolwork and tutoring other students. After that, she cleaned a gym to make ends meet. It has been a difficult period for Elayda, who grew up in a family where…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}