Brand loyalty and learning/ UPCA ’55 jubilee reunion

While the most popular and established brands undoubtedly deserve their recognition, the flipside is when consumers unduly purchase items or apparel without regard for anything else except the label. This is often referred to as being “overly brand conscious,” or being a “brand slave.”

Again, it must be emphasized that well-known brands certainly did something right in order to become a household name, but other key considerations must also be taken into account.

First, does the item meet the exact requirements of the buyer? A person may be swayed to buy a designer pair of leather shoes, for example, even though his job involves on-site field work. Second, are the features, attributes, and specifications of a product really a fit for the user? Buying the latest and trendiest touchscreen smartphone for your senior-citizen mother will probably end up in frustration.

As it happens, the same can be said of schools and academic programs. Often, parents make choices for their children simply because generations of family members graduated from a particular institution. Other times, the decision is made due to the status associated with a school, or on the merit of its prestige. Considering that it is the child’s knowledge and character formation that is on the line, shouldn’t his or her strengths, personality, learning inclinations, and interests be the foremost consideration? After all, young minds cannot be treated like goods in an assembly line.

Sandy Arellano, who runs the Montessori de San Juan school, summed it quite nicely. “Each student is an individual, and different from all others. The way they learn best depends on numerous factors: age, learning style, and personality. Attempting to fit all of them into a rigid and standardized structure may not maximize their full potential,” she noted.

Sandy is part of a new breed of passionate educators who believe that the traditional, rote-and-memorization-based system of learning may no longer be the best way to prepare our children for the challenges of the future. I first met Sandy when two of my friends transferred their children from a well-known, top private school to Montessori de San Juan. What got me curious was that both these kids were actually getting above average marks in their studies. Their parents, however, could clearly see that school was a chore for them – a tiresome, joyless task that had to be forced on them because that’s what society demanded. To paraphrase, they were “storing a lot of data,” but were not experiencing the “joy of learning.”

On the other hand, Sandy has quite a different perspective. “Areas of study are interwoven, and not encountered in structured isolation. As such, our subjects are purposely linked to one another, adding more substance, promoting deeper understanding, and ultimately making it more fun and interesting for the students,” she pointed out. True to form, my friends now tell me that their kids (who are about to enter senior high school) are now excited to go to school, and actively engage others about the things they learn there. More importantly, they now actually cover more advanced material and get higher grades, simply because they enjoy the way the lessons are presented to them.

Ironically, because of numerous success stories like this, Montessori de San Juan is fast gaining quite a reputation as an elite academic institution. Sandy is quick to point out, however, that the acclaim should be taken in the proper context. “Our goal is not to become an elite school – that never even crossed our minds. Our focus is to cultivate students who love learning so much, and learn so well, that they will be able to learn whatever needs to be learned in the future. That’s how we define elite,” she emphasized.

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The University of the Philippines College of Agriculture (UPCA) Class ’55 will hold its diamond jubilee reunion on Saturday, Oct. 10 on the UPLB campus. It boasts of having produced outstanding graduates, whose accomplishments may not be surpassed by other UPCA classes.

Note the accomplishments of class members. Thirty-six earned doctorate degrees, 41 became professors in UPCA and other prestigious universities here and abroad; 85 occupied leadership positions in the government and the private sector; 45 are recipients of Distinguished Alumnus Awards bestowed by the UPLBCA Alumni Association. Five received the prestigious Ten Outstanding Young Men award.

Heading the committee making the preparations for the celebration (lunch and a parade and fellowshipping), is Saeed A. Daof, once the college’s pride for his being a member of the UP Maroons Varsity Basketball team but who has attained top managerial positions and consultancies here and abroad. He was recently elected governor of the Philippine Red Cross, has served as chair of the Southern Philippines Development Authority, and is currently vice president for Mindanao and concurrent chairman of the Peace and Development committee of the Philippine Constitution Association (PHILCONSA). He is also a recipient of the UPLB award for peace and development.

Saeed, 82 and still going strong, has been meeting with his former classmates to make Friday and Saturday’s participation in the college’s Loyalty Day celebration, a success.

Kudos go to Class ’55 members making the preparations. In addition to Saeed are Fernando A. Bernardo, Feliciano Calora, Flor Quebral, Cez Mamaril, Orly Pallad, Milagros Jorda-Tubeleza, Tiburcio Reyes, Nong Manuel, and Luz Gabarton.

Saeed, on behalf of his class,  thanked the  multi-awarded scientist, poet, and painter classmate, Fernando A. Bernardo, Ph.D. for his painstaking research on the accomplishments of the class.  He asked, “How did our class produce such distinguished graduates? Was it the quality of education our mentors gave us? Was it the temperament of our generation, its determination, if not intuitive intelligence that propelled them to such heights? Whatever the reason, the results have been magical, and  have been a source of wonder for observers.”

 The celebration of the 60th UPCA Class ’55 reunion  “brings us joy,” says Bernardo and Filciano Calora. “We glory   in our remembrance of things past in our college years. And we say  a prayer for those who have beaten us to the eternal gates.”

 To express their appreciation for the impact of their lives by the university, Class ’55 donated, on the occasion of UPLB’s 45th anniversary, a huge monument 15 meters tall with an “eternal flame” on the top. This UPLB Academic Heritage Monument symbolizes the growth of UPLB from its humble beginnings were students  held classes in tents on its foundation site at the foot of legendary Mount Makiling.

Class ’55 participated in the UPLB Alumni Associations’ construction of infrastructure in the campus, with Dr. Florendo C. Quebral serving as chair of the coordinating committee.

The class also donated funds for the construction of benches in the alumni plaza, built around the centennial carillon.

“We are over 80 years old and above,” says Philippine Red Cross Governor Daof. “This should not in any way stop us from doing what we do best – passion, and love and care to serve our country and people.”

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