4 minute read
Jb Bejarin
WRITTEN BY GEORGE D. KHO
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WITH HIS iconic blue button-up shirt and khaki pants, student leader and Class of 2022 Valedictorian Jamesun “Jb” Bejarin’s (4 AB POSMPM) fashion is as recognizable as his name is for many of Batch 2022. Jb has worn many hats throughout his stay in Ateneo—from interim Sanggunian President, to Church of Gesù volunteer, to Introduction to Atenean Culture and Traditions (InTACT) facilitator, to volunteer campaign head for Leni For You.
While these experiences have taught him many things, the most resounding for Jb are the ideals of service and inclusion.
RISING TO LEAD
From the get-go, Jb always seemed to be on the path to leadership. Prior to college, Jb already held positions such as batch representative in grade nine, as well as the Humanities and Social Sciences Representative. Subsequently, he also became Sanggunian President in Ateneo Senior High School (ASHS).
Upon entering college, Jb joined the Sanggunian as head of the Administrative Affairs section. During his first year, Jb—along with many fellow freshmen— launched the Sabihin Sa Sanggu initiative, which was a student-led help desk project carried over from ASHS. By the end of his freshman year, Jb would find himself running for and winning the position of Sanggunian Vice President.
Nonetheless, Jb’s leadership journey was not as smooth as it seemed. Jb recalls having a plan of what to do in college. “I remember sa laptop ko yung sticky note; first year, join this org, second year, third year, fourth year. The plan ended up not happening.” As Jb learned soon enough, his personal path would be shaped by external factors and events larger than himself.
SERVICE AS A CALL
Reflecting on life’s sudden shifts, Jb learned that these turbulences were far more pivotal in deciding not only where one can go, but where one ought to be. “That’s what I realized about service also. It’s a call that you choose to take. It’s a commitment also,” Jb states.
A testament to this was Jb’s assumption of the presidency in Sanggunian’s interim government in academic year (AY) 2020-2021. Aside from the shift to online class, Jb also had to deal with a myriad of other issues that faced the student body such as calls for an academic break due to typhoons and the COVID-19 pandemic. There was also a clear divide between the Sanggunian and the school administration’s stance at times, with both sides openly disagreeing with one another. As such, Jb and the Sanggunian had to find other allies and weigh in varying interests during the first AY under the pandemic.
Beyond school politics, Jb had also been involved with national elections since high school. He was a volunteer during the 2016 election bid of Mar Roxas and Leni Robredo, and then he headed the Atenista Para sa Otso Diretso campaign in 2019. The most recent endeavor for Jb was leading the Leni For You volunteer campaign in 2022 which was, for him, the final culmination of his college leadership.
“Lahat ng natutunan ko (Everything I learned), not only [in] college but way back, I got to use it for Leni For You,” Jb adds, citing tasks such as negotiating with campus guards, dealing with faculty and administration, networking with various groups, and soliciting donations. More than these, Jb also believes that the Leni campaign symbolized something much more significant both to himself and to Ateneo.
THE POLITICS OF INCLUSION
Despite the results of the 2022 elections, the grassroots campaign that Jb took part in resembled to him a new kind of hope and a path towards it. This realization came when Ateneo— ever so strict in its campus access amid the pandemic and conservative in its public image— openly welcomed thousands of people at the last minute during the Leni-Kiko Pasasalamat Rally. “First time ko makita ganoon ka-puno ang Ateneo (That was my first time seeing Ateneo so full). I didn’t realize Bellarmine field could hold so [many] people,” Jb says.
The campaign also strengthened Jb’s view of Ateneo’s sociopolitical role in making a stand. “It’s the first time I saw something so partisan from Ateneo,” Jb adds, looking back at how the University had welcomed events such as the Leni For You Mass in Gesù and the hosting the Sumilao farmers who had campaigned for Leni.
All these instances ultimately tie back to what Jb had learned in his four years of service in Ateneo. “The greatest challenge that lies for us whether it be for the country or for Ateneo is the need to include,” Jb asserts, stating that solving our ever-present issues inevitably involves including people from diverse perspectives.
For Jb, inclusivity must extend not only in their work in Sanggunian but also in the decisions that we must make as individuals, graduating students, and future advocates for our society.
