Pathways community gives thanks for institution’s 20 Years

The Pathways community gathered at the Church of the Gesu for a Thanksgiving mass to celebrate its 20th anniversary last April 15, 2023. The program’s current participants, its network of parents, alumni, volunteers, public high school teacher coordinators, and friends joined us as we looked back at the program’s history and its impact.

Fr. Bienvenido “Ben” Nebres, SJ presided over the mass alongside Bro. Patrick Echevarria. Bro. Pat, as he is fondly called in Pathways, delivered the homily by sharing about how his mathematics class under Fr. Ben led him to join the Pathways community, become principal of our summer school, and how these eventually led to his joining the Jesuit ministry. He reminded us about everyday turning points in our lives that eventually led us to where we are today–turning points like deciding to join Pathways.

After, we listened to stories about the impact Pathways had on four members of our community. 

Alexandra Jarlego, a participant from our 16th batch of students, shared about her adjustment to college and how the Pathways core values resonated with her and deeply influenced her. She now serves as the Student Council President of Assumption College and is an active member of the Ayala Young Leaders Congress.

Engr. Jay Vee Estrada, an alumnus from our 12th batch of students, shared about the challenges he faced in his academics and how Pathways accompanied him through this journey and cheered him on as he found his interests. He eventually ranked 3rd in the Geodetic Engineer board exam in 2021.

Capping the live sharings were couple Gio and Reg Esguerra-Cinco who shared about how their volunteering with Alay Ni Ignacio gave them the opportunity to know more about public education, meet other people, and even more about each other.

We also listened to the recorded messages from others in our community, namely: Dr. Milwida “Nene” Guevarra of Synergeia Foundation Inc.; Dr. Nancy Suegay of the Department of Education - Marikina City; Beverly Tirana, a staunch Pathways supporter and mother to Joshua Tirana, a Pathways participant and third-year college student in AdMU; and Matthias Meier of Aiducation International, Pathways’ longtime partner in mission. They shared their wishes and thanks for Pathways. A longer cut of their stories will be shared with the public in the coming weeks.

Ateneo President Fr. Roberto “Bobby” Yap, SJ expressed his gratitude for the sharers' insight, as well as his appreciation for the organization and our achievements over the years. He shared his awe at all the stories told and said that he looks forward to seeing more of our impact in the coming years.

The day spilled over to Bellarmine field where even more personal stories were shared over a picnic. 

We know that even more stories were told afterward whether over dinner or the days that followed. We look forward to hearing more of them and seeing some more familiar faces in our other events to come!

Check out our other photos from the day on our Facebook page.

Tag us in your Pathways stories
Facebook: @pathwaystohighereducation
Instagram: @pathways_ph

—

It takes a village to raise a child. It also takes a village to celebrate! Pathways would like to thank the following

Those who helped us bring together various snacks for our humble and happy picnic:
Julie
Lito, Bebs, and Joshua 
Marry Ann and Myrna
Pathways Batch 9 Alumni
Nikki 
And our Anonymous donors

Those who shared their knowledge, talents, and resources to make the event memorable:
Angel, Fhe, Joellyn, Joshua, Mike, Precious, and Rose
Ben, Eros, Janina, Josielle, Julia, Louis, Sofia, and Yuan
Bless, Fr. Francis, Darwin, Denise, Mika, Rachel, Ruth, and Vida
Charm, Cyriel, and Dan Mark
Gab, Joyce, Mariah, Marieh, and Miks
Bro. Jego, Joshua Carl, Glenn, Kenneth, Marie, Merlie, Mikaela, Rafael, and Rosebelle
Adrian, Angelo, Ayelle, Cole, Daniel, Eric, Gigi, Jenny, Karl, and MJ

The Ateneo offices who worked with us to make the event possible:
Central Facilities Management Office
Campus Ministry Office
Campus Security and Mobility Office
Digital Information and Technology Services
Office of the Gesu Church Rector
Office of the President