College Org Life Experience with Achi Faith Solis

At the moment what organization or extracurriculars do you belong to for your university?

Right now, I’m a member of BOx (the home organization for biology and life sciences majors), Gabay (an org that focuses on serving Ateneo scholars and public elementary school kids), and Tugon (an org that advocates against child abandonment and abuse and works to support girls and babies within the sector). I’m also an officer of the Pre-Medical Society of the Ateneo.

What interested you to join them?

I think that the advocacies and the communities are the biggest points of interest for me. Depending on the org, there are different requirements to join and remain a member, so I think that a love for the causes and the people are what really got me interested and kept me going.

How have they helped or hindered you in any way?

In my experience, the most that they can hinder is in the time and effort that it sometimes takes to be an active member of an organization. Depending on the roles you decide to take up and the organization in question, it can sometimes be quite time-consuming. However, they’ve helped me more than they hindered. I’ve gotten to build friendships and do meaningful work through them, and they’ve also helped me improve in different ways.

If you could make the choice again, would you have still joined these organizations?

We’re actually given the choice every year to choose to continue with organizations and/or join new ones. I’ve been a member of BOx, Tugon, and PMSA since my first year, and I joined Gabay this year. I don’t have any regrets as of now. If I could go back, I think I would still choose the same organizations, as they’ve each helped me in their own way to grow.

In comparison to high school extracurriculars, how might they be similar or different?

One thing is that members of an org can basically choose how active they want to be. Of course, some orgs require a certain amount to be retained as a member, and that changes for each, but overall, at least in the online setting, it’s up to the member to choose how involved they are. In the same way that you aren’t truly required to attend every single event any MGC org holds, members are encouraged to participate but don’t always need to. However, while most MGC organizations’ events are for the entire student body, many org activities are only available to its members.

One difference is, of course, the sheer number of options available, which might be a little overwhelming to students who are more used to a small number of orgs. However, this really makes it so that virtually everyone has at least one org that interests them and that they can fit well in, which is definitely good.

Most orgs also give their members the opportunity to join core teams, which are temporary groups formed to organize specific events. This might be a little different from what MGC students are used to, but I’ve found it a really interesting way to get involved without the responsibilities of a long-term role, and it allows us to choose initiatives that we really want to get involved in.

Finally, one similarity I’m personally grateful for is that whether in a high school or college org, you will build connections that extend far past the org itself with people that you might never have met without it.

For those considering taking up an organization in university, what should they keep in mind?

I think this very much depends on what university they are in. Ateneo is one that has a very vibrant and diverse org culture, which makes it pretty common to be involved in multiple orgs at once. My first piece of advice would be to take the opportunities that are available. Go ahead and try something out if it’s interesting to you; you’ll get to learn more about it and meet people who are interested as well. There are so many wonderful communities to be a part of if you only take that step. Second, not everything will be a good fit for you, and that’s okay. This applies in two ways: first, some orgs have very rigorous application processes, and it isn’t the end of the world if you don’t get in; and second, you don’t have to feel obligated to join certain organizations if you don’t want to. Third, I’d say not to overload yourself. You know how much you can handle, so make sure to strike a balance between what you want to do and what you are able to do. Finally, enjoy it!