MY PERSONAL JOURNEY…AS AN ASSUMPTIONISTA

I was barely six years old when I entered the gates of Assumption Herran.  Led by the protective hands of my parents who turned me over to hands so foreign to the touch. I recall looking at my parents who calmly said: “we are just here.  Do not be afraid.”

As a child I was instructed to call the lady who received my hands “mother”. Dressed with a veil and violet-colored long gown, the “mother” would later be referred to as my Mistress of Class. But to us, she was known as Mother Paz.  She was gentle and loving, and she taught us good manners and right conduct.  She would scold us when we were noisy in class or when we stood out of line during roll call.  I will never forget her, because it was Mother Paz who would first introduce us to what it would mean to be an Assumptionista.

Mother Teresita followed Mother Paz as our next Mistress of Class as we moved to upper grades accompanied by teachers who would introduce us to the rudiments of Math, the creative expanse of English and Pilipino literature and grammar.  Ms. Encarnacion and Miss Asuncion were legendary.  It was Ms. Encarnacion who gave me my first experience in performance when in Grade Four, she designed a weekly radio program where we performed as announcers and performers in poetry reading, singing and mini-plays.   The radio program became a hit as other grade levels and Mothers came to watch.  It was our first experience of recognition!

My third memorable Mistress of Class was Mother Milagros who was a great disciplinarian but gentleness and love shrouded her spirit.  Mother Milagros would single me out and would always inquire about my parents and family because she was an Assumption classmate of my aunt, Conchita Sunico.  She was a whiz at Math and from her I would learn how to think on my feet. She frequently would hold quiz contests   in Math with frightening consequences, such as standing in front of the class for a full lesson, if one failed to answer fast and correctly!  Her fearless spirit would rub on to us as we were introduced on how to handle challenges and risks. Mother Milagros would later lead in the future to the founding of Assumption San Simon in Pampanga, where families were being influenced to join the underground insurgency movement taking place in the country.  Hers was an indomitable spirit of courage and faith visible to many! A glimpse at the image of an Assumptionista.

High School at the Assumption introduced us to a new life as we were growing young girls confronted with the issues of teenage life.  From Mother Milagros to the guiding figure of Mother Carmen who was very strict in mandating correct behavior as we were exposed to society outside of convent grounds. There were social gatherings and beach outings and spiritual awareness and growth with annual retreats. Every class started with a prayer together, a practice since grade school. 

On our third year in high school, our Mistress of Class was Mother Blanca.  Third year was memorable because of Mission Sunday when the gates of Assumption would open to the public.  We would design and decorate booths and dress up in costumes from different countries.  Guests were treated to the most popular booth, the “tombola” where a guest could go fishing for a prize! The day would end with a “tickets only” entry to the auditorium which would feature a popular movie! Somehow no one minded the heat in the auditorium because it was fun watching a movie with friends! Every one of us could not wait to reach third year because of Mission Sunday. And we will not forget Mother Blanca guiding each one of us, with a fan on her hand, as she was the only Mother, it seemed, privileged to bring a fan!

When we reached fourth year, we would again be led by Mother Carmen. Because we were the seniors and considered the leaders of the High school, the repeated virtues of “fidelity to duty and love of simplicity” were constantly engraved in our minds and personalities. The learning was strengthened with creative skills as Mother Rosario guided us through the labyrinth and wealth of great literature, sharpened with the sharp critical mind of Miss Dolendo who grilled us diligently in Math and the Physical sciences.  All throughout, Mother Carmen ingrained in us character development, nurturing femininity and womanhood as an effective source and object of affection. Also, there was the pervasive presence of Notre Mere Mother Rose, Mother Marthe  and Mother General Denise.   

As we neared graduation, memories of the dreaded lecture of notes before the entire high school and reading report from the frightening observation notebook where one’s misdemeanors were broadcast before the entire student body, suddenly seemed so significant …as it prepared one to face the pain, and struggles of maturing life. Suddenly the Assumption virtues of fidelity to duty and love of simplicity began to have relevant meaning for a future that was beckoning for each one.

But over and above all these, college graduates will never forget the moving spirit behind the College:  Mother Esperanza.  Mother Esperanza built the College and almost singlehandedly anchored the College with the best in faculty and service.

My years in the College were filled with good memories, preparing me for graduate studies in the United States where I would be confronted for the first time with different cultures: American, Asian, African and European. Being Filipino needed to be explained…but Assumption education of womanhood and the discipline imposed by my parents and previous teachers remained ingrained in my spirit.  It was a time when realities of self-discovery and nationhood created a mindset of independence grounded on faith; faith in one’s self and faith in God. 

My years of study in America are filled with fond memories…new friends that still remain connected …well-grounded in the study of theater and communication, as the Catholic University of America would train its graduates in performances that would even be reviewed by the critics of the Washington press!

And then it was time to say goodbye.

The uncertainty of what to expect on return to Manila lasted one day.  Mother Esperanza was calling me to join the faculty of the Assumption, to teach Speech to College students in San Lorenzo. Eventually, I helped design and build the College speech lab, and through a span of a few years, convinced the College President and Dean to organize a Department of Communication that would offer Theater, Advertising and Public Relations and Communications Research.  At this time, Mother Esperanza was stepping down due to illness, and at the helm as President was another dynamic nun in the person of Mother Luz., Heading the faculty was College and Academic Dean Ms. Poblete.  Mother Luz, Ms. Poblete continued the legacy of Mother Esperanza, a true woman of faith and a woman of action who never stopped to build her dream. Her dream was to mobilize the faculty of the college to develop an institution of learning that would form leaders in the arts, in education, and in business for the home, for community, for country under the mantel of Mother Marie Eugenie’s vision:  an Assumption graduate  as a woman of faith and a woman of action. 

Moher Esperanza’s legacy would continue and the care for the heart and spirit of students continued with the presence of well-loved sisters (no longer called Mothers) in the persons of Sr. Luisa, Sr. Luz, Sr. Catherine and Sr. Miriam. There was interaction outside of school grounds as students participated in inter-school debates, competitions, exhibits, workshops and on-the-job training. The integration and awareness of the needy and underprivileged were experienced with live-in situations where students lived with families guided by the Social Services department of the College. At Assumption the unifying thought among students who learned the charism of the Assumption spirit would be “WE ARE ONE”. When one wore the blue and white uniform, it did not matter if one was rich of poor…also because those who were poor in spirit were immediately cared for by “Mothers” and teachers who were ready to hold their hands.

Atter a few years, I was offered the position of College Dean.  Concretely, all the learning transmitted would have been fruitless if not tested in the daily life of living…with family, at work or with friends in community.  New departments were organized as Interior Design. And programs were strengthened with faculty and services to earn full time accreditation with accreditation agencies recognized by the Education Department of the national government. I was leaving with pride in my heart, knowing that many college graduates were making their presence felt and winning awards and recognition in the areas of business, the arts, education and civic work.  They were applying the meaning behind the words “a woman of action.”

Whenever problems would arise in the College, I would look at the image of the laughing Christ which I had placed facing my desk and in prayer ask: “What would You do in my place?”  My years at the College developed new friends, many of them faculty and students who still remain friends, now still connected through the internet.

After my years of service as College Dean, I worked as Vice President for External Affairs, working closely with the renovation of the College grounds and building. This continued until the day I approached retirement age. By this time, I was also working outside of the school, handling events, theater work and the additional position of chairman of the Cultural Center of the Philippines and NAMCYA, the National Competition for Young Artists in the Philippines. Throughout,  the Assumption grounding of womanhood was continually tested as priorities in my roles as wife and mother were always tested.  The virtues of faith and fidelity to duty evoked real meaning in life’s spiritual experience.

My life at Assumption did not end after my retirement.  I was invited and elected to the Board of Trustees of the Assumption Alumnae Association to represent the College Department. My major task was to work with the Board to accept the College in the celebration of Old Girl’s Day and be represented in the Velada.  It is in the Board where Alumnae continue and implement the value of “a woman for others”. Information is disseminated to all jubilarians to work at raising sponsors and funds to support the mission schools of Assumption, who accept underprivileged children as scholars throughout the country. The AAA also is at hand when an Assumption graduate calls out a signal for help. On its own, the AAA is run professionally, complete with staff and a working board that handles sponsorships, budget, and communications to keep all classes informed and updated on Assumption College San Lorenzo and Herran graduates. The bond of friendship never stops.

Today, my AC friends are ingrained not only in my memory…but in my heart.  Equally, many of my students and faculty friends.  The hands that were extended when I entered the gates of Assumption Herran have multiplied …never letting go…at times of celebration and in times of difficulty. Surprisingly, it also surfaces in time when classes preparing for their Velada, problems occur but are forgiven and set aside because friendship prevails, and the show must go on…on cue…as life goes on.

As I reach the last quarter of my life, and in review of past events, I have experienced the pain of near death plus the loss of my beloved husband, my parents, and quite a few of faculty friends and students.  As I reminisce, the Assumption spirit of womanhood. prayer and friendship keep me focused and strong. My children have grown to be responsible and loving.  And my friends and former students are just a call away.  Within the click of my cellphone, I can hear the loving voice of family and friends from the tunnel of time saying “I am here with you.” The call for being a Woman for others…still continues as I continue servicing my parish church with training and workshops for lectors and organizing concerts for fund raising to assist the underprivileged in our parish.

In Assumption, we always celebrate “coming home.” There are welcoming hands who will always hold you and care for you. Because of the Assumption spirit, we are “women of faith and women of action” and our voices sing out: “Assumption gold and white and blue…to thy teachings keep us every true…fidelity to duty., love of simplicity…may our spirits be engraven..,in our hearts…till we reach heaven” .