I.M.U., DLSU

You may not yet realize it, but you just might miss your alma mater someday.

In the next few years, most of the current student body will have donned their togas, marched in PICC, and be thrown into what people like to call the “real world”. If you think that you won’t miss Taft Avenue when you leave, then let these alumni tell the tale, for one way or another, your heart will want to return to the house the Animo built.

La Salle through the years  

Mon Montemayor entered DLSU in 2004 as a Marketing major. Coming from an all-girl high school, she recounts that college felt “different” for her, but recalls enjoying her time at DLSU for its fun environment and culture. Even though it has only been a little over ten years since she was a freshman at DLSU, she shares that there have already been a lot of major changes in DLSU compared to when she was a student.

During her time, DLSU followed a different weekly scheme, which required students to attend school five days a week. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, there would be one-hour classes. On the other hand, on Tuesdays and Fridays, classes would be longer, lasting one hour and 30 minutes per session.

Mon also shares that back in her day, her friends would spend time at Agno and the conservatory buildings, which were the popular tambayans in between classes. “We meet up there, we supposedly study, but we end up talking,” she reminisces.

The North and South Conservatories of DLSU have since been demolished to restore open space in front of the iconic St. La Salle Hall, and Agno has since been refurbished, turning from a small eskinita into an actual establishment filled with food stalls. However, even with these changes, Mon shares, “There are stories within those places. There are memories you get from those places.”

Eliza Tan graduated with a degree in Literature back in 2013. When she was an undergrad, she shares that DLSU had a homey and relaxing feel to it. Throughout her stay, DLSU’s landscape had been changing as well, with the major changes being the transformation of the football field into a construction site, which eventually turned into the Henry Sy Sr. Hall.

In addition, she also saw the division of the College of Business and Economics (CBE) into the School of Economics and the College of Business. Even Agno and the University Mall transformed during her time in DLSU.

Like Eliza, Adie Pieraz, who was an ID 109 student who majored in Applied Economics, recounts experiencing many transitions that happened in the University. In addition to the change from having six to four school days in a week and the creation of the School of Economics, Adie also remembers the transition from a Student Council to the University Student Government—and being part of the political party that spearheaded the change.

Missing (DLS)U

It may take years after graduation for Lasallians to long for a return to their alma mater, but for certain students, it takes much less than that. Take Renz Cheng for example. Renz graduated with degrees in both Economics and Accountancy back in February of last year and he’s already missing Taft Avenue.

“What I missed the most about DLSU was the relatively carefree life where the only thing you need to worry about is passing the subjects… I also miss those times when I could get home at 2:40pm, and of course the Freeday Friday. Along with these things, I really miss my blockmates (although I get to see them from time to time, since some of them work in the same firm),” shares Renz, who now works as an associate at an audit firm with a side of food blogging.

Mon, on the other hand, misses her friends the most, sharing that food, academics, and culture are all a close second. “It’s really the friends. What I like the most about La Salle compared to other schools is you change your classes every [trimester]. It’s not a block schedule so you get to meet people from upper batch, lower batch, and people from other courses. So it’s really, parang, you get to meet a lot of people and you really get a lot of friends unlike other people na they only know their blockmates.”

Memories 

Given the number of years spent in college, Lasallian alumni certainly experienced a whole lot during their years within the walls of DLSU.

Renz recalls a few memories that were both memorable and meaningful to him. “When we speak of memorable, I guess that will be the time when I got a 4.0 GPA during the first term of my terminal year. (And no, it was a 13.5 unit term, so it still counts.) However, when we speak of meaningful, I guess it would be the time I attempted to take [a] seat in the batch government, and failed. That’s when I realized that failure does not define me, but instead serves as an opportunity to propel myself up and achieve bigger things.”

Arguably, two of the most memorable periods in college, whether good or bad, will be a student’s thesis term, as well as their final term. It should then come as no surprise that for Eliza, her last term—which was also the term she was finishing her thesis—was a time in DLSU she will never forget. “I spent most of my time in the (old) library. It was the term that I got to challenge myself more… [The library] used to have desks facing away from the shelves, towards the window, so I would really ‘get in the zone’ studying.”

One particular memory that stands out for Mon is her time spent at Cebu with her classmates for her Marketing Hospitality subject. She shares that it was a fun experience, and recalls that her class was the first to undergo such an excursion. On the other hand, for Adie, learning from two of her professors—Antonio Contreras and Angelo Unite—made for some of her most memorable experiences in college.

With this, it is safe to say that these alumni really did enjoy their time as students and are nostalgic about their time in school. Mon leaves a simple message to the students of DLSU. “Enjoy it [and] make the most of your three years,” she says, advising students to meet as many people as they can, to study hard, and to make memories. “You think [three years] will take forever, but [it won’t].”

Renz echoes the same sentiments. “Enjoy [college] while it lasts, and never take it for granted,” he shares. Regarding preparing for life after college, Renz leaves this piece of advice: “Just make the best out of college and you’ll be perfectly fine.”

Maybe it’s time for things to slow down a bit. After all, the distance from LPEP to PICC may seem long, but it takes only a blink of an eye to get from one end to the other.