IF YOU ask people what they think of Alisson Ray Ladaga (BS Psy ‘14), one of the first things they would say is that he is humble.

Despite having a myriad of awards and achievements under his belt, Batch 2014’s valedictorian Ladaga stays true to people’s description.

Ladaga, fondly called by his peers as Alich, is the departmental awardee for psychology. Together with his group mates Abigail Go (AB Psy ‘14) and JC de Leon (AB Psy ’14), he also won first place in the Psychology Department’s Best Undergraduate Thesis Awards 2014. He graduated cum laude.

The outgoing Gawad Kalinga-Ateneo (GK-Ateneo) Student Volunteers president found out that he was chosen as valedictorian a week after Vice President of the Loyola Schools John Paul Vergara, PhD released the memorandum on March 12.

Ladaga was on his eight-day Ignatian silent retreat when the announcement was made. Just moments after he had shared about the day’s gospel during their 6 PM Mass on March 19, Ladaga was surprised to hear their priest presider announce that he was the class valedictorian.

“I was still shaking from my sharing,” he said in an interview with The GUIDON. “I really wasn’t expecting this. It’s grace; something that really surprised me.”

Ladaga was also the high school valedictorian of Holy Spirit School of Tagbilaran.

Sincerity, passion

Go shared that early on, she already knew that “sincere” was the word most apt to describe Ladaga.

According to her, Ladaga introduced himself to her during their Ateneo Freshmen Orientation Seminar (Orsem).

“Hi, I’m Alich! I’m from Bohol! Please don’t mind my right eye—it’s a lazy eye,” Go recalled him saying with a smile. From then on, she knew she had found an “ideal friend.”

It was also during Orsem that Ladaga and Go met their other thesis group mate de Leon. From then on, the three stuck together, even through the so-called friendship breaker thesis semester.

GK-Ateneo member Luigi Del Mundo (BS MAC ‘14) remembers Ladaga as someone who is passionate in the things he does, regardless of it being a low-key project or a large-scale endeavor.

First meeting Ladaga for the Ateneo Resident Students’ Association’s Dorm Family Day, Del Mundo was “astonished” about Ladaga’s passion. “[I] thought he was just a really nice guy who wanted to help out, but there was so much more than that.”

Eventually working with Ladaga in GK-Ateneo, Del Mundo described the outgoing president as “a very open-minded and considerate leader who actually motivates rather than persuades, coordinates rather than hogs the work.”

“He makes sure to get things done, and even if he’s been through a lot of stress, he still doesn’t cease to smile and encourage others to push forward. He embodies excellence, not in sheer perfection but in outdoing himself every time,” Del Mundo added.

Plans and possibilities

“There’s so much that I want to do,” Ladaga said in a mix of Filipino and English, “but only one at a time.”

One of the important things he learned in the Ateneo, he said, was to see “many, many possibilities” from the different perspectives and people he encounters.

“To keep our dreams big, we keep others in them,” Ladaga said. “But at the same time, Ateneo… gave me humility to accept that even if I can see all these possibilities, I can be many things, but not everything all at once.”

In the near future at least, Ladaga has a sure plan. He will be pursuing medicine at the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health. The decision came after his discernment during his retreat, when he had ruled out pursuing a corporate career, joining the Jesuit Volunteers of the Philippines and also postponing taking his masters in psychology.

When asked what specialization he plans to take, his instant response was ophthalmology. “Specifically, a glaucoma specialist, because I have that [condition]. My right eye is blind because of glaucoma ever since I was five,” he shared.

Ladaga is, however open to other possibilities, citing psychiatry and cardiology as some of his other options. He said he will discern about it once he gets into medical school.

“I always had this childhood dream to be a doctor to people like me. To inspire them that even if you have a disability… even if you’re different, it won’t hinder you from helping others.”

Boundless, powerful, and together

In line with the Atenean ideals of magis and ad majorem Dei gloriam (AMDG), Ladaga, in his valedictory address, posed the challenge of moving beyond and redefining the boundaries one has set for oneself.

“I hope you see [being men and women for others] in a different light,” he said. “Hanggang saan nga ba ang kaya ko? Kaibigan, ikaw lamang ang magtatakda ng hangganan mo (Just how much can I do? My friend, you are the only one who can set your limits.)”

In his speech, Ladaga said that the movement beyond one’s boundaries also comes with recognizing one’s power, “the power of moments.” Citing his experience in building houses with GK-Ateneo, he said that this empowerment through moments happens when you take time to take part in other people’s journeys.

“Ito ‘yung mga sandaling nasabi kong makapangyarihan ako, hindi dahil may nangyari buhat ng aking pagsisikap, kundi dahil naging bahagi ako ng mga pangyayari sa buhay ng iba (These were the moments that I can say made me powerful, not because it happened out of my own efforts, but because I became a part of the events of other people’s lives),” Ladaga added.

Quoting the classic Spider-Man movie line, “With great power comes great responsibility,” Ladaga said that because people feared responsibility, they have begun to fear power as well.

“Fr. Jett warned us about this weeks ago,” Ladaga said, “AMDG—ang matakot, ‘di gagalaw (The one who fears will not act.)”

Ladaga reminded the audience that there is nothing wrong with wanting power, as long as the power will be used for the good. He added that it was only when power was isolated on the shoulders of tyrants that it became corruptive.

“At some point, power isolated them and built a cradle for heartless decisions. They were convinced that they had to do everything all by themselves. But the point is, my friends, we are never alone. We can take responsibility for power, together,” Ladaga said.

To end his speech, Ladaga reiterated his three-fold challenge. “Always remember that we are boundless, powerful and together. Batukan natin ang isa’t isa kung kailangan para maalala iyan.”