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If there’s anyone who blooms where they’re planted, it’s Elery Torres (2 AB COM)—OrSem’s very own “hyper plantita, medyo pabida, celery without the C.” As one of the four hosts for OrSem Tayo, she sets the stage for others to bloom as well.
Purpose and drive are what motivate many pursuits in Elery’s life, and her road to Ateneo followed suit. With strong roots planted in her senior high school alma mater, Ateneo de Manila University wasn’t always the obvious choice for Elery—but it ended up being a welcome surprise. Eventually, her passion for media and communication led her to apply for a change of degree program for AB Communication after originally passing AB Diplomacy and International Relations. “Isa akong alagad ng sining at media (I am a steward of the arts and media),” she shares.
Although the decision to pursue Ateneo wasn’t easy, she entered the University knowing the diverse environment would bring in many fresh opportunities. “I love connecting with people, I love meeting people, and I love hearing people’s stories,” she shares. Her enthusiasm for building relationships inspired her to start her own Public Relations agency one day–a vision she went into Ateneo with.
Despite feeling secure in her career path and degree, Elery felt a sense of uncertainty over the digital set-up. She comes from the first batch of Atenean freshmen to experience an online OrSem. Fortunately, the silver lining for her in all this was meeting her blockmates, TNTs, and SecMobs. “That’s one thing OrSem prides itself in–reassuring the freshies that Ateneo is home and you belong in Ateneo,” she shares.
Elery spent her freshman year exploring different interests but she eventually realized that she wanted to focus on only two endeavors. Now, she serves as the Hosting Pool Manager for the Ateneo Association of Communication Majors and the Associate Vice President for Public Relations at the Ateneo Junior Marketing Association. Through these positions, she’s able to hone her skills while serving organizations whose advocacies align with hers.
It’s this appreciation for the Ateneo community’s vibrance that led Elery to OrSem. With the extensive training that comes with being an O-Host, she realized that hosting OrSem Tayo would require more than a desire for the spotlight. “When you host, you don’t want people to remember you. You want people to remember the experience,” she explains. “[Our job is] to highlight the event, the program, and every single person who [gave their] sweat, blood, and tears just to make this project successful.”
It’s evident that Elery has a delicate understanding of the responsibility that comes with hosting. She values the fact that this platform is an opportunity to highlight advocacies that are close to her heart. As a plantita, she’s very passionate about raising awareness towards plant poaching and overpricing. “[Plant poaching] is very relevant nowadays considering there’s an increase in the price markup of plants, which [make people opt] to poach plants instead,” she explains. A small passion project even came out of it, leading her to sell plants she propagated herself.
This awareness of the bigger issues surrounding her hobby came from interacting with other plant enthusiasts; being a plantita quickly became more than just a pastime. Her plantita persona was a product of long bouts of introspection during the pandemic. Growing plants also helped her deal with changes, such as graduating high school and not being able to properly say goodbye to that phase of her life. “For me, it was like making life [through] plants… I actually use it as a [form of] meditation,” she shares.
With this natural abundance of passion, Elery makes sure to ground herself in purpose. Knowing that she has a long way to go and many more advocacies to bring forward is what she’s most thankful for as an O-Host. This eagerness for growth is something she hopes to impart to the freshies as they find their footing in college.
As a new batch of freshies enters the virtual Loyola Schools, Elery shares three reminders. First, it’s important to go into things with an open mind and heart; mistakes are part of the process. Second, one’s being an Atenean is validated by their heart and values–not by a physical campus. Finally, the journey will look different for everybody, so take things at one’s own pace.
These reminders come from an understanding of what it’s like to navigate new terrain in extraordinary circumstances. Many freshies might also resonate with the idea of starting their Atenean journey with a lot of doubt. Elery assures that, despite the uncertainty, the Ateneo community has your back. “Ateneo is one of the most diverse and [most] beautiful communities ever,” she encourages freshies. “You belong. This opportunity would not have [come] your way if you did not belong here.”
