UST graduate wears toga gown made of bus tickets

Going viral on Facebook is Mark Operiano’s post, where he shared that he recently graduated magna cum laude from the University of Santo Tomas. But that is not why his post is enjoying over 7,000 shares.

In his post, the 21-year-old Economics graduate shared a photo of his graduation photo where he is seen wearing a toga gown made of…bus tickets. Uh huh, bus tickets he’s accumulated over the years, commuting from Laguna to Espana.

Mark said he contemplated doing the dorm life, but as a son of an OFW, he couldn’t leave his mom and siblings behind.

And so he chose to live through a painful commute. In his post, Mark said he actually lost weight because of this commute, with his waist line going from 29 to 26 inches. “It was a staple observation for my blockmates or friends to see me as someone na ‘mukhang pagod at puyat’.”

Mark said commutes during off-peak hours would only “take around an hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours. Pero kung peak hours and the dreaded rush hour? Mahina na 2 hours bebs.” He described it as daunting.

“But what makes it really daunting is when you’re aiming for something high. Mahirap magcommute lalo na when your goal is to graduate with latin honors,” he continued, adding buses became a conducive place for study. 

Speaking to GMA News Online on Facebook Messenger, Mark said he's experienced all the strange occurrences that can only happen during commutes. "Naranasan ko na pong mahulugan ng daga sa loob ng bus, mahulog sa manhole kakahabol sa bus, madapa at pumasok sa UST ng naka-saklay kinabukasan dahil sa kakahabol din sa isang bus; mastranded sa daan dahil umulan nang malakas at bumaha sa buong NCR, bumaba at tumakbo pababa ng skyway para lang hindi ma-late sa klase (kahit na sa una di ako pinapayagan ng mga kundoktor at mga driver), makasaksi ng iba't-ibang uri ng modus operandi at pandudukot ng mga nananalisi sa Maynila at marami pa pong iba.

Now that he’s graduating, Mark says looking back at his 4-years of commute makes him emotional. “I cannot help but tear up while acknowledging the last remaining times I’ll be commuting to Manila as an undergrad. Hindi ko lubos maisip na matatapos din pala lahat ng ito…but despite all of that hassle and inconvenience na naranasan ko, wala akong pinagsisisihan. No regrets at all.”

Mark said the idea of using bus tickets as a toga gown hit him sometime in his second year in college. “I saw a handful of graduating students posting their individual antics and gimmicks…na-realize ko, ‘bakit di ko din kaya gawin ito? Tutal I have never seen a student literally wear a gown of toga made from bus tickets,” he said.

From that time on, Mark started collecting bus tickets from his every day travels. He kept them “that’s why hindi mukhang luma ang karamihan.”

Mark said his friends, who knew of his little plan, also contributed to the toga. “Alam nila ang pinaplano kong kalokohan and they were excited to see the outcome of my plan,” he said.

But no matter the viral status, the creative photo won’t make it to the yearbook. Says Mark, “UST always abide by its traditional ways. My official graduation picture will be used instead.”

Here's to you Mark! And to all hardworking commuters chasing not just buses (or jeeps or trikes) but dreams in life. — LA, GMA News