My 11 years journey in UST Angelicum College
UST Angelicum College was founded in 1972 and is the only school which is self-paced and non-graded catholic school in the Philippines.
Good Day! I am Jamie Alison Dobles but you can call me Jamie for short. I am now a Second year Senior High School student in UST Angelicum. I have been in UST Angelicum for more than 10 years. To be exact it’s my 11th year. I have been in this school since my first grade. It was introduced to us by my dad’s uncle who is a priest and my dad’s cousins since they are alumni in UST Angelicum. My parents decided to enroll me in this school since it is a Catholic school and it is close to our home. In addition, the decision that I should enroll in UST Angelicum was greatly influenced by my dad’s uncle who happens to be a priest. They figured out that being in this school will help me form a deep connection with God. If there is one word that will describe me as a student it would be the word ‘shy’. For that reason, I am scared to make mistakes. But UST Angelicum helped me gain confidence and to not feel shy. The school always creates events where I can communicate with other people and at the same time overcome my shyness in front of others. One of the examples of the events wherein I can communicate and overcome my shyness is through field demonstration since we are required to join and compete with other levels. There were occasions wherein we can develop our dancing skills and become assured in ourselves while performing in front of numerous audiences.
My first time coming to UST Angelicum was quite a shock because the school is huge since I attended my nursery in a relatively small school. It is big, has lots of classrooms, and has a football field. At first I didn’t know where I could find the canteen and the girls’ restroom since at that time the restroom that is near our classroom was still under maintenance. Thus, I didn’t know where I should’ve gone, but since my classmates were friendly and kind and were quite familiar with the school premises; they accompanied me. They were friendly to me, that’s why I enjoyed staying in school. Before I knew, it was already December and 6 months had passed like a breeze. It was time for our school fair. I was shocked since there were rides just like the ones from amusement parks and it was filled with different booths wherein I can buy different types of foods and things. I enjoyed it a lot and had a great time spending some of my allowance on food and other things.
After graduating from elementary my family decided that I would stay put in UST Angelicum. In high school, I met new friends; and practically most, if not all of them are still my friends. We also have BEC and during the month of December — before our Christmas party, an event that is called “Paskuhan” is held. We will stay in school up until 6:00 p.m.. The event is an opportunity for us to watch other talented people perform. We become witnesses to the singing and dancing of our school mates. And before the event comes to an end we get amazed with the fireworks display. In my high school, I always set a goal — and that is to finish all of my subjects ahead of the school break. The school system allowed us to finish our subjects in advance. Finishing the subjects earlier than the school break will allow us to take a break earlier…that is if we wanted to. Thus, every school year I focused on my goal to finish all of my subjects earlier. I enjoyed taking an early break from school. If I still remember correctly, when I was a sophomore I finished my required subjects two months earlier than the school break. And my effort really paid off. When I was already a junior it was quite challenging. Pandemic had started, thus I didn’t have a proper farewell to my friends, classmates and my teachers. That’s totally unexpected. Suddenly we couldn’t do our face to face classes anymore. It was quite saddening and all of us weren’t ready, were not quite prepared for the pandemic. But I am still thankful for my teachers since even though they also weren’t prepared they still found ways on how they can provide us with education. They, too, made the necessary adjustments.
After my junior high school level ended, my family still decided for me to still stay in UST Angelicum for my Senior High School. It was quite challenging because there are now grades which I was not familiar with. But I am forever grateful to my teachers since they helped and guided me. Also, I was able to gain my confidence back. In all honesty, it was both challenging and fulfilling, and so I passed the 1st year of SHS. Now that I am in SHS 2, I am hoping that I will maintain my good grades and I will graduate with flying colors.
In my 11 years staying in UST Angelicum they have taught me on how to become independent. And it also taught me that I should not feel sad or down when I don’t understand a lesson since everyone has his/her own pacing and each one of us has his/her own preferred mode of learning. I owe a lot to UST Angelicum for it helped me to overcome my ‘shyness’ and to have confidence in myself. It also helps me to have my personal time for myself. Grades are important but it shouldn’t be the end of all one’s education. The institution taught me how to socialize and interact with my classmates through various activities. It also taught me that at the end of the day what really matters is that I learn something that I can use for my future. My sense of gratitude goes to all of my teachers in UST Angelicum for guiding me and helping me grow as an individual.