Innovation and inclusion. Two overwhelming words that must be embodied as we campaign for a more sustainable future. This is not a mere battlecry. It is a way of life at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde.
Though the college is uncommonly regarded as one of the more expensive in the country, a quarter of its students are scholars — with hopes to steadily increase this esteemed cluster of deserving students.
As we forge ahead, the college earnestly continues to push the boundaries of what an institution may be able to do for the community.
For instance, let me share my personal experiences.
The fashion design program does not end with just stylish, trendy and sophisticated dresses and gowns. They likewise promote sustainable non-fast-fashion pieces, and even advocates for the standard sizing which benefits individuals of short stature. They haven’t even forgotten the often-neglected Filipino Little People.
The industrial design teams have championed responsive products that aid those with mobility disabilities and for the use during extraordinary situations such as floods. Meanwhile, the budding interior designers have progressively renovated schools, libraries, hallways and special education centers that cater to the Deaf.
Moving a little closer to its own neighboring barangays, outreach projects have been nonstop through the years. For instance, affordable but nutritious recipes collected in cookbooks have been distributed. They even offered assistance to kick off their very own gardens to further reinforce the benefits of the Pinggang Pinoy program.
Benilde’s very own Museum of Contemporary Art and Design likewise initiated exhibits which took the unassuming pedicab, a source of livelihood for many, and gave it a facelift through artistic repaint jobs by renowned artists, which touched the heart and lifted the soul.
Among themselves, the virtue of aid prevails. The Saint Benilde Romancon Dance Troupe and Coro San Benildo, both internationally-awarded groups, have successfully fundraised for several members to join overseas competitions.
In art fairs around the metro, some displayed works represented the LGBTQIA+ community. The Benilde Hive, the first accredited LGBTQIA+ organization in the La Salle system, is also a testament to the college’s commitment to further support gender minorities.
Finally, during the pandemic, in addition to face masks and personal protective equipment produced by students, professors and the staff, the DLS-CSB opened its doors as it became the living quarters of frontliners of the country’s premier public hospital. The gymnasiums welcomed the homeless, as they struggled for safe shelter in the onslaught of a virus that affected them the most.
Whenever you turn within the three Benildean campuses, we can see and hear that these causes are being championed.