Previously appointed as the college president of the Br. Andrew Gonzalez FSC College of Education (BAGCED), Ven Lahoz of Alyansang Tapat sa Lasallista (Tapat) is running to continue in the role. Building on her experience, she hopes to foster student engagement and expand academic opportunities for her constituents as the college strives to fight for education rights in the country.
The LaSallian: What characteristics do you think a College President should embody? In what ways do you see those qualities reflected in yourself, especially in serving BAGCED?
Lahoz: A characteristic would be conviction. As BAGCED students, it’s very often that we get ignored, get sidelined. As a college president, we have to have conviction [when] fighting [for] students’ rights. We’re fighting for your classmates’ rights, you’re fighting for [the] right to education even.
The LaSallian: What were your previous experiences that make you think you are qualified for this position? How will you use these experiences to serve the student body?
Lahoz: I was [the] deputy director for student services under CGE (College Government of Education), and it handed me the opportunity to talk [to] BAGCED students with concerns and…assist them where they feel not recognized. I also served as OIC (officer-in-charge) BAGCED College President, [which] widened my reach. From there, I got to know more of the internal processes, being able to coordinate with the admin and at the same time touch more lives in BAGCED.
The LaSallian: What specific strategies would you implement to encourage participation and collaboration for students to become more active, particularly during USG elections and university-wide activities?
Lahoz: First, bakit nga ba may pagka-disconnect or parang ayaw na ng students na mag-vote? They feel…depleted, [and] they feel that even if they vote, walang nakikinig sa kanila [at] hindi nare-resolve ‘yung mga issue nila. I will encourage students to vote by showing them that change can happen. I can showcase that through proper coordination with the admin as well as fulfilling the promises that I have to really showcase that [their] vote won’t go to waste, and it will go to the USG (University Student Government) [who] will support that.
The LaSallian: Do you think the current CGE has been effective in implementing its initiatives? How will you ensure that your fellow BAGCED students remain aware of these initiatives, such as the EduAccess CGE Hub?
Lahoz: So far, with the incredible leadership, we were able to implement projects that really cater to the needs of [education] students. BAGCED is a very small college, [and] information dissemination is not that much of a struggle since very close-knitted ‘yung college namin. So a way to ensure that they are still reminded of the initiatives…constantly messaging in the respective [group chats] that these projects exist for them, and as well as simply following through [with] the projects.
The LaSallian: BAGCED is viewed as the “easiest college to get into” in DLSU. What are your thoughts on this, and how do you plan to address this perception of the college’s image?
Lahoz: With the notion that BAGCED is the easiest college to get into, I would like to say that it disregards the power of educators. Education is [the] foundation of everything that is being built in the Philippines. [This is also] an understatement of the power our college holds and the capability it has. I would like to present BAGCED as a college that is able to show up. We are constantly being ignored and sidelined, so simply showing up gives the idea that BAGCED is here and [that] we are here to take up space, we are here to help you, [and] we are here to uplift you.
The LaSallian: Despite being one of the smallest colleges, BAGCED students raise that there are not enough spaces for community-building within the college. How do you envision contributing to a more tight-knit environment that supports academic and professional growth within your college?
Lahoz: I have a platform that I wish to implement which is “Education BAGCED Get-together” [and] this is a month-long celebration of BAGCED’s uniqueness. Here, we are going to have a get-together night…as well as [our] BRAG (Br. Andrew Gonzalez Awards). It was implemented before and I plan to implement it now to bring our college closer together…We will get the professors of the subjects that are being offered this term, and from there, we are going to get the best output from those classes and will then be given an award for BRAG awards…because recognition is important in recognizing academic effort.
The LaSallian: What will be your strategies in ensuring that BAGCED students will be interested to join this get-together—ano ‘yung magiging way mo para kumbinsihin sila?
Lahoz: We can always start small with our simple GAs (general assemblies) in our college unit and our batch units. From there, we are able to start from a grassroots system. We start small and then later on, bring in something more. That’s why it’s at the end of the term, because it gives us [a] sufficient amount of time to bond and get to know each other more.
The LaSallian: What new systems or projects do you have in mind that could provide more avenues for the pressing needs of your fellow students?
Lahoz: Another platform of mine is “EDventurous Career Opportunities” for CED, so in this project, since we mainly notice that job expos would mainly cater to COB (Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business) students. We want to connect BAGCED students to opportunities, even opportunities they are not aware of, such as internships and fellowship programs that could boost their resumes and boost their skills.
The LaSallian: Would you say that CED doesn’t have enough internship and fellowship opportunities for BAGCED, or are you only trying to look for more opportunities but there are already existing ones?
Lahoz: I would say that there are existing opportunities that haven’t been tapped, because for context na rin, we have a field study subject and we were very much limited with our choices of where we can [have our] field study. Upon researching other schools, it really is an untouched world for BAGCED students.
The LaSallian: As future educators, how do you see the country’s education system developing in the next few years? How do you see your college standing against the emerging challenges and innovations in the education field, such as artificial intelligence and lack of funding?
Lahoz: In the next few years, with how the government is recommending [the] removal of GE (general education) subjects, I would say it’s quite depressing to see the future of education like this and to be placed in the hands of people who disregard and undermine it. One thing about BAGCED is the passion that keeps the college alive [na] kahit minamaliit [at] sina-sideline, nandoon pa rin yung passion namin to fight for everyone’s right to education [and] uplift education in the Philippines. In addressing AI (artificial intelligence), we acknowledge it as assistance but not [as] our main brain, because if we choose to utilize it as our main source of information, it will deplete the education system that we try to fight for. Additionally, for the lack of funding, there is always the option for partnerships and working together with organizations that have the same cause as us.
The LaSallian: Since we are going through a lot of things in terms of the Philippine government, especially in the education system, how would you want your college to respond to this, and how will you ensure that BAGCED students are aware of these pressing issues in the education system?
Lahoz: As I mentioned, a characteristic that I have as a leader is conviction. Having advocacies without conviction is useless, and actually, one of EDGE2024’s projects include addressing problems in the educational sectors so that everyone in BAGCED, even those beyond our college, are informed of the challenges in the educational sectors.
The LaSallian: What specific value or advocacy do you plan to champion the most in the role of BAGCED College President? How will you motivate your fellow students to practice the same value or advocacy throughout your term?
Lahoz: I would say accessible education, because a lot of BAGCED students were fighting for other students’ rights to education. We know how unequal access to education is, so we continue to fight for it. Being in BAGCED, I came to realize [that] you don’t even have to push much for them to have an advocacy for accessible education because it is really such a shared advocacy amongst us and that’s what unites us together.
The LaSallian: As future educators and not just as someone who is running for college president, what specific value should a future educator embody?
Lahoz: A future educator should embody conviction talaga, because again, advocacy without conviction is useless. You’re supposed to be able to champion for everyone’s right to accessible education.
This interview was edited for length and clarity.
