U.P.—another life decision she had no pro-active role in. As a freshman in the School of Economics, Leslie recalls that she was the type of student to go home right after her classes finished. Her friends then even called her ‘predictable.’ But not for long—during her second semester in U.P., a batchmate of hers, Hazel Co, took a stack of Ecosoc application forms and distributed it randomly to her classmates. It was the beginning to Leslie’s affair with the Society. “what are some of the life-changing experiences you’ve had?” I asked Leslie. Her almond eyes looked up from the chicken salpicao she was playing with. I had a feeling she wasn’t going to finish her meal. “I don’t have any,” she says. “Or maybe I do, but I have a tendency to trivialize every big thing that happens to me, so it’s as if they never happened.” But big things do happen. As an applicant, Leslie was elected Assistant App Head to future-President Raymond Zabala. The poster she made for their Challenge Night caught the eye of another woman who has graced the covers of this publication: then-EIC Czar Carbonel. Czar was impressed by her work, and as her Layout Editor then had gone MIA, she was hoping to recruit Leslie for the role. During that time, Echoes, like Memcom, had no applicants allotted to it. Unfortunately, appointing an applicant to an editor position didn’t sit right with the Execom, so Czar waited. True enough, as Leslie attained membership in the Society, she found a position in Echoes waiting just for her. leslie flows with the river of life.
A YEAR’S WORK Leslie always says that releasing an issue is like childbirth—painful, but largely rewarding. Above are the covers of her six issues as EIC 30
She does not mind where the destination is, because it’s always been about the journey. Perhaps it’s also a gift of hers to share this trait with others. three years after Czar noticed her talent, Leslie herself became this publication’s Editor-inChief. Under her term, she spearheaded the first Literary Night that was held outside the School of Economics, optphotograph by kenneth reyes