Lessons Beyond Lessons – What Ateneo’s Holistic Educations Means
As he goes down from the hill, scholar, student leader, and Program Awardee for Management Economics Jubert Calamba shares what Ateneo’s promise of holistic education really means.
A few days ago, an incoming financial aid scholar from Occidental Mindoro messaged me to help him answer his apprehensions about studying in Ateneo. Our conversation started with basic questions regarding the scholarship coverage and the cost of learning in the university. Later on, he asked about the common stereotypes about Ateneans and the school's relationship with the students. I clarified these concerns, and he then asked me about the workload, the community, and the general feeling of being a scholar. To be honest, I was caught off guard with these questions. Suddenly, it made me take a quick look back and reflect on my entire life as a scholar. The first thing that came to my mind and the exact words that I replied to him was, "I enjoyed my stay."
These words made me reflect for days. I looked back at my stay in the Loyola Schools and asked myself what made me appreciate it so much. What is so special about Ateneo that even though I experienced a lot of hardships during my stay, I still see it as one, if not the most, integral aspect of my upbringing? In the beginning, I attributed it to Ateneo Gabay and the people that I have met in the organization. However, I recognized that the education that I received was a factor, too. I also remembered my majors plus the humanities and social sciences classes that I had to take. In the end, I thought that it was the entire package - Ateneo's holistic education.
This is very ironic. When I entered Loyola Schools four years ago, I thought that ‘holistic education’ was just a marketing gimmick. I was one of those students who did not appreciate the fact that we have to take 12 units of Philosophy, 12 units of Theology, and additional units for other core subjects. This view started to change when I took my first Theology class under Fr. Francis Alvarez SJ. Even though I did not enjoy his mandatory recitations, I remember being mind blown every after class. The things I thought I knew about Catholicism and faith, in general, apparently had profound explanations. This experience made me seek other "legendary" instructors of the humanities in the university, such as Fr. Dacanay SJ, Sir Bobby Guev, and Doc Gus.
During this time, I decided to dedicate myself to one student organization, Ateneo Gabay. As a scholar and a previous public elementary school student, I had a natural inclination to the organization. During my sophomore year, I spent my Saturdays teaching Math and English to Grades 5 and 6 students of Industrial Valley Elementary School in Marikina and Holy Spirit Elementary School in Quezon City. Looking back, I cannot help but see my situation, then, to be very difficult. After five days of academics, I decided to dedicate my Saturdays to teaching instead of resting or doing my requirements. However, towards the end of that year, a post of one of our students made all my efforts worthwhile. This kid shared my profile picture and thanked me for teaching them for one year. It was a very simple gesture, but one that completely changed me. This was when I decided to become a student leader.
I ran and became the Finance Officer of Ateneo Gabay when I was in my third year. It was also at this time when I took more classes related to my major and humanities. I would say that the experience of being a student leader while taking management, economics, and humanities subjects was the pinnacle of my Atenean holistic education. I used the things I learned in my management classes to function as an organization leader and finance officer. On the other hand, taking Philosophy and Economics classes at the same time allowed us, my batchmates, to remind ourselves that even though we often discuss figures and economic terms, the things we study have profound implications in the real world. A 0.1% increase in the unemployment rate, for example, could be seen as minuscule and something to be ignored. However, through Ateneo's social involvement programs and through the Philosophy classes that I took, I gained a deepened appreciation of the human person. As an economics major, it allowed me to go beyond the numbers and understand that behind these figures, there are actual people affected by these movements in the economy.
The real-life applications of the things we study in classrooms, the humanization of my college major, the understanding of our social realities, and the reflections I did about my beliefs because of other humanities and social sciences subjects transformed me. It was at this time when I realized what holistic education meant. This time, I started to defend core subjects to the students who once hated it, like freshie me.
This experience and transformative powers of Ateneo's holistic education became more apparent when the pandemic struck. A lot of changes and adjustments had to be made for us to continue our way of living. In Ateneo, the classes had to be held online. Student organizations, for instance, had to be creative to continue engaging our members and sectors. I became the President of Ateneo Gabay and interim Scholars' Sector Representative, serving in our Sanggunian during my final year in Ateneo. I never thought that I would see myself holding the highest position in my organization and representing the scholars in the university student council. That year was rough. Ateneo Gabay, Atenean scholars, and I faced a lot of challenges in the past school year. However, we tried to address these step by step.
We were also faced with many social realities that challenged us to go beyond the norm and reassess our fundamental beliefs. The situation of the students—where they have to study at home, the personal effects of the pandemic, and the multiple calamities we experience, broke the Ateneo bubble. It made me realize that even though we were experiencing holistic education back when we were still on campus, the experience was still detached from the "real world." In other words, the campus was a haven—a place for discourse, appreciation, and observation. When the pandemic disrupted our lives, the Ateneo education felt like a year-long OJT where after discussing social issues, we immediately saw them and their effects firsthand. This state made all of us very tired and angry, but it also made us aware of our responsibility in the world. This was when I witnessed more students and student organizations becoming vocal about political and social issues.
This is where we start our journey moving forward. More is expected from every Atenean. Some Ateneans often misconstrue going down the hill and becoming persons-for-others as mere donating or giving aid to the marginalized. This is shortsighted and something that baffles me given that we literally have a subject (Catholic Social Vision) for this telling us the opposite. Giving aid is only the first step. As privileged people, Ateneans should understand that their unique position in society warrants them to go beyond aid and use their money, fame, or network to advocate for grander social reforms benefiting more people in the long run. As a financial aid scholar, I do not have the same privileges as other Ateneans, but I know that I, in my ways, am also invited to contribute to nation-building.
I guess this is the answer. To the discerning scholar who messaged me a few days ago, this is why I enjoyed my stay. Through the generosity of various benefactors, my four years in the Loyola Schools allowed me to learn a lot, serve the scholars' community, teach public elementary school kids, and become a better human being. It allowed me to see the world from other perspectives and made me realize our responsibility to others. I enjoyed my stay. I hope you do, too.
