‘She Wanted to Make Us Proud’ – a Mother’s Quest for Justice After Daughter’s Death

Posted on June 26, 2026 at 5:09 am

For months, 42-year-old Jenelyn Badoria looked forward to one special day.

Her daughter, Joyancee, was about to complete Grade 10 and move on to senior high school. Like many mothers, Jenelyn imagined watching her child walk across the stage, receive recognition for her hard work, and take another step toward her future.

But that day never came.

Instead of preparing for her daughter’s moving-up ceremony, Jenelyn is now grieving the loss of the child she described as kind, hardworking, and devoted to her family.

Joyancee Separa was one of the fatalities in a mass shooting on June 22 at San Jose National High School, allegedly involving a 14-year-old male classmate and another 15-year-old student from the same school.

Today, Jenelyn is left with memories of a daughter whose plans for the future ended far too soon.

“Buotan hiya. Love niya iya mga bugto ngan kami nga iya pamilya,” Jenelyn said. (She was kind. She loved her siblings and our family very much.)

At home, Joyancee was known as a loving daughter and sister. She enjoyed being with her family and cared deeply for her younger siblings.

Like many girls her age, she had dreams outside of school. Her mother recalled how she once wanted to join a beauty pageant, but the family could not afford the gowns and other expenses needed for the competition.

Rather than complain, Joyancee focused on her studies.

Jenelyn said her daughter spent much of her free time in her room reviewing lessons and finishing schoolwork. She was determined to do well in school because she knew the challenges her family faced.

The family did not have much, but Joyancee believed education could help change their situation.

She often spoke about becoming a teacher someday.

Jenelyn told Vanguard in an interview on June 24 that Joyancee wanted a career that would allow her to help her family financially and support her siblings as they grew older.

Fourteen-year-old Joyancee was the second of five children.

As the school year came to an end, she became even more focused on her studies.

The upcoming moving-up ceremony meant a lot to her.

Jenelyn recalled that her daughter did not want to be remembered as someone who simply finished Grade 10. She wanted to receive an award and make her family proud.

“Nasiring hiya ha akon nga gusto niya magkaada award para magin proud kami ha iya,” Jenelyn said. (She told me that she wanted to receive an award so that we would be proud of her.)

That goal pushed her to study harder.

She looked forward to the day she would walk across the stage and show her family that her efforts had paid off.

Now, the ceremony will take place without her.

One memory continues to stay with Jenelyn.

On the morning of June 22, before she received news about her daughter, she felt unusually weak while walking.

She could not explain it at the time.

“Diri ako maaram kun ano adto nga akon gin-aabat. Maluya an pamati han akon lawas,” she recalled. (I didn’t know what I was feeling. My body felt weak.)

Hours later, she learned that something terrible had happened to Joyancee.

Since then, that feeling has remained with her.

For Jenelyn, the hardest part is accepting that the plans her daughter talked about so often will never be realized.

The young girl who wanted to become a teacher will no longer have the chance to pursue that dream.

The award she worked hard for will not be received.

The future she imagined for herself and her family has been cut short.

As the family continues to mourn, Jenelyn is also calling for justice.

The suspect in the case is reportedly a 14-year-old male classmate. Although the accused is a minor, Jenelyn believes those responsible should be held accountable.

“Gusto ko mapriso hira nga duha. Diri ako maundang nga diri makab-ot an kaangayan nga hustisya para ha akon anak,” she said. (I want both of them to be imprisoned. I will not stop until my child gets the justice she deserves.)

For now, Jenelyn holds on to the memories of her daughter a girl who studied hard, cared for her family, and dreamed of becoming a teacher.

The graduation stage where she hoped to see Joyancee receive recognition has been replaced by a mother’s search for answers.

And while the family continues to seek justice, they also remember the young girl behind the headlines: a daughter, a sister, and a student who simply wanted to finish school and help her family have a better life.

Photo by: Jazmin Bonifacio