A lot of teenagers are lucky enough to go to college. A number are privileged to go to prestigious universities. But a few, the chosen few, could get into the University of the Philippines and be labeled as one of the country’s brightest minds.
They say the UP student is the best of the best. He leads a simple life; is well-rounded and smart. The UP student is involved in the most pressing issues of the country because of his love for the motherland. He is willing to serve it even after he graduates—characteristic of a true iskolar ng bayan. He is noble, and he is proud of that.
Well, that’s what they think. Right now, this UP stereotype needs a reality check.
The ideal UP student is intelligent—an honor student, an achiever, a leader. Now, UP students are not necessarily intelligent. They are however hardworking and diligent—the reasons why they excel in the academe. Being a UP student is not merely struggling for knowledge and learning. It is constantly enduring the demands of school work together with extra-curricular activities and social responsibilities and of course, your personal time. But because you are from UP, the bar is raised higher as compared to the average college student.
The iskolar ng bayan is not the son or daughter of a business tycoon nor was he born to an old-rich family. The iskolar ng bayan is the son or daughter of a humble worker in the fields or an employee in government offices or small enterprises or even self-employed individuals just struggling to make ends meet. This why the ideal UP student is accustomed to and enjoy a simple lifestyle. But now, the UP student has his fair share of branded outfits and sophisticated gadgets. Havaianas footwear, signature shirts, and the best laptops only fall a little short of the ordinary. UP has opened its doors a little wider now for the higher middle class and even the elite.
The real UP student takes a lot of pride from where he’s from. You can see him in his UP jacket, UP shirt, UP lanyard, UP baller and everything else that screams “UP” to anyone who bothers to look. But where does this UP pride stem from? It is from the realization that the UP student owes his education to the taxes of the Filipino people, and he is supposed to give back what he owes. But what is there to be proud of when this is precisely what the UP student has forgotten?
UP pride is not anymore about being of service to the motherland. It is not the reason why the UP student excels in school. He continues to excel in school to advance his status in the competitive economic and business-centered world that will welcome him when he graduates. The love for learning and the eagerness to seek knowledge is not anymore the driving force in intellectual discourse. The UP student doesn’t anymore seem interested in making significant changes through innovation. He is merely struggling to keep his head above the turbulent waters of trying economic times. The priority is a better life for himself, because more than anything else, he needs to ensure his own survival first. He has become just like everybody else.
People may say that the UP student is the head of the pack of his generation. He has what it takes to make things happen. But people change and nothing stays constant. We may attribute these changes to an evolving culture or increased influence from all over the world. But we cannot deny that every individual still has his own choice. And given that UP is a symbol of democracy, free will and social responsibility, we can stay that the UP student has taken a stand for himself, one that people cannot question, a decision we can only hope is intelligent.
