I love you, Ateneo.

I have no words to say except that graduation didn’t sink until after my Boracay trip with my friends. It was the morning when tears spilled, having realized that college won’t be in my reach anymore and memories are all I’m left with.

Memories of Ateneo.

Allow me to have a recap of the best years of my life and thank the people I’ve been blessed to share them with. 

FRESHMAN YEAR

If I could pick a year that I blissfully enjoyed, it would be Freshman Year. My days in the Ateneo Blue Babble Battalion will always have a precious place in my heart and I will be forever grateful.. not just for the most grueling trainings one could ever be tested in her whole entire life but for the opportunity that I was able to be friends with the fiercest and strongest people I’ve ever met, most importantly to Dyan, Grace and Katsy. I couldn’t have survived Freshman Year without you guys. I would always remember our Car Sessions before training, driving through Mcdo, exchanging stories (aka gossip) like we were on a road trip even just for 30 minutes. You were the best support system one could ever have in Babble.

To R12, most especially my English groupmates Jescia, Quinito and Bianca, I think about our feature article trip to Trinoma and our magazine project and remember how much of a great company you guys were. Thank you so much for the company.

SOPHOMORE YEAR

Let’s just say Sophomore Year was my least favorite. But I can’t go on without giving ACOMMpany – ACOMM Dance Crew a shoutout. You guys were the highlight of this year. Thank you for the company, Stef, Yoggie, Pia, Gwen, Vince, Isis, Deb, Kastsy and Elise.  Thank you also to Dan and Aldrin from UP STREET. All of you will always be my first rank skanks.

JUNIOR YEAR

Junior Year could probably be the most epic. It was the year that I met, got to talk to and even collaborated with my idols, the Philippine All Stars, and it was all thanks to Glow Boy Creatives.

The day that I learned the true meaning of awesome was the day when Glow Boy Creatives was founded. What we (my blockmates and I) first thought of as just a gig of sorts for us to practice our skills in Advertising and Video Production turned out to be a media creatives house that catered to the likes of multi-awarded dance crew, Philippine All Stars or UP JMA’s AD HOC and may have bagged a bunch of awards along the way. I can only imagine what the future holds for people like Nica del Rosario (rising singer/song writer) or Dindin Reyes (rising film director/writer) and hope we all won’t forget these words..

“Then you meet people like these, people who take the challenges of student life and take them one step further, people whose passions are so strong that they have no choice but to act on them; people who are endearingly unique, supremely talened and undeniably cool.” -Leon Caguioa

SENIOR YEAR

Senior Year seemed like a year that meant to stay, only to find out come 2nd semester that we were in for a senti fest more than we bargained for.

Of course, I couldn’t forget ACOMM, my home org who has made college as challenging as it was fulfilling. I can never forget our Planning & Evaluation Seminars (PlevSem) *ehem*, General Assemblies (GA’s) but most especially the good times  and laughs that came along with them. You people are the same reason why I’m so proud to be a Communication Major because other than you make fierce your middle name, you don’t forget to show how smart you guys are. To my fellow Executive Board, Bianca, Stef, Reema, Janyn and Idge, we can only hope to have taught our babies well (for now) and that we’ve trained them enough to survive the future. Thank you for everything. 🙂

To Insignia, you’ve taught me some valuable life lessons (like group ethics) enough for me to cherish them for the rest of my life, but most importantly, to cherish the times we shared aka trainings, long night rehearsals and dinners and how you helped me become a better dancer through everything. What the future looks for us may not be crystal clear now but one thing for certain is that I’ve found great friends in all of you and I know at the end of the day, that’s what matters.

If there were two things that remained constant throughout my college life, they would be Block A and Tibs. Words cannot describe how grateful I am to have met such amazing people. To Block A, you had me at hello back in OrSem 2007. I couldn’t ask for a better block. It didn’t take long for me to become a big admirer of your individual talents and skills. I’ve never met so many talented people in one group frankly speaking. I’m very thankful to have known you all. I know we’ve had our share of ups and downs but you should know that I think that all of you are amazing and I can bet that you will all be kicking ass in your own fields. I would like to give a shoutout to my Thesis groupmates, Ivy & Rache because if it weren’t for you both, I wouldn’t have made it out Thesis alive.

We did it!

And last but not the least, to Tibs, I can’t imagine going through college without you. Ironic since I also can’t imagine how we were able to stick through (aka how I survived you hehe just kidding) these whole four years. I know you’re going to Law School now and we have no idea what the future’s gonna bring for us but I go back to that day in Freshman Year when you told me and I find my happy place.

This has truly been an amazing rollercoaster ride. I remember my High School self and how I kept having dreams of being in Ateneo back then. Now that I graduated, I’ve returned to the same dream, wishing to go back and just stay. But as much as I would like for that dream to turn into my once-vivid reality,  the purpose of ever being in Ateneo was making it out and using the time you’ve put in there to finally actually start your life. I know I told myself that I wouldn’t get emotional about leaving Ateneo but I guess this school and all the memories attached to it will, I finally figured most expectedly find its way to scoop that most-awaited vale of tears. After all, it was best years of my life. The consolation that I now find to be at peace with was what my good friend, Peter told me. Tell yourself that you have Ateneo in you after all these years and that will give you hope. 

They weren’t lying when they said that college would be the best years of your life, you know.

Lauren Nicole Yap. 17 years old. June 9 Orsem 2007. Freshman.

Now, Graduate & Proud Atenista For Life.