True Blue, Through and Through
by Kevin R. Calderon, Alexis M. Dy, Bernice S. Sibucao on June 18, 2011
Die-hard Atenean. Often, what comes to mind is the mental image of a person clad in blue, enthusiastically cheering in a game at the Araneta Coliseum. This is probably the easiest, most overt display of support and devotion to the Ateneo community, but it is hardly an all-encompassing stereotype.
Based on the stories of these five people, being a true blue individual isn’t just about wearing a shirt of the same color and shouting your heart out, among others. For them, it’s about instilling the right values and forming the minds of students. With an Ateneo education to boot, they have chosen to pursue their careers of service within the parameters of the Loyola Schools.
Photo by Sarah N. Aquino
Pamela Joy “PJ” Mariano
MA in Philosophy ’11, AB Philosophy ’04, Program Officer for Volunteer Service at the Jesuit Volunteers Philippines Foundation, Inc., Part-time Lecturer in the Department of Philosophy.
When asked on how she is an Atenean, PJ Mariano hesitates. “If it’s a qualitative question, it involves discussing what it means to be Atenean in the first place, and why I consider myself belonging to the category,” she muses.
From that first answer, the interview is characteristically PJ: passionate, deliberate, and suffused with insight that gives away her college degree. These attributes come in handy in her work as a lecturer with the Philosophy Department and as a Program Officer for Volunteer Service at the Jesuit Volunteers Philippines Foundation, Inc. (JVP).
“JVP was a childhood dream of mine,” PJ says of the organization that sends volunteers to work in under-resourced NGOs, schools and parishes. “When I was about nine, there was a PLDT TV commercial which featured a volunteer who worked with Aetas as a literacy facilitator. I remembered thinking, ‘I want to do that.’”
She believes that the beauty of Ignatian education is that it encourages students to follow their hearts. “It is through your heart that God makes Himself manifest,” she says.
PJ claims that the contact with people who are hopeful about the future of the country is what drives her to continue teaching in the Ateneo. “I often tell my students to always remember that the root word of university is ‘universe’. There’s an entire universe of the Ateneo outside the Loyola Schools, and sometimes it still floors me—how my work puts me in the same geographic location as people who are at the cutting edge of knowledge and social development,” she says.
PJ doesn’t seem to consider herself to be in this league just yet, but she nonetheless finds passion in service, as manifested through JVP and her instruction of philosophy to young minds.
Photo by Migi C. Soriano
Dino Galvey
Interdisciplinary Studies, Tracks in Communication and Information Design ‘09, Student Affairs Professional, Loyola Schools Office of Student Activities (OSA).
Dino Galvey initially geared his creative skills towards the advertising industry. However, he says, “By the end of my 3rd year in the Loyola Schools, I got to experience a whole lot more from college that probably changed my whole outlook in terms of career.”
After graduation, Dino eventually decided to go back to the familiar setting of the Ateneo to work for OSA.
“I had nothing to lose anyway. I was simply going back home, back in the Ateneo. Formation wasn’t my forte, but I knew I had the experience from the [Freshmen Orientation Seminar Talks and Tours core group] to do training and project management,” he says.
Dino seeks fulfillment in utilizing creativity to open other people’s minds and see God in all things. “I was banking on my ACIL experience to inject some life into the dying formative aspect of student leadership in the minds of current students,” he adds.
Wherever one works, the calling is the same, as Dino sees it. “We use terms like magis, Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, The Ateneo Way and Cura Personalis, but it basically sends the same message: Use and hone your skills, knowledge, and goodness to do things that can affect and/or better the lives of others,” he advises.
Photo by Sarah N. Aquino
Michael Jacinto “Cholo” F. Mallillin
AB Communication Arts ’91, Assistant to the ADSA for Services (2009-present), Former Project Officer for OSA’s Cultural Affairs Office (1992-1994), Filipino Instructor in Ateneo High School (1991-1992), Bukas Palad Music Ministry choir Tenor (1988-present).
Although Cholo Mallillin has been an employee in ADSA for almost two years now, he has been an Atenean for all his life.
Having studied in the Ateneo since prep, Cholo is also a tenor in Bukas Palad, and has worked in several departments of the Ateneo. As far as his educational and employment affiliations are concerned, Cholo’s relationship with the Ateneo has been a deep and meaningful one.
It all started with a realization after he left his alma mater—he needed to have a deeper connection to the Jesuit tradition.
For awhile, he worked in media, insurance and telecom industries only to find that a corporate job wasn’t his calling after all. “[I eventually] found myself searching for the connection I used to have with the school,” he shares.
Cholo eventually accepted a teaching position in the Ateneo High School that allowed him to rediscover his roots and work on the one thing he is really passionate about—shaping young people’s minds.
“That’s where I got most happiness from: interacting with kids and helping them find their own vision in life,” he says. By working with the students, he hopes to rediscover the Ateneo he grew up in, where “people knew the Prayer for Generosity by heart.”
According to Cholo, the Prayer for Generosity is what ultimately defines being a true blue Atenean.
“To give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, and all that’s in the Prayer for Generosity—[the true blue Atenean] embeds that [in himself or herself] and lives it,” he says.
Photo by Sarah N. Aquino
Richardson “Richard” C. Gialogo
BS Management Information Systems ’96, Head Coach of the Ateneo Arnis Varsity (1998-present), Faculty Member of the Physical Education Department (1998 to present), Moderator and Instructor of the Ateneo High Arnis Society (1997 to present).
“My definition of a true blue Atenean is [one who is] very idealistic. [He] will adhere to his own personal beliefs and fights for his principles. I may not even quantify to be one as per my definition,” says Coach Richard Gialogo.
In every start of the semester, Coach Richard would proudly tell his PE students that he has been in the Ateneo since his grade school days. A BS MIS graduate in 1996, he chose to stay in the school to teach Arnis so as to accomplish a personal mission—the promotion of nationalism.
“When I was studying Arnis, it was already considered as a dying art in the Philippines,” he says. “I said to myself that I will try to help in propagating this indigenous martial art and I will do my best to excel in it.”
After 15 years, Coach Richard has made vast progress. He is currently the president of the Kali Arnis Martial Arts Foundation and was the former coach of the Philippine National Arnis Team. With regards to the propagation of the sport—his personal mission—his efforts have proven fruitful and successful.
“I drafted the bill declaring Arnis as the national martial art and sport of the Philippines,” he shares. The Arnis bill, or now Republic Act no. 9850, was signed into law on December 11, 2009.
For someone who fought for his ideals by the revival of an increasingly overlooked sport, Coach Richard was able to prove that true blue bloods are those who not only excel but also give back to the community.
Photo by Sarah N. Aquino
Aldo Tong
Master of Applied Mathematics, Major in Mathematical Finance ‘10, BS Applied Mathematics, Major in Mathematical Finance ’09, Instructor in Finance & Accounting Department, Head Coach of the Grade School Swimming Team.
I’m not actually Atenean [through and through],” says Aldo Tong. “The thing is, I graduated from Xavier School. It’s not really about starting in the Ateneo [though], but coming from Jesuit formation. [All in all, I came from] 19 years of Jesuit formation since nursery.”
Teaching is the primary reason why he decided to stay in the Ateneo. After being part of Para Kay Kiko, an instructional program in high school, he eventually utilized his teaching experience in the Ateneo.
“After I graduated, I would expect someone to offer me a job [right away], but that didn’t happen so soon. It was only during the sesquicentennial celebration when I was offered to teach. Ultimately, I decided to go for a career of service,” Aldo explains.
Back in his undergraduate days, Aldo also maintained an active org life other than being part of the varsity swimming team. Aside from being the OrSem head in his final year, he was also part of the Sanggunian, Blue Roast, Ateneo Aegis, Ateneo Mathematics Society and Ateneo Celadon.
Even while already being one of the youngest teachers in the Finance & Accounting Department, Aldo still has to balance his time, since he also coaches the Ateneo Grade School swimming varsity. At a tender age of 24, it is almost certain that this man’s blue-blooded legacy has only just begun.
