Stars in the eyes of their schoolmates

Since it’s graduation season, I asked some celebs how they were described in their yearbooks. It’s quite interesting to discover what they were like before fame beckoned.

There are celebs who quit school due to their frenzied show biz schedule, while others opt for a home study program. But there are others who manage to go to school and pursue an acting career at the same time.

Even if some stars don’t have a diploma, they end up being more successful than many college graduates—although it’s always better to have a college degree to fall back on, because a career in entertainment is unpredictable. Only a few have staying power.

With all the pressure and intrigues in the biz, celebs are proud graduates from the “School of Hard Knocks.”
Their schoolmates’ impressions:

Dawn Zulueta

DAWN ZULUETA: They called me artistic. I liked fashion design and drawing, so a lot of my classmates in high school asked me to design their prom gowns. The clubs I joined were the guitar club and the yearbook club (as artist).

JOHN ESTRADA: Tisoy, drummer boy, athlete, friendly, always there to lend a helping hand. Someone who will go places and chase his dreams.

Aiko Melendez

AIKO MELENDEZ: Generous and fun.

OGIE ALCASID: I was always referred to as a singer from Kundirana, the high school singing group of La Salle Greenhills. In college, I was already working as a singer, so I graduated from UP in “record time”—seven years!

CHRISTINE BERSOLA-BABAO: Sentimental and clumsy.

ROBERT SEÑA: Playful. In high school, I was always performing and never stopped “drumming” on anything I could get my hands on. In college, they called me “Starsky” (without “Hutch”)—and one of the nice guys.

Christian Bables

CHRISTIAN BABLES: “Best Friend ng Bayan,” Mr. Amity.

MJ Lastimosa

MJ LASTIMOSA: I was “the all-around leader” in high school. I took part in every extracurricular activity and took every event seriously. During competitions, I organized everything to make sure that the execution [of what we’re supposed to do] is perfect.

CHRISTIAN BAUTISTA: I was a singing geek—and I played basketball, computer games and table tennis.

JIM PAREDES: I was the guy who sang and played the guitar. Everyone knew I was musically inclined. I often performed for my classmates during break time.

JOHN ARCILLA: Talented. In high school, I was the “orator of the campus.” In college, people knew me as a performer.

RITA AVILA: In high school, I was remembered as quiet, neat and artistic. In college, I was a baby on my first year in Architecture. But when I shifted to Hotel and Restaurant Management, I felt like a fish in a bowl, because that was when I started doing TV commercials.