Reputed as the school of the elite.
And in many ways, they were right.
The Green & White carried a certain reputation.
Your classmates were children of celebrities, politicians, tycoons, even models themselves.
Head-turners everywhere.
People who looked confident.
Put together.
Like they belonged in magazines and boardrooms.
People you noticed from across campus
and quietly wondered how they made it look so easy.
No place for mediocre representation.
At first, it was intimidating.
I came in knowing I had earned my spot,
but still wondering if I truly belonged.
Over time, though, I realized something.
Being surrounded by social elites teaches you something no textbook ever could.
How to navigate people.
Not for clout,
but for connection.
Not to impress,
but to understand.
La Salle taught me confidence in rooms where status was currency.
It made me comfortable speaking with people from very different worlds.
Rarely did you hear pure Tagalog in class.
English flowed naturally.
And one day, you realize, you speak the same way too.
You absorb excellence by proximity.
Not because anyone forces it on you,
but because standards quietly rise around you.
It showed me that influence is not always loud.
And that the real skill is learning how to belong without losing yourself.
Inside air-conditioned classrooms and polished hallways,
you learn a certain polish too.
How to present yourself.
How to manage perception.
How to carry your name.
How to represent Green & White with dignity.
Beyond grades and deadlines, the Green & White teaches standards.
The “Rektikano.”
Show up prepared.
Dress with intention.
Finish what you start.
Speak with clarity.
Act with class.
And then there are the connections.
Classmates whose names you barely notice today,
but one day, you read about.
Running global companies.
Leading major conglomerates.
Building industries.
Shaping the economy.
That is when it hits you.
The real value of the Green & White is not just who you knew.
It is who you were expected to become.
An environment that quietly tells you:
“Do better. Be better. Expect more from yourself.”
Long after graduation, I realized that was the real advantage.
Not just access.
Not just networks.
But conditioning.
To aim higher.
To prepare harder.
To carry yourself with responsibility.
Animo.
Forever grateful to my parents for making this possible.