In her own way, Anne-Eugenie Milleret De Brou was a true feminist. At a time when women were expected to stay in the background and tend to home and hearth, the French nun made their education the advocacy of the Congregation of the Religious of the Assumption that she founded in 1839. Canonized last year by Pope Benedict XVI, St. Marie Eugenie always recognized the crucial role of women in the transformation of society and saw education as the way to allow them assume their rightful places in society.

St. Marie Eugenie believed in empowering women and letting them develop to their full potential so they could be the best in whatever they wanted to be?pursue careers outside the home or be caring and nurturing homemakers.

Of course, all that transformational education had to be anchored on faith and religiosity.

Milestone

As one of the schools her congregation founded, the Assumption College in San Lorenzo Village, marks another milestone, St. Marie Eugenie remains the guiding light, the constant inspiration for their vision, mission and day-to-day work.

Assumption marks this year the 50th anniversary of its transfer to Makati City after decades in Manila.

Founded in the 19th century within Intramuros, the school moved to Herran (now Pedro Gil) after the Second World War. A steady rise in enrollment required another move almost a decade later, to the present site where it apparently intends to remain.

Just as it physically transformed itself to cope with a growing clientele, Assumption also tweaked its programs to meet changing demands of a new millennium and modern technology.

Innovative, excellent

But the goals and the core values remain constant, the vision clear and simple: To be ?an innovative Catholic women?s college committed to excellent education for leadership and social transformation.?

Despite being an all-girls school, Assumption sees itself as more than a finishing school where students acquire social skills to be valuable assets to any man.

While the girls are also taught how to dress and behave in polite company, there is no doubt Assumption also expects its graduates to be able to stand front and center in any field they choose.

One of the first lessons students learn from Dr. Carmen ?Pinky? Valdez, associate dean of the Marie Eugenie School for Innovative Learning (MESIL) that covers the teaching (education) programs and communication courses, is to lift their chins and take pride in who and what they are.

?Every student has to stand up and speak,? Valdez says. ?The core (of a student at Assumption) is her talent, not her IQ.?

Assumption believes in multi-intelligences so it is focused from Day One on developing self-esteem and self-confidence among its students so they can venture into any field.

Valdez says they want alumnae to pursue jobs where they are comfortable and happy, even if difficult.

And they seem to have done just that with alumnae running large, diversified businesses (Teresita Sy-Coson of the SM group), the Philippines? number one newspaper (mother and daughter Marixi Rufino-Prieto and Alexandra Prieto-Romualdez, board chair and president, respectively of the Philippine Daily Inquirer), a chain of five-star restaurants (Margarita ?Gaita? Fores of the Cibo Inc.) and the country itself (President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo); or making award-winning films (Marilou Diaz-Abaya), among others.

Blend of old and new

Assumption has skillfully blended old and new, maintaining its strengths even as it responds to emerging challenges.

Associate dean Dr. Corazon Lopez of the Milleret School of Business and Management for Women (MSBMW) says their new entrepreneurship courses, for instance, have dovetailed quite nicely with a felt need among overseas Filipino workers and their daughters to prepare for their eventual return to the country.

Through with being paid workers and concerned that their savings do not go to waste, OFWs are eyeing entrepreneurship as the vehicle that will allow them to husband carefully hard-earned assets and firmly secure the future of their families.

Lopez found that a University of the Philippines graduate could find a comfortable niche in an exclusive school, hearing echoes of her Alma Mater in the college?s effort ?to give (women) substance.?

Lopez says the Assumption sisters have set policies that allow the school to develop women leaders and managers. They recognize that ?women are the key factor in effecting change? whether as mother, captains of industry or national officials.

The efforts have not gone unrecognized. Assumption has been granted the highest status of ?autonomous? by the Commission on Higher Education ?for its commitment to excellence and long tradition of integrity and untarnished reputation.?

Both deans say the school?s founder was ?very current, very now.? The school educates women who want to serve and make a difference and are committed to social change. They say, ?One of the things the school does very well is give them (women) substance.? A new focus is encouraging students to write on women?s issues.

Assumption?s mission statement says it all: ?Inspired by St. Marie Eugenie, we passionately form persons and communities of faith and action through a transformative education that nurtures faith and spirituality, pursues academic excellence for service and instills social responsibility, thus forging character for life and life for God.?

The Assumption College (San Lorenzo Drive, tels. 8170757 and 8177773, www.assumption.edu.ph) will have an Open House on Sept. 27, 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m., during which high school seniors who wish to be Assumptionistas can take the college entrance exam for free.