I say “thank you” to AASA simply and sincerely, but this is a subdued gratitude, aware and conscious of its inadequacy. I believe the best way to express this gratitude is through action – that is, by contributing to Ateneo’s scholarship efforts in the future.

                                                                                                                                                                                  -Godo Ramizo

Godofredo M. Ramizo, Jr. or “Godo” was an AASA scholar from 2006-2010. He graduated last March with the course of AB European Studies. He also graduated Summa Cum Laude. Let us find out where is he now after his graduation.

 
I am Godofredo M. Ramizo Jr, also called Godo by my friends. Through the grace of God, I graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Ateneo de Manila University with a major degree in AB European Studies – Business. I have also successfully finished three minor degrees: Spanish Studies, Chinese Studies, and Global Politics. I was also awarded the Departmental Awardee. These achievements have been made possible through the Ateneo College Scholarship, the Ateneo College Glee Club Scholarship, and of course, the Ateneo Alumni Scholars Association.

I further enriched my education by joining in organizations such as the Ateneo College Glee Club where I used to sing as a baritone. I also used to be a project officer at the Ateneo Lingua Ars Cultura, and the Ateneo Student Exchange Council. In my fourth year at the Ateneo, I worked as an Intern in Market Research and Information Management at San Miguel Corporation. I also served as the Chief Editor of a Primer on Personal Finance soon to be published by the Colayco Foundation for Financial Education.

Just a week after graduation, I immediately entered IBM Business Services as a multilingual Senior Case Specialist. I am thrilled by the experiences, best practices, and corporate insights that I can gain in a world-renowned company such as IBM.  My new environment at IBM is very different from the Ateneo’s and I see it as a way to further hone my personal skills. I am also thrilled by the prospect of collaborating with our colleagues who come from various cultures in the English and Spanish-speaking world.

Everyday, I pass by Ateneo on my way to work at Eastwood. What a reminder of my roots and grounding, a fitting prelude and epilogue to every working day. During the mornings I pass by Ateneo, I see the campus roused by men and women coming to the university in pursuit of self-enrichment - even if returning each day to the university means subjecting the self to the effortful and stressful exorcism of our ignorance, mediocrity, and expedient values.

I am reminded of the many ways I also experienced these myself. I cannot forget the foot-thick (or more) readings I had in subjects like Comparative Politics and Economics of EU Integrations, the dreaded accounting exams, the competitive bell-curved departmental finance exams, the Spanish and Chinese grammar I studied while commuting to Ateneo. Neither will I forget the Catholic encyclicals and innumerable theological teachings that had to be absorbed through sheer tenacity just hours before the exams. Throw in the suspense of oral exams, the business plans that were miraculously printed minutes before the deadline, the frenzied dash needed to submit printed papers on time to the right pigeonhole, the daily 3-4 hours a day spent commuting to and from our house in Bulacan, and so on. There is so much to remember that I find it best to simply point at the campus and say, “the Ateneo.” When I see the Ateneo about to start its day’s work, I take comfort in the thought that there are like-minded individuals who are ready undertake the rigors needed to do great things for the greater good.

But when I pass by the Ateneo at night as an alumnus peering at his old home, the campus rests dark and silent, as if caught in contemplation, asking a passing alumnus, “Are you using your talents to the fullest, are you doing more, helping more?” And these are intimidating questions to answer because I have received much and I know much is expected from me.

As I have always said, I am tempted to profusely thank AASA, and the Ateneo scholarship infrastructure, and the individuals who supported me for giving me so much. But I shall still refrain from such profuse effusion of gratitude because it seems to me an inadequate expression of gratitude. I say “thank you” to AASA simply and sincerely, but this is a subdued gratitude, aware and conscious of its inadequacy. I believe the best way to express this gratitude is through action – that is, by contributing to Ateneo’s scholarship efforts in the future.

I impatiently wait for the day I can finally begin to consummate my gratitude to Ateneo by chipping in the effort to help greater numbers of talented students come to Ateneo on scholarship. Perhaps by then, if I stroll through the campus during the contemplative hours of the night, I shall be able to feel that my talents are bearing fruits, that I am finally doing something, and truthfully helping someone.