Br. Bernie Oca shares how his path from student to La Salle brother shaped his calling as an educator and leader. He reflects on the mentors and role models who guided him, and the core values of faith, service, and gratitude that define his approach to leadership and the transformative power of education.
I am a product of De La Salle University since preparatory school. And so when I was growing up here, I met the brothers. And the brothers are Christian teachers. That's their vocation. Our vocation is to educate, to form young people. And so I met them both in the classroom as well as outside the classroom. And they were truly brothers to us.
And so I thought, when I was graduating from high school and I was invited, why not try it out? And so when I came back here for my tertiary education, I already started my formation as a La Salle brother, which is really a Christian educator. And slowly, this what we call the the calling, the vocation to answer to be, to answer God's call to form young people.
And that's how it first attracted me. And and I felt that there was something that I could really contribute as a teacher, touching young lives so that their full potential can be realized, that you are part of a the journey of these young people so that the dreams that they have for themselves, for their families, for their loved ones, and hopefully for their country and their world would be realized.
So that's what attracted me. The power of a teacher, the power of the educator to transform lives, to transform communities, to improve the world, and to be really a force for good.
We have three core values here in the university and in La Salle education. That's faith, that's service and there's communion in mission. So faith is the deep connection that we have with a loving God. And we believe that and that this God has provided us with so many talents, so many gifts, so many blessings, and this and to respond to all of those who respond in service in, in a way, to help people who are not just blessed as you, to be able to experience that great love of God.
And we do this through education. We help our students, or we promote our students so that they will be of service to others. And I think and my leadership is I don't look at myself as I'm the one on top. I am the boss, but I am the one that facilitates the resources so that we can share that with others who are not as blessed as us.
And that is through service. And then the last, the last value is that communion in mission, that we are a community that should really be working together so that our mission of transforming society, helping people, helping the world become a better place can take place because we are a community and a family. So yeah, so my leadership is really it's core and it's a privilege and it's a responsibility so that we can use whatever role you have been given to be of service to others.