Vantage Magazine

Your journey to the stars starts here. 🚀 Stepping into college can feel like launching into the unknown, but don’t worry, Vantage Magazine’s Freshmanual is your star map! With this 2025 release, you will never feel like you’re navigating freshman life alone. Discover guides to must-try experiences, causes worth championing, and the wonders that make life as an Atenean shine. 💫💙 The sky isn’t the limit—your rise to the stars is just beginning. 🌟 Read the online version here: tgdn.co/Freshmanual2025⁩

By Adrianna Ang, Madi Castro, and MJ Villamor

Drop everything and read! 📖 In the age of brainrot content, it’s natural to wonder whether people are picking up books merely to prove that their intellects are still intact. Has reading really gotten performative? tgdn.co/4b1HUbe

What if this is the best version of me? In this Coming-of-age article, Vantage Staffer Percy explores what it means to be a “jack of all trades, master of none” and the idea of only being “average” at whatever you do. tgdn.co/44ANJsy #ComingOfAge

Days in the sweltering sun are around the corner! Queue up this daylist of road trip anthems, beach bops, and late-night summer hits. 🚗🎧 By Mikylla Almirol, Basti Cabasagan, Nicolette David Graphic by Chevin Paul Gealone Tune in now at tgdn.co/3SCjlve

After countless strolls along Zen Garden and daily E-Jeep rides lit by the setting sun, our seniors are now forging new paths and routines beyond their college years. In celebrating Batch 2026’s commencement rites, we asked some of our distinguished graduates what they will miss the most about the Ateneo. Once again, congratulations to the Class of 2026! By Adrianna Ang and Jezelle Aspiras Photos by RJ Hernandez and Juls Leonardo Graphics by Chevin Paul Gealone

Graduation season culminates semesters’ worth of hard work for our outgoing seniors. From chasing after internships to build the perfect resume, to losing sleep over multiple thesis revisions, this last weekend marked the end of their journey in their second home. From June 19 to 21, they marched the hallowed halls of Ateneo for the final time with bittersweet smiles on their faces.

A celebration of queer storytelling 🌈📚 #VantScoop: The annual Aesop Queer Library debuts in the Philippines today, June 26, at SM Aura Premier in the City of Taguig. Australian lifestyle brand Aesop began this global initiative in 2021 to uplift LGBTQIA+ narratives and authors by converting its storefronts into pop-up libraries. With the theme "Body of Work,” the inaugural Manila branch houses 29 local titles, forefronted by National Artist Ricky Lee and celebrated author Jerico Silvers. Ateneans may also find a piece of home in this collection, which features multiple works published by the Ateneo de Manila University Press. The Aesop Queer Library is open on June 26 to 28. Visitors can claim one free book of their choice, until stocks last.

Photos by Finomena Chang and Daryl D. Sy

With their quirky charm and curious personalities, the Cateneans capture the hearts of Ateneans, thanks to devoted individuals and groups who provide them with meaningful care. Learn more about our campus cats and the people who care for them through this interactive: tgdn.co/4adW0G8 Graphic by Helena Leaño

More than a meal, it’s a lifeline. ❤️‍🩹 Beyond its hearty selection of lutong bahay, carinderias offer a sense of survival amid rising costs. Lola Sofia’s Kitchen in Xavierville, Katipunan is a living testament to this, ensuring that while the world outside grows more expensive, the cost of a full stomach and a comforted soul remains within reach. 🤝🍽️ By Jezelle Aspiras, Alekxie Castaños, and Aldea Hao Photos by Via Panopio tgdn.co/4vtI6Im

How did you first meet? 🫂 In this Campus Speaks episode, seniors share the stories behind their college constants and how it all began. 💙🫂

How do you say goodbye to the only life you’ve known for the last four to five years? 🎓 As the final chapter of seniors’ college stories draws to a close, Vantage Magazine looks at how seniors navigate the weight of the “lasts”—balancing the bittersweet nostalgia and the sense of temporality that define the road to graduation. tgdn.co/4ewCSEM

For the times when you needed solitude to collect yourself and appreciate how far you had come. You’re a little older and a little wiser, yet you still carry the same gratitude knowing that no matter what, you’ll always have people you can return to.

For moments when the academic exhaustion has drained you, and all you can think about is a welcome reprieve from all the stress. Cramming into a small room with your friends and filling the space with laughter feels like home.

For the graduating seniors: goodbyes are never easy—especially when you’re leaving something that has nurtured you for years. When you look at the academic years that have passed, the mundane and ordinary scenes can be overlooked. Yet, it’s in these small pockets of time, with all of the positive and negative emotions surrounding it, that define one’s university experience. What better way to reminisce on these memories than with a soundtrack? By Elisha Cayanga, Claire Mayol, and Percy Roy Photos by Via Panopio Graphics by Arian Patrocino