When I was younger, I had a dream.
Not just any dream—but a green one.
I wanted to study at De La Salle University.

DLSU wasn’t just a school to me. It was the school. The one with the prestige, the tradition, the cool jackets, the gorgeous campus, and the kind of intellectual energy that seemed to shape future leaders with laser precision. It felt like the place where big things happen—and I wanted to be part of it.

But dreams cost money.

And back then, the money just wasn’t there.

Tuition vs. Reality

I remember looking at brochures, listening to stories, and picturing myself walking down Agno, notebook in hand, probably late to class but full of hope. But each time I dreamed, reality tugged at my sleeve:

“Kaya ba ng tuition?”
Can we afford the tuition?

“May pangmatrikula ba tayo?”
Do we have money for enrollment?

“Baka ibang school na lang muna.”
Maybe just pick another school for now.

So I didn’t go.
Not because I lacked the grades, the determination, or the Animo.
But because life has a budget, and my family had bigger priorities—like food, rent, and just getting through the day.

Still a Lasallian in Spirit

But here’s the thing they don’t teach in any classroom:
Spirit doesn’t require enrollment.

Even without a DLSU student number, I carried the Lasallian values with me:

• Excellence. Doing my best, even when no one expected it.
• Service. Helping others, especially when it mattered most.
• Faith. In God, in goodness, and in the long game of life.

The Animo—that unmistakable fire of a Lasallian—wasn’t something you had to pay for. It was something you lived by.

Maybe Someday

I still carry that dream.
Maybe I’ll take a course there one day. Maybe a master’s, maybe a workshop. Or maybe just walk the campus as a visitor, head held high, knowing I belong—not on paper, but in spirit.

Because being a Lasallian isn’t just about where you study.
It’s about who you choose to become.

Animo La Salle—kahit di ako naka-enroll.
Animo La Salle—even if I was never officially enrolled.

And to anyone out there who also had a dream they couldn’t afford—
You’re not alone.
And no matter where life takes us, that dream?
It still lives on.