My Undergraduate Years at UP Diliman: The Four Years That Helped Shape My Life-An Update-Part 6 of 10

Looking back at my college years from the perspective of  me nearing 92

When I look back at my life today, at age nearing 92, there are certain periods that stand out as turning points.

My undergraduate years at the University of the Philippines were one of them.

I arrived at UP Diliman as a young man from Iloilo who was still trying to figure out what I wanted to become. I left four years later with a degree in Chemistry, a deeper sense of purpose, lifelong friendships, a stronger faith and, most importantly, I had met the young woman who would become my wife, Macrine.

Looking back after more than seven decades, I realize that my college years were not simply about earning a degree.

They were about discovering who I was becoming.

From Barotac Viejo to the University of the Philippines

I grew up in the small town of Barotac Viejo, Iloilo, Philippines.

My mother had a dream for me. She wanted a physician in our family.

So when I entered the University of the Philippines Iloilo College, I followed her wishes and enrolled as a pre-med student.

At that time, UP Iloilo College was only a two-year institution. I worked hard and did well academically, earning mostly A's and B's, equivalent to the 1.0 and 2.0 grades used by UP.

During my first year, I received college and university scholarships.

In my second year, I received the Fernando Lopez Scholarship, which provided free tuition for the entire year. It was awarded to the student with the highest grade-point average in the school, with extracurricular involvement serving as a tie-breaker.

For a young student from a small town in Iloilo, this was a tremendous honor.

But perhaps more importantly, I was learning something that would remain with me throughout my life:

Education can open doors that we cannot yet see.

My Mother Wanted a Doctor-But I Chose Chemistry

There was only one problem with my mother's dream.

I discovered that medicine was probably not for me.

In my Zoology class, I had to dissect frogs. I hated the sight of blood.

That experience helped make my decision much easier!

I remember thinking: There goes my mother's dream.

I transferred to the main UP campus in Diliman in 1953 and entered the College of Liberal Arts. There I changed my major from pre-med to Chemistry.

The decision eventually turned out to be one of the most important decisions of my life.

My interest in Chemistry had been inspired by one of my professors at UP Iloilo.

I had no idea then where that decision would take me.

Years later, I would become a Chemistry instructor at UP, earn a master's and Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of Illinois, work in agricultural research, and eventually spend twelve years reviewing new drugs at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

But in 1953, I was simply a young college student trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life.

Life at UP Diliman

UP Diliman in the early 1950s was very different from the university students know today.

I lived in the UP Men's South Dormitory, which was later renamed Narra Hall.

I have many pleasant memories of dormitory life.

The dorm was not simply a place to sleep. It was a community where young men from different parts of the Philippines lived together, studied together, debated, joked and formed friendships.

Looking through my old photographs and memorabilia many years later, I even found election flyers from my dormitory years.

Those pieces of paper may seem insignificant to someone else.

To me, they are pieces of my youth.

They remind me of a time when my biggest concerns were classes, examinations, extracurricular activities, friendships and what I would eventually become.

My Years with UPSCA

One of the most important parts of my college life was my involvement with the UP Student Catholic Action, or UPSCA.

While still at UP Iloilo, I became president of the Iloilo chapter.

That position brought me into contact with the UPSCA organization at Diliman.

The president of UPSCA Diliman at the time was Constantino Nieva, a law student from Marinduque.

I had no idea then that this young man would eventually become a priest and earn a Ph.D. in Theology in Rome.

I also had no idea that he would eventually become my wife's uncle.

Life sometimes plants connections in our lives long before we understand their significance.

At Diliman, I continued my involvement with UPSCA and became a member of its student council representing my college.

Our spiritual adviser was the late Jesuit priest, Father John Delaney.

Fr. Delaney was a remarkable and charismatic person who had a profound influence on many UP students, including me.

He taught us that faith was not merely something to practice inside a church.

It should influence how we lived, how we served others and how we participated in our community.

Those lessons stayed with me long after I left UP.

The Chapel of the Holy Sacrifice

Perhaps no place at UP Diliman brings back more memories for me than the Chapel of the Holy Sacrifice.

The chapel was one of Fr. Delaney's great projects.

During the chapel's construction, the names of 1,000 students, faculty members and their families who had attended Mass and Communion daily for one year were placed in the foundation.

My name was one of those 1,000 names.

I had also pledged five percent of my student allowance to the chapel building fund.

Today, that may sound like a very small contribution.

But when I was a college student, my allowance was not large.

It was my way of saying: I wanted to be part of something bigger than myself.

The Chapel of the Holy Sacrifice eventually became one of the most significant architectural and cultural landmarks of UP Diliman. It was designed by Leandro Locsin and involved several artists and engineers who later became nationally recognized figures.

But for me, it will always be more than a famous building.

It was the place where I worshipped. It was where I met Macrine.

And it became part of our family's story.

And Then I Met Macrine

Here is the part of my college story that I could never have predicted.

I met my future wife at UP. Fr. Constantino Nieva had introduced me to his niece, Macrine Nieva Jambalos.

At one point, I became a member of the Chemical Society.

As a new member, one of my assignments was to look for Macrine. I couldn't find her.

As it turned out, another member of the Chemical Society lived in the same dormitory as Macrine and knew that she was also looking for me.

So, without realizing it, we were playing a kind of hide-and-seek.

Eventually, we met in the sacristy of the old UP Chapel.

And the rest, as they say, is history. Our college romance deserves an entire story of its own.

But I will simply say this:

I went to UP to get a college education. I left with a degree and I found the love of my life.

We were married in 1957 and remained together for more than 63 years, until Macrine's death in 2020.

When I look back at my undergraduate years today, that is perhaps the greatest gift those years gave me.

The Chapel Was Also Part of Our Wedding

Our connection to the chapel continued long after graduation.

When Macrine and I were married in 1957, the decoration on our wedding cake was a 1:1000 miniature model of the Chapel of the Holy Sacrifice.

Think about that. A building that had been such an important part of our college lives became part of our wedding celebration.

Today, more than seven decades after I first entered UP, that little detail has become one of my favorite memories.

It reminds me how interconnected the chapters of our lives can be.

Sometimes we don't recognize the connections until many years later.

Graduation and a New Beginning

In 1955, I graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from UP.

I was 20 years old. I was proud of my degree, but I had no idea where life would take me.

I would later become an instructor in Chemistry at UP.

I would leave the Philippines for America in 1960.

I would earn advanced degrees in Pharmaceutical Chemistry.

I would work in research laboratories. I would eventually join the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and become a Chemistry Team Leader.

I would raise four children. I would become a grandfather and, eventually, a great-grandfather.

I would retire. I would build Chateau Du Mer in Marinduque.

And now, at 92, I am living another chapter of my life at The Heritage Downtown in Walnut Creek, California, still writing about what I have learned.

None of that was visible to the young man who walked across the UP Diliman campus in the 1950s.

But that is the fascinating thing about life. We live forward, but we understand backward.

What Did UP Really Give Me?

My Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry Graduation Photo

My UP education gave me a degree. But it gave me much more than a degree.

It taught me discipline. It taught me independence. It taught me to think critically.

It exposed me to people from different parts of the Philippines.

It gave me opportunities to lead. It strengthened my faith.

It introduced me to lifelong friends.It introduced me to Macrine.

And it gave me the confidence to dream beyond the small town where I grew up.

Perhaps that is what a good education should do.

It should not simply prepare us for our first job.

It should prepare us for life.

A Message to Today's Students

When I look at young people today, I sometimes wonder whether they realize how precious their college years are.

You may be worried about grades. You may be worried about money.

You may be wondering what career to choose.

You may even be unsure whether the major you selected is the right one.

I understand. I was once exactly where you are.

I started as a pre-med student because that was my mother's dream.

I changed to Chemistry because I discovered that my own interests were different.

That decision did not destroy my mother's dream.

In fact, years later, a niece of mine earned her medical degree, finally fulfilling the dream of having a physician in our family.

Life has a funny way of working things out. So my advice to young people is simple:

Listen to your parents, but also listen to yourself.

Discover what you are good at. Find something that gives you purpose.

Work hard. Take advantage of opportunities.Get involved in your community.

And don't be afraid to change direction when you discover that your original path isn't right for you.

Sometimes changing direction is not failure. It is wisdom.

Looking Back at Nearing 92

I first entered the University of the Philippines more than seven decades ago.

The young man who walked onto the UP campus could never have imagined the journey ahead.

He could not have imagined America. He could not have imagined a Ph.D.

He could not have imagined the FDA. He could not have imagined four children, six grandchildren and two great-grandsons.

He could not have imagined Chateau Du Mer.

He certainly could not have imagined that at 92 he would still be writing almost every day and sharing his memories with readers around the world.

But perhaps that is the greatest lesson of my undergraduate years:

We don't need to know exactly where life is taking us.

We simply need to take the next step. Study hard. Work hard. Serve others.

Stay curious. Have faith. And remain open to the unexpected people and opportunities that come into our lives.

Because sometimes the most important parts of our future are hidden inside ordinary moments.

For me, one of those moments happened in the 1950s, on the campus of the University of the Philippines in Diliman.

I went there as a young student from Iloilo. I left with a degree in Chemistry.

But I also left with something much more valuable:

a foundation for the life I would eventually live and the woman with whom I would share it.

Looking back at nearing 92, I can honestly say:

My undergraduate years at UP Diliman were not just four years of my life. They were four years that helped shape the rest of my life.

And for that, I will always be grateful. Mabuhay ang University of the Philippines!