With June being the back-to-school month, do you still recall your first day in school? Did you cry, make friends right away, or get lost in campus? Let’s read what Diwa employees have to share about this memorable event.   “I remember being with my mom and dad during the first day of school in Grade 1. That entire day, my parents stood by the classroom window, waving at me every time I looked at them.

I remember looking at them every 5 minutes or so, not really paying attention to my teacher and wishing that the day would soon end. I recall that my homeroom adviser’s name was Ms. Marcos. I was so terrified of her that first day because I thought she was related to President Marcos, who was the country’s president back then. My first-day school experience was so unpleasant for me that I forced my parents to take me to the movies after.”
— Peter Sandico, Managing Editor, P4

“One of my most memorable first-day experiences during school happened during my first ROTC training. The day before the training, I prepared my army gear and uniform and had a haircut. When the big day came, I woke up so early not to be late.

When I was already in school, I lined up with my comrades and prepared to enter the oval. At the gate, a student officer halted me with his funny probinsyano accent—“Gad dam it, yor hair is istil long.” With his unforgiving scissors, he cut my hair three inches above my ears until my scalp showed.

Pissed off and looking funny, I joined the rest of the cadets in the field. The corps commander ordered us to remove our upper garments before beginning our warm-up. After all the preparations I did, I missed to wear the t-shirt with school logo that was part of the uniform. That was the last straw that got me kicked out of the battalion during the first day of training.

I felt so disappointed because after all the preparations, I was still going to be marked as absent. Since that day, I promised myself not to attend the ROTC again. But still, being a requirement in college, I was forced to endure it for four straight semesters.”
— Jericho Villanueva, Book Editor

“In college, we had this rule that if the professor isn’t in class after 15 minutes from the start of the period, the class is dismissed. On the first day, the professor in one of my classes was late. After 15 minutes, the class decided to leave and just see a movie. Some of our classmates decided to stay in the air-conditioned room. The next day, we were surprised to find out that our professor did come to class and that we were marked absent. A protest from half of the class was raised against him. If I were him, I would have read the student’s handbook!”
— Kathleen Faith Garcia, Customer Service Specialist, Diwa Distrinet Baguio

“I guess one of my most memorable experiences in school was during high school. I considered those times as my stepping stone for growth. I was motivated to be more independent and responsible by meeting new friends and joining different organizations. I miss the feeling of being a student. I’m surprised at myself for missing the pressure during exams, the anxiety of group studies and presentations, the happy moments of buying new stuff  for school, the exciting moments during prom nights and seeing your crush, and the agonizing experience of having low grades and not being included in the top 10 list. I’m happy that I was able to experience all these.”
 — Lilimae Angeles, Encoder, Sales Department

“I always considered my first day in school memorable. I was always excited to wake up early in the morning, to wear my new uniform and shoes, and to meet my new classmates and friends. I was also excited to write on my new notebooks. However, I did feel a little nervous meeting the teachers who were considered as terrors.

Going to school nowadays is very difficult as compared to the time when I studying. I remember always arriving in school early because the traffic was very light. But now, because of the increasing number of vehicles, heavy traffic prevents students from getting to school early. Students today are very lucky because of modern technology. During my time, we had to browse through many books and other references just to answer our assignments and make our projects. Most especially, we paid a smaller tuition fee back then.”
 — Myra Nicolas, Accounting Clerk