All I needed to learn, I learned in UP Los Baños

Had it not been for Tatay, I would not have studied at UPLB.  He brought our whole family to Los Baños with the thought of giving his children the best education he could give. I had told him I wanted to be a nun and get into a Catholic school; he wouldn’t hear of it and told me he would not support me if I insisted. 

Now I am grateful for his persistence, as I realized later that I got the best education I could ever have.

Here are some of the things I learned from UP in Los Baños:

1. The choices we make define what we will become.

In 1977, I was one of UP Rural High School’s 77 graduates who took up the UP College Admissions Test (UPCAT). I got admitted to UP Diliman (first choice was BS Psychology). However, my father, who was then planning to work abroad, advised me to stay in Los Baños with our family, so I settled on BS Development Communication, majoring in Educational/Audiovisual Communication. This choice later opened venues for me to work in communication and management in an international institute, an academic institution, a non-government office, and a business establishment.

2. Determination, hard work, and persistence are important factors to reach one’s goals.

I was among the first batch of student assistants employed by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). I had to learn how to prioritize my heavy academic requirements alongside work deadlines at IRRI. As I worked in the audiovisual section, I learned in advance what my UPLB professors taught about communication materials production. I also got hands-on experience using IRRI’s modern facilities that were not yet readily available in DevCom at the time.

3. We reap what we sow.

The DevCom curriculum then required us to take about 24 units of technical courses because we needed adequate knowledge on subject matters we would be communicating later. DevCom then was still a department under the College of Agriculture, so many of us minored in agriculture. In our crop production courses, we really worked and maintained plots in the field. We were muddied and soiled, perspiring under the heat of the sun. The thing I enjoyed the most was relishing the fruits of our harvest. We cooked our corn harvest and ate them in class.

4. When all else fails, try using the hot electric iron.

In our crop protection course, we were required not only to memorize scientific names of pests and weeds, but also to submit dried and mounted specimens at the end of the semester. I discovered too late that I did not have enough weed specimens near the deadline! Hence, I went to the fields, gathered all the weeds I could (Mimosa pudica, Amaranthus spinosus, monochoria vaginalis, etc.) and simply ironed them! They were fresh and green, but they smelled “dried” after some time. My professor gave me a passing grade on the subject. Did he notice the instant drying technique I used? I’ll never know!

5. Climb mountains. See things from a different perspective, but be on time.

Our forest ecology class allowed us to go mountain hiking, surveying deforested areas, and talking to indigenous community folks residing in those mountainous areas. Those expeditions opened my eyes to realities outside our classrooms. One time, because of overtime work, I woke up late and missed the bus going up to one of the mountains in Quezon province. I tried to run after my classmates but ended up getting lost somewhere between Tiaong and Sariaya. Feeling defeated, I went home alone, the same way I came.

6. Use all your senses. Be observant. Be alert all the time.

That’s what Prof. Antonio Moran drilled into us in our introductory journalism class. “A good journalist is observant!” Prof. Moran said. “You should use all your senses. Be alert all the time.”

He barely finished his last sentence when suddenly a man barged in. Holding a gun point blank at him, the man pulled the trigger three times. Bang! Bang! Bang!

Speechless. Dumbfounded. We were all silent. Eyes and mouths opened wide. For what seemed an eternity we all stared at Prof. Moran’s lifeless form lying on the floor. Nobody moved. Nobody spoke.

Except Prof. Moran. He suddenly stood up and, with a loud voice, exclaimed, “Okay, class, get one half sheet of paper and write what you actually saw!”

In our next meeting, Prof. Moran handed to us his article detailing the “demonstration class” he had conducted for us. He mentioned that all of us gave varied details on how the man looked, what he wore, the kind of gun he used. Not one of us got any of the facts straight.

Except for one thing.

The number of gunshots! We all got that right: three shots!

This experience taught me to think rationally, gather accurate information despite stressful situations, pressures and distractions.

7. Get inspired by others’ accomplishments.

I am awed by the way my DevCom classmates excelled in their respective fields. Stella Casal now heads the UPLB Office of Public Relations; Serlie Jamias is now chair of the Science Communication Department; Emerita Barile leads the Communication Office of the Forest Products Research and Development Institute; Leo Alcantara works in the Office of the President at Malacañang; and Katherine Lopez is now a Communication Specialist at the Institute of Tropical Agriculture in Nigeria.

8. Seek to please God.

I found out I didn’t have to be a nun to get close to God. It’s just a matter of having a personal relationship with Him. I learned the value of seeking God first, which has helped me stay afloat in critical times.

9. Plant a tree. Write a book. Rear a child.

It has been said that these are the things that will make you feel accomplished and fulfilled. I am grateful that my UP background allowed me to accomplish such things.

I am more than fulfilled since all I needed to learn I learned at UP in Los Baños. And I thank my dear Tatay for that!

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