Ateneans abroad: Proudly Atenean, Proudly Pinoy
Through the years, a number of Ateneo graduates have decided to go abroad for various reasons, ranging from family matters to work opportunities.
They may be away from the Ateneo and the country, but the alumni abroad are still Ateneans and Filipinos at heart.
Seeking greener pasturesAccording to Office of University Development and Alumni Relations (OUDAR) Director Romeo Dalandan Jr., many Ateneo alumni go abroad after graduation primarily to look for greener pastures because there is a lack of job opportunities in the Philippines.
Dalandan says that in a batch, 30 to 40% would go abroad.
“Although I don’t have hard facts and figures to back [up] my claim, just in my regular dealings with alumni from different batches and ages, [a] good number would claim that,” he adds.
Dalandan says that the bulk of Ateneo graduates who migrate are based in the United States and Canada.
“In the United States, the biggest [bulk] would be [in] California, mainly metro Los Angeles, and then in the north, San Francisco, and then in Chicago. In the East Coast, it would be Washington DC and the New York area.”
Singapore is also a recipient of a lot of Ateneo graduates, says Dalandan. “[Singapore] has attracted the most recent graduates, [from] a year or so after school [up to] about 10 years after school.”
Building characterSome of the alumni abroad say that the Ateneo has helped them in so many ways, not just in training them for their professions but also in building their character.
Living in Australia, Dino Crescini (BSBA ‘66) says, “The mere mention of being an Atenean has gained me much respect in the community. I never took up journalism but the Jesuits taught me how to write.”
Crescini publishes the Philippine Tribune, a Filipino newspaper in Australia.
Prior to retirement, Crescini was based in Hong Kong as the vice president and director for special projects of MBF MasterCard International.
Richard Que (BS Mgt ‘04), who is in Singapore, adds that the Ateneo education and environment enabled him to think critically and be vocal about his thoughts.
Que is a marketing and admissions manager at the National University of Singapore MBA Programme.
“The Ateneo [has] allowed me to be more confident with my skills and training, and gave me the right morals and values in handling business matters, especially with people who come from diverse backgrounds, age groups and cultures.”
Que also says that being an Atenean helped him to adjust to life in Singapore because the Ateneo gave him enough background and training to deal with the international community.
“Despite Singapore being a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic country, it was not difficult for me to adjust to the system and lifestyle [here].”
“The Ateneo context is quite similar to the Singapore context as the Ateneo promotes diversity and an international outlook in life and education,” he adds.
Raphael Carandang (BS Bio ’91), however, has a different experience. Carandang is a fellow-physician in Critical Care Neurology in the Harvard Medical School program at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
“My current context is much more secular [than the Ateneo]. Outside of the Filipinos who meet twice every month for Filipino mass at Boston College, people at work are not particularly spiritual or religious,” says Carandang.
Yet, he says that his colleagues share his Ateneo values. “The social culture in the Ateneo was always geared towards generosity and service for others … Many in the medical profession here practice this every day but not explicitly in a religious or Catholic way.”
Touching baseDalandan says that most of the alumni are still keeping in touch with what’s going on in the Ateneo.
“Nowadays, there’s the magic of the Internet. [The alumni] log on to our website, presumably they check periodically our broadcasts that originate from this school,” he says.
Crescini agrees, saying that even though he is away from the country, he has regular contact with the Ateneo and other alumni through Yahoo Groups and e-mail.
Dalandan mentioned that prior to the introduction of the Internet, it was very difficult for the graduates to keep in touch in the Ateneo.
“People would rely on alumni publications that [the Ateneo] send[s] them,” he says.
The Ateneo Alumni Association (AAA) has also helped the alumni get in touch with one another.
“The AAA is doing a good job and keeps me regularly updated with the events happening in the Katipunan campus, and events happening here in Singapore,” says Que.
The AAA has many chapters, both locally and internationally. The Ateneo alumni abroad also keep in touch with each other and the Ateneo through the websites of their own AAA chapters.
One of these is EaglesBlue
Also, copies of Blue Post, the alumni publication of the Ateneo, are now sent through e-mail to update the alumni on the events happening in the Ateneo.
More than the Internet, Dalandan says that some of them also come back and visit the University during the summer or Christmas breaks.
Giving back to AteneoThe alumni contribute to the development of the university, and the Ateneo alumni abroad are also part of this.
The Order of the Blue Eagles (OBE), for instance, is an organization founded by alumni that support the Ateneo and its various projects. It funds several college scholarships and has contributed to the construction of buildings and the training of University staff.
The OBE has a fund program that was started by the AAA to institutionalize mass-based support by collecting donations from alumni into making one big fund for the Ateneo.
Dalandan adds that there are also times when the alumni organize and participate in alumni activities as ways of staying and engaging in the University.
He says that those organized activities are generally fund-raising activities. “It helps somehow some unit or office or particular aspect of the University.”
Proudly representCrescini, Que and Carandang say that aside from keeping in touch with Ateneo, they are still connected to the Philippines in a lot of ways.
“I may be based in Australia but I regard myself a Filipino. We speak fluent Tagalog at home and try to teach Tagalog to our grandchildren. We try to preserve Filipino culture and tradition by attending and [being] active in Filipino functions here in Australia,” Crescini says.
Que, meanwhile, says that he goes home three to four times a year. He also attends the activities organized by the Filipino communities abroad.
“I guess the best way for me to still be connected with the Philippines is by representing the country proudly,” he says.
“As some of my colleagues and friends had bad experiences with Filipinos, I put it upon myself to bring out the good qualities of the Filipinos in several ways—from as simple as speaking impeccable fluent English, to providing the warm Filipino hospitality whenever I am at work or at play,” Que said.
Dalandan also says that a good number of alumni abroad come back to the Philippines, either for early or regular retirement.
“They find ways to give back again to their local communities, including their local provinces,” says Dalandan.
Carandang, however, says that being an Atenean and a Filipino is not just about staying in the Philippines.
“Intrinsically, everything that you do, who you are and how you interact with others reflects on your country.”