So this is how it feels, writing one’s last column and having the chance to say “farewell” and “thank you” for the years spent full of memories. It’s so hard to believe that three years has now passed since I’ve joined the Varsitarian, three years full of fun, camaraderie, teamwork and hardships. And undoubtedly, being with the paper helped me grow and be a better man, proud to be part of the most respected school paper in the country, especially its staff.
The Varsitarian is a second home to me, literally. Spending days and weeks of sleepless and tiring nights of presswork and preparations to whatever extra-editorial activity that the “Varsi” must partake. It is a sacrifice and an ordeal that a staffer will eventually experience in the “V”. It is where and when the paper is laid, where people get to eat Wendy’s Bacon Mushroom Melt and Chicken Breast Fillet burgers every night as midnight snacks—where the “presswork people” acquire their strength and inspiration to stay awake. I will forever cherish the memories in room 112, the laughter and tears, the joy and heartaches.
To the incumbent staffers, finding your name on the staff box doesn’t prove you’re part of the publication. Being a part of the Varsitarian is acting like one, willing to make sacrifices, dedicated, one who has love for the “V”. Mahalin n’yo ang V nang mas higit pa sa aming naibigay. To the incoming staffers, congratulations on making it through. You are now part of a 75-year-old rich tradition of a school paper. Never take the paper lightly, because countless lives were made by it. To my fellow “Amihans”, thank you for all the gifts of friendship, and of leadership. To the house of Gothic and Itals, its our turn, especially to the basketball teams, it’s what, three-peat? To the elite Varsitarian artists, it was a pleasure being your art director, I hope I have guided and lead you well. To Melvin, I now leave the section in your hands, I am confident in you, I am proud of you. To the Editorial Board; Marlon, thank you for the leadership, the sacrifices you have made for the “V” will forever be unmatched. To Dumy, congratulations for a job well done. I hope I could still follow up the scores. And Eldric, pains are what make us stronger. They helps us change who we are. Life is full of surprises; be ready. It was a great ride, and greater pleasure working with you, guys. Thank you for the patience, for the laughter and rigors of presswork, for the friendship. To the fountain of youth that is Sir Lito, thank you for all the patience and guidance that you nearly exhausted with us. I’m sure you have plenty more to spare. To the Varsitarian staff as a whole, thank you for making me realize who I am in the “V”. The years that I lived among you will forever be in my heart. To my parents, for the understanding and support, I hope I made you proud. And to the “Star of my life”, Marian Eileen T. Florentino, thank you for the patience, understanding, support, and love that kept me strong every night of presswork and in my stay in the “V”, my inspiration, my source of life. And lastly to my three presswork buddies: computers B, C, and D, which i would surely miss staring at face to face in each and every night of presswork, I hope you’ll all be taken care of as we leave.
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I have always wondered what I’m going to be in the future, but now I am certain that whatever path I take will be the right one, because I was trained to choose the right one by the Varsitarian. When I was a kid, I dreamed of success. I wanted to be someone who not only existed in this world but lived among mankind to make a difference. But never did I dream that the world that I was to live in for the past three years was the one which would make a difference in me, make me have a dream, of becoming more than just a number (among millions) on this earth. I am proud to be a Thomasian, but there’s no greater pride than being known as a Varsitarian.
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There is a very thin line between being a boy and becoming a man, an illustration and an artwork, a creation and a masterpiece. In an illustration, sometimes it is not the finished drawing that is important, it is the difficulty of lines and strokes that made it. And before a boy becomes a man, he will have to make many difficult and painful decisions, which he must use to mature. These are who and what we are, creations and masterpieces, we will eventually leave this earth, but our memories will stay behind, as part of history, forever.
“Once a V staffer, always a V staffer.”
