FLORES, Roma Rico F.

Service Learning Program (SLP)

The orientation seminar was very boring. The presentations were so outdated and some of the
students there were so noisy talking to each other so I wasnt really able to grasp everything that
was delivered, but when the pictures of the previous CCD activities like the Reverse Caroling,
the Bahay Atenista, the Coastal Cleanup, and some feeding programs suddenly I had a flashback
of my Immersion days and realized the fact that there is more to life than Electronics
Engineering. I feel like the past 4 years I have been so consumed by my passion that is science
and engineering. I almost secluded myself from the life outside and indulged myself in learning.
You cant me blame though for it is only in science and mathematics that I have found the
satisfaction that I cannot see anywhere else. For 4 years, numbers and theories have been my
entire life until again that very day. Its like something was thrust in my heart, there was
something that opened my eyes again, something that whispered in my ears a life not shared
isnt a life at all. Then I started to ponder and this is where it all began.
The situation of the poor, I dont think is not the real problem here. Those that we deem to be
poor, though we see them as such, deep inside I think they are the ones who are truly rich
emotionally and spiritually. On the other hand we are the ones who are poor, because we cannot
be contented with that we have and we always blame God for the things we dont have instead of
thanking Him of all the blessings that He has given us. I think the situation of the poor is just
fine. It is just our perception that poor are unhappy and miserable, though it doesnt really mean
that we stop helping them in whatever ways we can. Not all are born to be rich, we should
understand that, but happiness is a choice and I think most of the poor in the barrios have chosen
to be happy despite their misery unlike most of us who are always complaining over the little
things and overseeing the many other things that they should be happy about.
On our Service Learning Program or SLP, we taught our crap, I mean craft, which is electronics
to those Senior High School students from the far-flung area of Calabanga National High School.
I am just an average student. I am not one of the most intelligent students in the class. I
sometimes even struggle in some of my subjects. I am not gifted with outrageous IQ, I am just a
hardworking student who loves to discover and learn new things. I always loved teaching,
though. I love sharing my knowledge to anyone, because I want them to see things the way I see
them. So, being right in front of the class and sharing my knowledge was almost natural to me
because I have always been passionate at teaching. No matter I do, I tend to always give my 110
percent, that is just who I am. Teaching becomes easy when you have students that are interested
with what you are talking about, it makes me all the more passionate and it inspires me to
perform much better at what I am doing. It was a really a great experience. I also listened to their
life stories during break sessions and came to realize many things about life and how blessed I
am today. These students made me think about who I once was in High School. Coming to
college, I was very confident of myself. Proud even. I thought that college was going to be just a
walk in the park. I guess I was right in one thing that is about the park, only that it was Jurassic
Park. My first and second year was just fine. I even helped other students who are struggling
with their algebra subjects. I have high ambitions for myself like being an officer in
organizations and always being a volunteer. The first four years in college, somehow I think I did
just that. I became the Internal Vice-president of Electronics Engineering Society, became an

ORSEM facilitator every year, ACP volunteer, ADSECOM volunteer during enrolment days, but
then, in almost 4 years of doing it, I grew tired. I never did what I did just for myself, I always
thought of the greater good. As an officer, I always thought of how I can make the life of my
fellow ECE students easier, but doing so, doing all these, I made my life harder for myself, until
such time that I thought maybe I should give more time for myself for now and that was my
greatest regret. Magis, that is what Ateneo has always been preaching since Day 1. Living life
with magis is addictive and suddenly to live a life without it almost made me feel so empty and
useless. The time I stopped caring for others was the time I started to live without magis and it
really consumed me. Because living with magis is living with God and a life without magis is a
life without God.
I think Ateneans are just made to be this way doing things with excellence and doing it for
others. There are many ways to help others especially the poor people but the most that we can
do for them is to empower them. Money is temporary, food is temporary, happiness is
temporary, but education is permanent and no one can steal that from them, and one way we can
help the poor truly is by giving them education and I dont think that I am the right person who
can do that, but it is you, the University and perhaps even the government. Not that we dont
want to help the poor but because there are institutions that are more capable of doing something
greater than what we can do collectively. So, please stop giving us this burden of what we should
do to help the poor but instead give those poor but deserving students the kind of education that
they truly deserve perhaps more than what most students of this university does.
Practice what you preach. Dont challenge me, challenge yourself; unless Ateneo is just one big
business teaching us things and principles they cannot live themselves.