Vantage Magazine Editors Therese Garcia Gabrielle I. Lombos Writers Martin Mariano Celiz Kris M. Fetiza Giu Martinez Jewel Ruther Miraña Ryan Reyes Leila Simon Editor-in-Chief Mina Mata Associate Editor Joachim S. Melo Managing Editor Enrique B. Halili Design Executive Editor Alissa Evangelista
Photos Editors Stella Arenas Daryl D. Sy Photo Credits Inez Ponce De Leon, PhD Christopher K. Peabody Ceej Atienza Janine Balajadia Ria Nolido Christian Tiu Graphic Design Editors Jezzyrae B. Maglente Samantha Rose Ragaza
Illustrators Pau Lasala Franz Manlutac Julia Isabelle Yabut Gabrel Gaditano Layout Artist AJ Raymundo Cover Art Danelle Erin Natividad
A message from the O-Chairs WELCOME HOME! The past few years have been a challenge for everyone—we shifted to online learning and juggled various commitments alongside the unprecedented events that came our way. However, if there is one thing that the pandemic has taught us, it is that we must navigate gracefully through change, regardless of the obstacles we face. This remains true in university life as well. In the coming years, you will confront—and overcome— unpredictable environments and uncomfortable situations. More importantly, however, you will be surrounded by blessings in all shapes and sizes. As you begin this new journey, we encourage you to pay attention to the people and the experiences around you and allow these to be channels of hope, love, and joy. While the Ateneo and its community have so much to offer, what you make of the next four or five years is entirely up to you. For now, this OrSem is the first step you will take into your new home. That first step in itself is worth celebrating and being proud of. As upperclassmen, we want to extend our love and support to each and every one of you. Once again, congratulations and welcome to the Ateneo! Kasama niyong tumitindig, Gabriela Pinga and Matthew Gapuz OrSem 2022 Chairpersons
5
6
7
8
9
By Martin Mariano Celiz and Giu Martinez Page Design by Julia Isabelle Yabut
IT’S THE moment you’ve been waiting for. After two years in the online classroom, the Ateneo community has finally started the transition back to onsite learning. However, the jarring adjustments have made it clear that a standard rulebook on getting through college is impossible to create. Worry not, because your upperclassmen and faculty have got you covered with some words of wisdom to make it through your university journey! In this survival guide, Vantage asked a couple of professors and seniors what best college advice they would like to give to freshmen.
“Grades simply measure how well you did in the classroom. What you do with your learning after you leave the classroom is entirely up to you. So, focusing on your grades alone is a comfort zone—escape that comfort zone! Learn as much as you can: Take classes in new subjects that are completely out of your field of study, focus on learning rather than the numbers that come with classroom work, and always ask questions. Let college feed your joy at finding new universes of knowledge, and your grades will just follow.” — Inez Ponce De Leon, PhD; Associate Professor; LS Communication Department
“First, remember that the Ateneo is not only a great place to grow as a person, but also a place to build long-lasting friendships. Second, you are not alone. Get to know your Introduction to the Ateneo Culture and Traditions (InTACT) Homeroom Advisor and your InTACT Student Facilitator. They will help you throughout your stay in the Ateneo. Make it a point to reach out to batchmates, classmates, and especially teachers. We do appreciate it when you contact us, whether for help or just to talk. And remember to smile!” — Christopher K. Peabody, Faculty, LS Chemistry Department
“My best advice for surviving college is to slow down and have some fun! College only lasts four years and having good memories to look back to when you’re reminiscing with your barkada will be priceless. Attend that get together with your blockmates! Join that organization even if its app process seems tough! Have a night out after exams!”
“When it comes to taking notes for a subject, try to create a shared Google Docs file with some friends! Divide the parts of the lecture among each other so that each of you only takes notes for a small portion of the class. This way, you’ll be able to listen to your lecture and have complete access to your notes at the same time.”
— Christian Tiu, 4 BS PSY
— Janine Balajadia, 4 BS HS & AB DS
“Live day by day. It’s fun to look forward and plan for the future, but don’t forget to appreciate what’s happening right in front of you. My advice for you is to pause and breathe every once in a while.” — Ria Nolido, 4 BFA ID
“Use university as a launchpad—learn the foundations from your curriculum, then take them with you as you expand your growth in other opportunities! Orgs, internships, and side hustles will allow you to grow ten times faster because you’re faced with scenarios that test how you apply what you learn. Try not to limit yourself to your academics because exponential growth starts to come when you step out of your comfort zone and try something new.” — Ceej Atienza, 4 BS ITE
11
Best of both worlds By Kris Fetiza and Leila Simon Photos by Stella Louise Arenas
EVERY AUGUST, thousands of freshmen are welcomed into the Ateneo de Manila University through the Loyola Schools’ vibrant Orientation Seminar (OrSem). The annual event is a stepping stone for all freshies, and although it has sustained a slew of changes in the past years, OrSem continues to stand the test of time. As OrSem transitions to a hybrid set-up after two years online, the challenge now falls upon the shoulders of the OrSem Organizing Committee (OrCom) to innovate while keeping the tradition alive. This year’s OrSem theme, Tindig, is a challenge beckoning both organizers and freshies to stand firm and remain hopeful come what may. The past two OrSems, Tuloy and Tayo, focused on reimagining tradition and putting emphasis on togetherness despite adversity. Now, Ateneans are faced with the call of Tindig, a synthesis of the past two themes, urging them to press onwards through the unwarranted times that blanket the community with uncertainty. IT TAKES A VILLAGE Despite the challenge of preparing for the first hybrid OrSem, the OrCom persists in ensuring that freshies get that experience they deserve. “It’s
(OrSem) an event that only happens once in an Atenean’s journey, so we wanted to strike a balance between the traditions that OrSem has been having the past years, and at the same time innovate from there,” Entertainment Head Kyra Mallari shares. Thus, an overarching challenge for OrCom was to create a delicate balance between the old and the new. They had to ensure that online and onsite activities were not considered separate but integrated as one OrSem experience. “We (OrCom) don't want them to be fully immersed in the online set-up, and then experience culture shock when they’re suddenly on campus grounds,” Mallari reasons. Fortunately, a collective sentiment that all members of the OrCom share is that they have been well adjusted to the online systems based on their experiences in Tuloy and Tayo. With the tools and guidance they picked up along the way, they could properly pace all the gimmicks and activities in six days. Documentation and Publications (DNP) Head Gabrel Gaditano expresses his gratitude towards Tuloy’s OrCom for giving this year’s team a more organized framework to work with.
Now, most of the challenges for Tindig’s OrCom stem from the fact that the OrCom has to become more creative and innovative as they adjust and adapt to hybrid activities. “My Design team, for instance, is a larger group now. We needed a lot more manpower because we’re catering not just to online OrSem activities but to onsite initiatives as well,” Gaditano shared. It definitely takes a whole community—and a lot of heart— to carry out this year’s OrSem. For instance, the University administration was more involved in the planning process, especially with the onsite activities. They were particularly keen on having campus tours as a non-negotiable activity for the onsite days, and preparation for this entails filing paperwork and meeting with different departments. For the Entertainment Committee, Mallari recalls having to abide by changing protocols while still working around OrCom’s own timeline. Despite this, the heads are still appreciative of the administration’s trust in the team and letting them lead the entire project. Aside from time constraints, Logistics Head Alexa Abaya is also concerned about the safety of conducting activities and programs on
12 campus and following the COVID-19 protocols set by the University. As the backbone of OrSem, the Logistics Committee is in charge of streamlining communication with other committees, which includes ensuring that volunteers on the ground are well equipped for onsite work. There’s a large gap between hosting online and onsite activities as well, so Talks and Tours (TNT) Core Jose Buenaventura shares that his team has also been training volunteers to be at the top of their game. “Being a TNT [volunteer] online is different, because you’re sitting down and facilitating a Zoom call. Onsite, you’re expected to have good stamina,” he explains. As seniors, Abaya and Gaditano reiterate their concern about being the last batch of students who had an onsite OrSem experience. “There was a lot of handholding in the sense that we really needed to guide them (the lower batches of volunteers) and make sure they were aware of the different onsite protocols,” Abaya recalls. While inexperienced, each volunteer has demonstrated an undeniable sense of initiative that their heads are all too proud of. Gaditano commends all volunteers for always choosing to show up at work, knowing they all share the same vision of preserving the OrSem experience. “We wanted to impart our initial experience [with Silay] to not just the freshies, but also to our volunteers who weren’t able to experience OrSem onsite.”
These challenges reflect why Tindig was perhaps the most suitable theme for OrSem 2022. “It (the theme) doesn’t allude to anything in particular but it gives off a sentiment of assertiveness, which we thought was very important,” Mallari says. The preparations serve as a learning process for everyone involved in OrSem—from the OrCom to its volunteers. She hopes that Tindig serves to remind the freshies of their place in the Ateneo, regardless of any set-up. WARMING THE WELCOMING Constructing a hybrid OrSem is evidently no ordinary undertaking. Gaditano mentioned that his committee is performing twice the amount of work needed to make the event a success. “During [OrSem Silay] we had the printed freshie journal.
Then for the past two years we had online journals posted on our website. But since it's [a] hybrid [set-up], we had to do both at the same time.”While the onsite activities are a welcome return, there are still numerous volunteers and freshies in their respective home provinces. This is why Buenaventura states that if anything, he envisions an OrSem where both platforms are equally enjoyable. “We want to make sure that the freshies feel included. [They should] feel like they have a voice, and at the same time, also feel like they're heard, because we have to remember college is a big moment for them,” he says. Although some parts of OrSem’s program, such as O-Idol, are mainstays, OrCom and its group of volunteers have created ways to innovate these
13
segments without compromising these traditions. Buenaventura was full of pride while discussing how the TNT volunteers have created unique group dynamics and icebreakers (GDIBs) for the online setting in the past two years. For the hybrid setup, they’re also looking back at the previous GDIBs conducted onsite for inspiration. According to Mallari, the Entertainment Committee gathered insights from freshies and found that they wanted more activities that focus on interaction and synergy. Her committee decided to translate that evaluation into the O-Idol setup as well by creating a cross-talent round wherein dancers and singers can perform one piece together. Through this, the segment becomes much more diverse compared to its purely onsite iteration, as Abaya notes that O-Idol has also grown into a platform that showcases multiple talents such as digital illustration. A lot of work goes into making OrSem an event memorable for the rest of freshmen’s stay on campus.
“There's a lot of behind the scenes [work], discussions and arguments that happen that no one ever sees. They only just see the final product,” Abaya stresses. Many provisions and restructuring were made at the short amount of time the OrCom was afforded. Mallari admitted that while they are excited for everything they have in store for the freshies, the OrCom is still nervous over the freshmen’s reaction. “We don’t want to overload them with so much information about the Ateneo,” Mallari worries. Ultimately, integrating freshies well into the campus after two years online is their number one priority. Now, all focus goes towards showcasing that through Tindig, both volunteers and freshies can overcome any adversity despite the uncertainties of the new normal. IT’S THE ATENEO VERSION 2.0 Tindig as a theme goes beyond the grounds of OrSem. The past two years have left the Ateneo community with multiple
losses and what-could-have-beens, and the digital campus is now a fundamental part of the Ateneo experience. While the atmosphere will never be the same as it was back in 2019, the definition of home and the Ateneo has evolved to include the hybrid set-up. Throughout the incoming school year, every student and staff member will face uncharted waters as the Ateneo slowly approaches full operation after two years online. All throughout Katipunan, one will see signs of student life cropping up with every returning and incoming Atenean. As Abaya reflects on the merging of both the online and hybrid platforms, she says, “We’re trying to get the best of both worlds in making sure that the freshies have an enjoyable time— not only the freshies actually, but the volunteers as well, because they also put a lot of hard work into everything [they] do.”
THE FIRST day of school is always nerve-wracking—even more so when it’s been two years since we’ve had regular physical classes. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of articles that will make your transition from online to onsite as seamless as possible!
NO-FUSS NOTION
Notion can seem overwhelming, especially when you’re completely new to the application. This article will teach you the tips and tricks you need to maximize the free Premium Personal Plan that comes with your OBF account!
UNDERRATED STUDY SPACES ON CAMPUS
If Rizal Lib and Matteo Up are brimming with students on your next visit, you might want to check out these peaceful study places on campus!
ONLINE LEARNING DESK ESSENTIALS The online set-up is just as tricky to navigate as the actual Ateneo campus. These study desk essentials will make your life easier, though!
UNLEARNING TOXIC PRODUCTIVITY While there’s nothing wrong with being a girlboss or a hustler, you shouldn’t have to sacrifice your physical and mental health in pursuit of your goals. Here’s a reminder to take care of yourself! Written by Therese Garcia and Gabrielle I. Lombos Illustration by Pau Lasala
Illustration by Gabrel Gaditano Page design by Samantha Rose Ragaza
Page Design by Franz Manlutac