It is said as human beings we do change, grow, adapt, and perhaps even learn and become wiser. All the experiences we have gathered contribute to how we are today. Christianne De Vera experienced this first hand as she shifted her colors to Green.
De Vera was a member of the St. Scholastica Manila swimming team where she garnered a bounty of medals during her stay. She competed in various events such as the WNCAA, Philippine Olympic Festival, Milo Little Olympics, and Palarong Maynila. Moreover, her hard work and determination led her to be named as team captain of their swimming team during her senior year.
De Vera also excelled academically during her Scholastican days where she was a consistent honor student. She graduated from St. Scholastica with numerous awards in academics and sports, and in other extra-curricular activities.
Fresh out of high school, De Vera chose to take up Communication Arts at the University of the Philippines, Baguio. According to De Vera, it was in UP where she really matured as a person. Conditions like living without her family, a simple lifestyle in the highlands, and a demanding student life, all contributed to De Vera’s unfolding. “I can say that there are more distractions in La Salle than in Baguio. In Baguio there’s very few, that’s why there’s plenty of time for me to just focus on my studies,” says De Vera.
Unlike in high school, De Vera did not pursue swimming initially in college. She explains, “I lived in Baguio, that’s why my parents didn’t allow me to join any orgs, but it was fun because I had to live alone and I also stopped swimming, so I had time to go out with friends.”
As a Fighting Maroon, she continued to flourish and eventually became a University scholar. She explained that the scholarship was really her goal and she regarded that as one of her best accomplishments in life so far.
With the experiences and achievements she garnered in UP Baguio, it seemed as if it was very unlikely for her to ever leave the highlands. However, under her own liking and minor influences from friends, she decided to return to Manila.
De Vera chose to transfer to La Salle, which is the most convenient to her, location wise. “Madaming nagsasabi I transferred because I failed, pangasar daw nila. I transferred because I feel that my life’s more balanced here in Manila compared to Baguio,” claims De Vera.
De Vera was hesitant at first in joining the DLSU Lady Tankers, but her passion for the sport and after her friends egged her on, she decided to give it another try. “I missed swimming, the training and everything about it,” says De Vera.
As of now, the Lady Tanker is taking up European Studies and is expecting to graduate by next school year. She has been a consistent Dean’s Lister since transferring schools. She concludes by saying, “UP gave me a head start on independence while DLSU taught me to trust and be more open. I’m happy where I am today, and as much as there are doubters, there are those that I want to prove right for believing that I made the right decision.”
