How Ateneo dean Joey Hofileña changed a law student’s life

I was young and desperate to study at Ateneo Law in 2018. At 2 in the morning, my immature self, with poor judgment, randomly sent Dean Joey Hofileña a very informal Facebook message. I told him I passed the exam but couldn’t enroll because of my circumstances. He didn’t reply on FB.

But that same morning, I woke up to an email from the admissions office saying that the dean had made himself available to discuss my situation. I never really thought someone of his stature would consider a random message from a nobody and respond with such generosity. He was so kind. Truly, deeply kind.

When we met in his office, he just let me talk and he listened so intently. I could tell he was making me feel seen and understood. He accommodated me but he also made sure I understood what that accommodation meant. He explained that scholarships for freshmen are harder to grant because we hadn’t proven ourselves yet. Law school is tough and there are no guarantees. The school had to make sure that any scholarship would be put to good use. He was honest and very fair. And he was compassionate.

At the end of our meeting, he told me the school would study my scholarship application. Then with a laugh, he said I didn’t need to attend my classes the next morning at the other law school I had already enrolled in. I was granted 100% scholarship for my first semester in law school.

He became my professor in commercial law in my fourth year. On my last day of class in 2022, I thanked him with tears in my eyes. I told him how everything felt like it had come full circle. What an honor it was to begin and end my Ateneo Law journey with Dean Hofi.

Screenshots from Vince Zyrence T. Barlongay

I know Ateneo Law now has even stronger scholarship programs, especially for first-year students. No doubt it was him that strengthened the system, finding donors, opening more doors for students like me who only needed one person to believe in them.

Dean Hofi changed a life. He changed mine. Thank you for listening to a 2 am message from a scared and hopeful kid.

Rest well, dean. Your kindness lives on in every lawyer you helped build. – Rappler.com

Vince Zyrence T. Barlongay is a member of the Ateneo Law School Class of 2022. This piece was originally posted on his Facebook account, and published on Rappler with permission.