During highschool while I was in the degree of pondering the how’s of college life, I never had the Ateneo (in our location that is) as my school of choice. (So why am I here? later). Sadly, this school has stained reputation that seems to have been incripted in the minds of people outside its walls. I did not want to study in Ateneo because it’s the home of the conios, the social class and the social climbers, the rich kids and those who just define life as easy for them. Whenever you pass by its corridors, you can feel eyes all around you, judging your outfit, your face, your all that. Well, that was what they said. That is what I say now, too. From the first time I walked inside the campus, I immediately proved them real.

I am here because I needed a scholarship to get me to school. I have scouted everywhere, by my own self (thank you) and without the need of my parents, my teachers or anybody else’ aid. I went to places to apply, but I got the best offers from where I am now.

Nevertheless, I hate that I am one of them at present. Whether I like it or not, the definition of an Atenean to other people is as well already defined in me. People who look at my blue and white uniform look at me as if wanting to distance from me. You could see from their eyes that a message, and most probably a not-so-likable one is processing in their heads about you. Well not really about you, but since you wear that blue and white uniform, since you belong there now, then it’s also you.

My cousin, a HS junior at the same school where I graduated from, told me she hated Ateneo, because accordingly, it is Pugad ng Prostitusyon. Being one who stayed in this school, I got hurt with that, although not entirely, because being here told me it isn’t really real. I mean, yes, there are still the conios and the social climbers and the real social classes, but you can always find the people whom you can be with, and as long as you do not mind their (conios, et al) businesses then it’s not really too big a deal. Isa pa, a lot of beauties and rich students here are just better off with their cash and their faces. I have one silent thing better than them, and it’s my brain.

The Beacon magazine was released just today, instead of last month. In fact, it is already delayed and yet they added to the crap by not producing copies enough for the student body. I actually didn’t get a copy myself, and I had to resort to borrowing one from my classmate who happens to have it but is not actually interested with it.

So what is the deal with Beacon? It’s not the copies. It’s because of an article that proved cases of prostitution in school. How shameful could that be. Mabuti sana if the reason was to get a good education. I mean, why don’t you just read:

“Gusto ko talagang mag-aral dito kasi you know, sikat, di tulad nung dati kong school (laughs). Eh, mahal ang tuition fee, di naman kaya ng parents ko kaya nung nakita ko yung kapitbahay ko, nagtatrabaho di siya sa bar kaya naisipan ko, why not? Ambisyosa ako, eh.” - *Erin

Isn’t that a shallow reason? And it isn’t that a good enough proof of this school’s distorted reputation, that it draws a bunch of students because of it’s mere kasikatan, because it is Ateneo, because rich kids study here? And isn’t this statement enough to assert that really, one day this school could be a nest for prostitutes?

I do not want to conclude that it’s just because of ambition. I cannot blame them for doing it dahil mahirap nga naman talaga ang daloy ng pera ngayon. But I would have raised my respect for these people if they do it because they really want the EDUCATION. The Ateneo Education, far from just the mere satisfaction of their luho’s.

If they were in it because they thirst for knowledge, wisdom, and learning itself, I daresay I respect them far more than those who study in our school because they are rich and they just wanted to flaunt it around the campus, with their brains sleeping. But to feed some desires that are least significant, tangible, and can be stolen by any means, to appear as someone they aren’t, well…