Ay-la A. Alayon – Customer Service Specialist

ay-la alayon virtual assistantHi there 🙂

I am known as “Yats” to most people who know me, short for “payat” – which is a Filipino term for slim, slender or thin. My physique would often give a first impression to people that I’m fragile and to some, weak. This, by the way, is the exact opposite of who I truly am.

I was raised by my unduly protective grand aunt. As a child I was not allowed to play outdoors and spent most of my time reading and watching movies alone. Because I was trapped in the four corners of my room during my younger years, I was always eager to interact with people and became outspoken, particularly in school.

Growing up was a bit challenging as I came from a broken family – and even at an early age I knew I had to find ways to make life meaningful for me. I actively participated in school activities all throughout my secondary and college education, mingled with other children from different schools through various organisations and went places to represent my institution. I was passionate about meeting people from all walks of life.

After school, I was introduced to the BPO Industry and it became my bread and butter. As a call centre agent, I dealt with people from other countries over the phone. I took trainings to learn their culture; that way I could relate to them and provide genuine responses each time. In a way you could say I mastered the art of listening and understanding.

From the regular people-person that I was, my life had a turning point when I fell pregnant out of wedlock. This caused extreme disappointment to my family and friends, who had high hopes for me of becoming something big. The reactions were heartbreaking, but made me even stronger.

Being a mother changed me in so many positive ways. I became hardworking and resourceful. My children became my source of inspiration. I learned to appreciate and value the simple things I have and carry with me the same passion in life all the time.

I am still known to many as “Yats”, and childbirth hasn’t changed my build! If you remember during the first part of my story, it means slim, slender or thin. It may not sound appealing to many, but who cares. I want to be remembered as that slim little girl who behaved herself inside the house, the bony class-mate who talked too much in class but made sense anyway, the slender woman who sold windows and made friends worldwide, and more importantly the skinny loving mother to her children. I want to be known as that tiny person with a huge heart.

For a copy of Ay-la’s resume please click here.