| She treads the halls in a pair of sneakers, backpack strapped on both shoulders, and streaks of color in her hair. He enters the library with an air of familiarity, finds a comfortable spot, and flips through pages of assigned readings. They blend in so well, but sometimes, one just can�t help but take a second look.The Ateneo, as with most colleges and universities, has a good mix of them: young actors, actresses, commercial models, and celebrities who have stopped us in our tracks and made our heads turn. And truth be told, most of us are asking the same questions: Why study now?For love of studying. �Wala lang. [Studying] seems interesting,� says former soap opera princess Janice de Belen, 33, currently an AB Psychology freshman. �I�m fond of reading self-help books.�Janice began working in show business at 16, and admits that an �unfocused mind� prevented her from further pursuing her studies. However, she hasn�t lost touch with either school or her career. Aside from being a student and a mother, she is also a host of two shows, Sis and S-files.Adjusting is not much of a problem either, and Janice says that anyone can do just about anything if one has enough determination. �I can cope as a student. My workload is not as bad as it looks or as it sounds,� she says.Paolo Fabregas likewise tells us his love for what he is doing. Presently a sophomore taking up English Literature, he shares, �I like books, I like stories, I like science. I love studying, period.�But it�s not all studying for 24-year-old Paolo. Although academics is at the top of his priority list, he still manages to sneak in a few gigs and public appearances every now and then.�I do a lot of plays. I also host events, and I appear on TV once in a while.� He admits though that he misses the weekends, and wishes he had more time for work.Fitting right in. Just like every college student looking forward to a bright, assured future, both Janice and Paolo believe that a college degree can, in one way or another, bring people to places.�[My course] can be used in my job,� Janice explains. Although she has no future plans of pursuing a higher degree in psychology, she stresses how important people are in her line of work, and how her course might be of valuable help.Paolo equates a college education with security: �I didn�t really see that [my career] was going anywhere, as something long-lasting, or even feasible to raise a family on. So I realized that if I wanted to get security, I needed to get a college diploma.�While some Ateneans describe their college life as �tough� and �challenging,� Janice and Paolo think being a student is all about �fun� and �learning.�Janice relates that she enjoys the company of her block, which she describes as �a happy one.� She feels quite comfortable in the company of people many years her junior; her blockmates even invite her out to lunch at Katipunan. Having gone through OrSem herself, she has adjusted and familiarized herself with the campus, well enough to take on the challenges of an Ateneo education.Paolo, meanwhile, takes his studies very seriously that to say he likes all of his classes is an understatement. �I love going to class,� he shares with childlike excitement. Surprisingly, he describes himself as �mostly a loner� in school despite his being a celebrity. �I go to school to study, and socializing doesn�t necessarily come into a part of it.�Older and wiser. There haven�t been any major regrets so far. In fact, being in school the second time around seems even more meaningful and worthwhile for Paolo and Janice, who are both fueled with enthusiasm for life as a student.�What�s nice is that I�m now studying because it�s my choice. I come here not because my parents are forcing me. I�m trying to do it for myself,� Paolo shares.Janice believes that going back to school at this point in her life is doing her good. She sees more reason for studying again, and having focus and a keener sense of direction are among her main goals.Future plans. �Basta matapos ko lang ito. For now, pinaka-accomplishment ko would be to finish the course. To actually graduate,� Janice says with much resolve. Similarly, Paolo, who still dreams to be a physicist someday, would like to see the day when he finally gets to put on his toga.The opportunity for education and learning certainly chooses no time and no one. It is the student who chooses to make his or her mark, within and beyond the confines of the classroom. After all, the passion for learning and zest for life is but endowed to a willing few.Paolo isn�t one to give up easily: �I�d like to make the Dean�s List one time, even just once |
