It was 2018 when Marice, then a freshman, picked up a flyer from the Sanggu tent amidst the bustle of the Recweek festivities. On the flyer was a list of projects being launched by the Sanggunian of the Ateneo de Manila, among them being Humans of Ateneo, a spin-off of Brandon Stanton’s critically acclaimed Humans of New York. Humans of Ateneo (HoA) would go on to become a valiant success, the humble journey of which Marice recounts heartily.
It all started with a team of four freshmen. The project, having just lifted off the runway, experienced its fair share of pioneering hitches-being clueless freshmen only being the start of them. “We’ve never handled projects; we’ve never launched social media initiatives. I remember during one of our sessions we were [even] brainstorming on a notepad,” Marice details. But in the end, passion and perseverance, she says, also helped them prevail: “What really brought us together in making this project possible was the advocacy of HoA, which is to ensure that every story is heard and [show] that [each story] is important.”
Humans of Ateneo began its series with the story of Hya Bendaña, the then-Sanggunian president and valedictorian of the Ateneo de Manila Class of 2019. The article quickly made waves, complementing the strong-willed president’s shelves of academic achievements with her passion for social activism and her story as the daughter of a jeepney driver. With this strong start, what began as a small storytelling initiative evolved into an acclaimed and still running collection of stories, featuring everything from the regular Atenean, the proteges, all up to the wise elders.
If there’s anything that continues to inspire Marice, it would have to be her advocacy of mental health, crystal to her and all who know her in the present day. But it wasn’t always clear to her: Marice had originally been a philosophy student before shifting into the psychology program midway through her college journey. “Although my advocacy is mental health, one of the career paths that I plan to take is law school. I think we need more lawyers who are honest,” Marice says. “And aside from [that], I also like striving for justice and human rights. But after being in [the Sanggunian Commission on Mental Health], I realized how much mental health means to me.”
And it shows-Marice, even online, can be seen dedicating her presence to psychology, all from spreading her group’s Experimental Psych surveys around to celebrating the rebrand of Humans of Ateneo with her core team, a group she always recalls in good faith. “I consider HOA core to be my second family. I remember when I had my very first [singing] gig for CASA (Contemporary Acapella Singers Association), it was my first time performing in front of everyone in a [social] setting, so I was nervous. The whole team went and supported me even though it was in Maginhawa,” Marice says, whose personal fondness for theatre wasn’t exempt from occasional stage fright. “[I would consider] HOA Core my constants.”
Being a part of Humans of Ateneo has fortified Marice’s lifelong advocacy, especially as she continues to deal with her own share of mental health hurdles throughout college. She draws a parallel between the project and her favorite form of therapy: narrative therapy. “When it comes to narrative therapy, you can try to reclaim yourself by saying that these experiences were real, that they happened, and that it’s not [your] fault. I think [stories] are so powerful and [reading them is] something that every person should go through if they feel like no one understands them. Even reading stories from strangers about the same thing [you] go through is already so helpful [in itself],” Marice says.
Even with the tides brought about by the now-two-year-old project she has seen through and her mental health journey, Marice has always brought with her an air of compassion resounding throughout all she does. She is outstandingly sincere and empathetic, words lent by Johann Espino, the project’s current Human Resources head. “She’s really understanding. She always chooses to be kind to others. If someone is going through something, she wants to be there for them,” says Johann.
Another merit would be her determination, defiant in its presence throughout her college journey. Gaby Zamora has known Marice since high school, a blissful friendship sprouting from the social burdens of carrying groupmates and promoting the rights of the nonbinary community, the passion which Marice now carries into her leadership in five organizations. “[Being in] Humans of Ateneo [is] her way of paying it forward,” says Gaby. “She’s a really good leader, [even if] she’s shy. When she’s in the zone, you don’t really get the feeling that she’s that shy person [because] she’s [so] focused on what she has to do. You can feel her presence even when she’s not doing anything.”
As Marice says, Humans of Ateneo aims to paint every human of the Ateneo community–with both their merits and their flaws. As such, there’s nothing more human than doubting oneself, a problem even Marice goes through. “She doesn’t give herself credit [for] what she does when she deserves so much more,” adds Gaby. “I want her to believe in herself more.”
Nonetheless, Marice continues to push forward. Even with senior year looming, Marice has dug her heels firmly into the ground she has planted in Humans of Ateneo. “CMH [is] the only org I’ve been active in for four years in college. I don’t plan on leaving, so I guess you can really see how much I love it,” she says. From here on, Marice Sta. Maria emerges much more confidently than ever before, carrying her passion for mental health with each stride. There is no one her younger self would be prouder of. “I would tell [my younger self] that there’s so much in store for you. It does get better, and there’s always going to be something to look forward to in the future,” Marice says.