Home Is Where The Whirl Is

by Gabbie De Los Santos

Thumbnail by Aina Robeniol

As a freshman, I’ll admit that I’m entirely new to the culture of organizations in UP Diliman. Everywhere I look, there’s an org tambayan, an org DP, or an org event pub--to a lost, first year student like me, it was definitely more than a little overwhelming. Despite this, I told myself that I wouldn’t join any organization. It seemed like it would take too much time, effort, and dedication; all of which I felt I didn’t have. I thought, “Why bother?”

However, as most UP students may know, it’s difficult to completely avoid them. The UP Broadcaster’s Guild (UP BroadGuild) was one of the first to welcome me into college, and the only one so far to really make me rethink my “anti-org” mindset. The impressive publicity materials and fun activities drew me in, but the welcoming members (Guilders) and passion for its advocacies made me stay.

As cheesy as it may sound, BroadGuild became a space I could truly call home. This word carries such a heavy weight for me, and I’m sure other people would agree; the comfort of home is something that we always search for, be it in people, in places, or in anything else. Never did I feel the warmth of home as acutely as I did than during UP BroadGuild’s Alumni Homecoming Night (AHC).

Resident and alumni guilders come together for the Alumni Homecoming Night.

Entitled “Whirl Back”, the AHC capped off BroadGuild’s 20th anniversary week celebration, “TUKLAS”. At the AHC, alumni were able to rekindle and strengthen their ties with BroadGuild, while current Guilders were able to learn more about the org’s humble beginnings. It was an eye-opening experience.

Although the room was filled with people from different backgrounds who are all walking different paths in life, I realized that everyone in attendance had one thing in common: we all had the same love for our organization.

Each person in the room radiated the same sense of family; be they new members or alumni, freshmen or seniors, active or inactive, the feeling that BroadGuild inspires in the Guilders is always one of comfort. This is the reason that no matter where we might be in life, we still come back to BroadGuild-- this is the reason our Alumni Homecoming Night exists. As one member said, “Iba pa rin talaga pag binabalikan ang BroadGuild”.

Resident and alumni guilders team up to test their guilder knowledge in a quick game of Pinoy Henyo.

Behind all the events, the org work, and the stress, at the center of UP BroadGuild is truly a socio-civic heart for community development. Everything we do is always for a purpose, for the people. The AHC let us bask in a sense of fulfillment and pride in our org, and strengthened our drive to make it into something we can be even prouder of.

In preschool, we all learned the difference between a house and a home. A house is concrete; simply put, it refers to a building where someone lives. In contrast, a home isn’t necessarily physical; it could be a place, a person, or even a state of mind, as long as someone feels like they belong there.

A homecoming, therefore, is self-explanatory--it isn’t about coming back to a physical dwelling place, but returning to something or somewhere that is close to your heart. This is exactly what we all experienced at the AHC.

It’s safe to say that to all the Guilders, BroadGuild is home--and I for one know that it’s a home I’ll keep coming back to.