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Third time’s the charm, and so is Bea Arboleda’s (4 BS ME) third and final year as an O-Host. This year, the former Glam Queen B reprises her debut and second O-Host tagline as the “bombshell Barbie ready to start the party.” Bea carries herself with glamor and grace, even through video call. In this interview, she divulges the insights she’s gained both as a host and as a student.
VANT: How are you doing? With the pandemic and the lockdown, how are you?
BEA: I feel like everyone’s still kind of adjusting to this “new normal” but I feel that in the beginning I was quite sluggish. I think I’ve moved onto the next level of acceptance of what’s going on and trying to make the most out of what I have. There are moments where I just want to pray, meditate for things to get better, but I’ve been doing my part, now, to make the situation better. I bond more with my family, I talk more with my friends. I’ve been focusing a lot on my influencer career also on Instagram, trying to make better content as well and doing more Lazada live streams because I’m really on hosting. So, [I’m] just trying to do things that make me happy and that I’m passionate about.
VANT: With this in mind, how has being in Ateneo, or how [has] your Ateneo experience helped you with hosting?
BEA: Well, actually, it’s funny because I’m a Management Engineering major but I like doing things that make me become more extroverted, outgoing and friendly. Being in this University allows me to open different doors for myself. To host—especially, in OrSem—we’re given great training by different kinds of professionals and I feel like because of that I was able to really go out of my shell and unleash the bombshell Barbie in me. [laughs] That translates to my work outside of school, so that includes Lazada lives, hosting real events, and—right now—hosting in front of the camera.
VANT: What was your own experience of OrSem and what impression did it give you of Ateneo?
BEA: I was so excited I felt like I was going into a theme park. You know how in… any theme park, everyone’s just dancing, “Welcome to Disney!” like that, and I feel like that’s what I got but it was like “Welcome to Ateneo!” I thought that the TNTs, SecMobs, and all of the people who made OrSem would just be energetic for the first 30 minutes. Akala ko mawawalan sila ng energy. But, boy, was I wrong because it lasted for two full days. They were just so bouncy and I was infected by that wonderful vibe that they had! I really had a good impression of OrSem, and I wanted to be part of it as soon as I could. That’s why the next year, I auditioned and I was blessed to be an O-host.
You know, there were points in OrSem where I kind of got, either shy or I felt like, “What was I gonna be in Ateneo?” When I looked [at the] stage, I saw my O-Hosts and they were just so cool. I mean, I felt like they were artista levels and ang gagaling nila. But then, I heard that their courses, like si Ian Pangilinan, he was Management Engineering, as well as Rafa Chua. And then we had Issa, Carla, Gigi. All of these amazing hosts just going on stage and doing their thing; I wanted to be one of them. They made me feel welcome in Ateneo the first moment that I stepped into the school so I wanted to give that to the freshies as well. Hopefully, there will be other bombshell Barbies out there who would want to, you know, be extravagant—maybe in pink, maybe in other colors, but hopefully I can inspire them to do something that they wanna do in school.
VANT: It’s your third year as an O-Host. What keeps you coming back to your role?
BEA: Every time I come back I always [discern] with myself. It’s not just about me trying to get in. It’s about what I can offer, every year. If I feel like, you know, this year I don’t think that there’s something new that I can bring or if I feel like maybe someone else has to take that spot and it would be better for them, then I wouldn’t opt to go back in. But I always challenge myself; I always said, “Okay, last year this is how I was, this year what can I do? How can I add value to the OrSem family?” That’s why I audition every year.
BEA: But what keeps me coming back is really the community. I can’t stress that enough. From the first year that I was an O-Host to the second, and now to the third, I would not feel as achieved or accomplished if I hadn’t been with the people that I had been with: My co-hosts. Because saluhan talaga kami and that’s what I love about it. It’s a different sense of family. We’re there for each other. If one can’t be 100% today, the other one will go 150% to compensate for the other person. It’s really that kind of family and friendship that we bring in and, of course, our host handlers also who are working tirelessly behind the scenes. Everyone working in OrSem—every single person who’s made OrSem—is what keeps me coming back.
VANT: You mentioned coming back with something new every year. For this year what’s that something new you’re going to bring to OrSem Tuloy?
BEA: This year—being in OrSem for the third time—my tagline is actually a mash-up of my first two. I got “bombshell Barbie” [from my first year as an O-Host] and took “ready to start the party” [from my second hosting year]. We have this glamorous person on screen, but this time she’s ready to start the party because she just finally realized who she has truly become. I remember [that] as a freshie, I just didn’t know who I would be in Ateneo. But now, I kind of feel like I know who that is and it’s just me being my authentic self, not trying to pretend to be anyone, not trying to impress anyone, and that’s what truly makes a “bombshell Barbie” shine.
VANT: What challenges did you encounter in the past four years, both as a host and as a student?
BEA: Syempre, those Math long tests that you thought you understood, that you thought you studied very hard for, that you were so prepared [for] but then you thought wrong. Kasi pagdating mo doon, you’re just staring at it and you’re like, “Nag-aral ba ako?” I remember my first long test ever in Math, as an ME student, I said, “Siguro, next sem matatanggal na ako [from ME].” That was my first thought, kasi, I really just stared at it. But I got by with perseverance talaga and the best support system—shout out to my blockmates and to my college friends! I really wouldn’t be here without them. I think that’s something that I want freshies to know: Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Another challenge I went through was balancing my priorities. All of us have a lot of things going on but I guess the main challenge is how to allot enough time for all of these things without spreading ourselves too thin. I’m a strong believer that everyday we may not be equipped to make the right decisions for the rest of our lives, but each day we can make the best decision that we can right now. I just view these challenges as learning opportunities, points to improve; and then the challenges just felt like a part of the journey.
VANT: What should people look forward to in OrSem Tuloy?
BEA: There are a lot of things that they should look forward to. Personally, I was really excited also. Of course, we have activities, we have a lot of performances. [laughs] You think na online, ah, parang bara-bara lang na work, or like, you know white wall in the background but, guys, just get ready for the costumes, the outfits, the really good content, the insightful talks and just everything! You can expect no less from this OrSem compared to the rest. Just because we’re online, it doesn’t mean that it’s any less excellent. If anything, for me, this pandemic—that, you know, we have to stay apart—just brings us closer together.
VANT: And what advice would you want to give to all the incoming freshies?
BEA: Through the years—and now that I’m coming into my last year in Ateneo as an O-Host and as a student—I just feel like all I had to tell myself was just be yourself. It’s not gonna be that hard because the Ateneo community is so accepting, so loving, and so genuine that you don’t have to try to be anyone but yourself and you’ll fit perfectly in. The moment that you allow yourself to just be who you are. I took three years—I only realized it in my fourth year—but you can have it in a minute. You can have that mindset as soon as you guys get into Ateneo because, for sure, you will find people just like you who will appreciate you for who you truly are. There’s no need to try to be someone else because, at the end of the day, what will make you truly happy is just expressing who you really are and getting love and acceptance for that authentic self.
