Lara Quigaman embraces new role as preschool teacher in Canada
From beauty queen to teacher, Lara Quigaman is proving she's the complete package of beauty, brains, and talent.
In an interview with OMNI Television, the former beauty queen shared her experience as an early childhood educator in Canada.
"Preschool teacher ako, meron akong four classes ng preschool. After nun out-of-school care. Iba't iba 'yung age group na nahahawakan ko which is good too kasi masarap 'yung feeling na iba-ibang level ng bata 'yung nakakasama ko, nakakausap ko," she said.
According to Quigaman, it was her childhood dream to become a teacher, and this was realized when she and her family, including her husband Marco Alcaraz, moved to Canada in April 2024.
"Nung first time namin pumunta ni Marco [sa Canada], napag-usapan talaga namin na parang masarap mag-raise ng family dito," she added.
"Hindi ko alam na in-demand 'yung mga teachers. Nung nag-decision lang kami kung anong kukunin ko na course, sabi ko lang talaga gusto kong maging preschool teacher, gusto kong maging [Early Childhood educator], so parang tinuloy ko lang 'yung pangarap ko," she added, highlighting that being a pre-school teacher comes with challenges, especially dealing with different attitudes of children.
"Mahirap lang minsan kasi may times na iba't iba naman ang skills ng mga bata, nagsasabay saba yung more than the physical na pagod. Minsan, gusto ko silang tulungan pero 'di ko alam kung paano sila tulungan, kasi may mga batang non-verbal, hindi nila ma-explain kung ano yung nararamdaman nila."
In June, Quigaman completed her diploma in Early Childhood Education in Canada with distinction. Quigaman also shared a video of her receiving her diploma on stage, along with photos with her family, friends, and co-graduates at Langara College in Vancouver, Canada.
In a separate post, Quigaman looked back on her journey towards the diploma, which she described as a "beautiful result of every sacrifice and challenge we've faced and overcome by His grace."
"Our family has always prayed that God would lead us to a place where we could be closer to one another and to Him—wherever that may be, no matter how difficult the path. Today, as I attended my convocation ceremony, we also celebrated His goodness and faithfulness. I'm teary-eyed typing this, because today is the beautiful result of every sacrifice and challenge we've faced and overcome by His grace," she wrote.
Quigaman and Alcaraz tied the knot in a civil wedding ceremony in Vancouver in 2011. The two officially moved to Canada in January of this year with their three kids, Noah, Tobias, and Moses.
