Staying true, making an impact: Meet Karen Joy Perez, College Class of 2024 Valedictorian

College Class of 2024 Valedictorian Karen Joy Perez on ‘abolishing’ the hill, leaving a lasting mark, and the sweet uncertainty of the future

When Karen Joy Perez (AB Sociology ’24) learned that she was her graduating class’s valedictorian, it was only a few moments before our own chat to talk about her remarkable achievement. 

“I actually learned about it a few minutes ago,” she says, still out of breath, but grinning from ear to ear. “When Dr [Jojo] Hofileña [Associate Vice President for Undergraduate Education] emailed me about the meeting… I thought na second screening phase lang siya for the whole process. It’s very surprising.”

At the time, it still hadn’t sunk in for her, but there was something said during her courtesy call with Dr Maria Luz C Vilches, Vice President for Higher Education, that struck her. “Even though it doesn’t seem like it, people noticed the things I was able to do with the help of my other officers in the Scholars Sectoral Board. It’s very heartwarming,” Karen says. 

“More than the title of being the valedictorian – siyempre that’s a very big deal – what means more to me now is the fact that people notice the things that we do, and that people are aware that scholars exist and we take up space in the community,” she adds. 

A financial aid scholar in college and a full scholar at the Ateneo de Manila Senior High School, Karen has always known that Ateneo was where she wanted to study. “Sobrang cliché,” she says, “but Ateneo is my dream school.” Her mother went to Ateneo de Naga University in Camarines Sur, where her family hails – although she grew up and was raised in Rizal – and worked for a time at the Institute of Philippine Culture (IPC). 

“It’s been a part of my psyche since I was growing up,” Karen says, smiling. 

Originally, Karen wanted to take up psychology. But her time in senior high, particularly under the Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS) strand, led her to discovering her love for the social sciences. “I was exposed to social sciences courses and then I realized na mas nag-enjoy ako d’un, na mas macro-scale ‘yung level of knowledge and theories, how things worked, how people interacted with each other.”

In college, she interned at different non-governmental organizations, including BEAGIVER and The Storytelling Project – two experiences that pushed her towards development management. Her time in Ateneo was mostly spent as an active member of Ateneo Gabay, the scholar’s organization in the university, where she was part of its Executive Committee. In her senior year, she became the Scholar Sector Representative of the Scholars Sectoral Board, which represents scholars in the college Sanggunian. 

A different world
Entering college is already a feat in itself, but for Karen’s batch, it was doubly challenging. With the Covid-19 pandemic raging around the world, she and her batchmates had to spend their first two years in college at home, on lockdown, only seeing each other as little squares on Zoom. “No one saw it coming,” she says. “The biggest challenge was starting [college] online. It was hard to focus academically with everything that was happening. May mga kakilalang nagkaka-Covid, some people even passed away because of it.”

“What kept me going was the people believing in us – in me,” Karen shares. It was a difficult time for her mother as well, as she lost work during that time, but witnessing her perseverance and resilience inspired Karen to keep going. Karen also credits the Office of Admission and Aid for their enduring assistance to scholars. “OAA has been really helpful  – kahit online n’un, may ICs (Individual Consultation) kami with them so they can check up on us and see how we were faring with everything.”

Now that four years have passed and she’s set to graduate – summa cum laude at that, and the class valedictorian to boot – she takes a moment to reflect on what she would tell her freshman self. “I’d say just keep swimming,” Karen says. “Even if you have no idea what will come next doesn’t mean what you’re doing now won’t matter in the future, because at the end of the day that will serve as the foundation of what you will be doing next. Kahit hindi mo pa alam kung ano ‘yun, being honest with what you’re doing right now would make a big impact on what you’ll be doing in the future as well.”

“Just keep going – even if it seems bleak, there will be a light at the end of the tunnel.”

Not breadth, but depth 
Karen’s growth in college was marked by changes in the way she viewed things, and the way she wanted to experience the world from other people’s perspectives. In high school, she shares, she was very grade-conscious. 

“That’s the [mindset] of an overachiever kid,” Karen says. “You have to do well, you have to ace all your classes, to the point where when I look back, my biggest regret was not enjoying it or not cherishing moments with other people, because ‘yun pala was what would matter more in the long run.”

“Lalo na during the pandemic – anong gagawin ko dito if maka-A ako? Anong mangyayari, hindi naman matatapos ‘yung pandemic if maka-A ako sa lahat ng classes. So I just treasured the moments and realized that memories would matter more in the long run and how people remember you and how you remember people. That’s the more loving option, not just for myself na hindi na pinapagod ‘yung sarili with acads, but also with the other people because of the way I treated them and interacted with them.”

One lesson that she continues to take with her today – and that she wants to take with her even after Ateneo – is the concept of magis. “Magis is usually equated to more – doing more. But I think what I learned is that magis also means deeper. It’s not about breadth but depth,” she says.

“It’s not about how many orgs you join or how many leadership responsibilities you have but the impact that you were able to make on other people; [not just] other people you work with, but also people that I was able to serve during my years in college. Hindi pala siya projects, projects, projects or more on the accolades – best in ganyan, best in ganito – but going back to how the people remember you, the experience, how you made them feel while you were working with them or just being with them in general. That’s what I learned in the past four years.”

And even more important than that is the mindset of not actually going down from the hill. “‘Yung tinuro po samin noong senior high was, ‘Sino ba kasing nagsabing we are on a hill?’ Baka the call is not to go down from the hill but to abolish the hill and make sure that everyone is on a level playing field. I think that’s the unique mindset Ateneo was able to teach me. We’re teaching you these things not because you’re better than other people but so you can help them better and understand that you’re not the messiah, you’re not a savior, but you’re working with them.” 

She echoes a quote taught to them in senior high, attributed to artist and activist Lilla Watson: “If you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.”

Leaving a lasting mark
For Karen, one thing that keeps coming back is leaving an impact, creating memories, and doing good – and treating others well – in the process. It is with this philosophy that she views her appointment as valedictorian of her class. “To be a valedictorian means you made an impact on the people around you,” she says. “It doesn’t have to be rooted in an academic sense, you don’t have to be summa cum laude to be valedictorian, pero babalik siya sa experience – how you make people feel. Natandaan ka ba nila kasi bibo ka sa recitation o natandaan ka nila because you were a kind groupmate?” 

To her graduating class, she says: “The first two years of our college life being online doesn’t make us any less of an Atenean or doesn’t make our journey paler in comparison to previous or younger batches. Having that experience is something unique to us, something that we will carry after graduation – the endurance that we were able to shape, the perseverance, the character na kinailangan naming magkaroon during those two years.” 

“That’s something that will stay with us even after our four years in Ateneo. I hope we don’t feel regret for those two years because those two years are still two years of being an Atenean. The experiences that we were able to encounter, the people we met in those two years will stay with us. The hard work that we put in during those two years will eventually reward us in the future, whether within Ateneo or outside of it.” 

“Ateneo was able to shape me to be ready for tomorrow but no one can ever be super, super ready for what comes next. Like what I mentioned earlier, wala namang certain about what would happen in the future even if you still prepare for it. I think that’s also another thing that Ateneo teaches you – to just be honest with your values in life, kahit anong mangyari, being true to what you believe in will guide you throughout the journey.”