1st YEAR in Ateneo His 1st professor was Fr. Jose

Bech He was an externo, thus he

was assigned in Carthaginian, occupying the end of the line

At the end of the month, he became the emperor and he received a religious picture – the 1st prize he ever won in Ateneo

To improve his Spanish he took private lesson in Sta. Isabel during noon recess for 3 pesos

At the end of the year he placed second but still marked excellent

2nd year in Ateneo He studied very hard thus he

became emperor once more At the end of the year he

received excellent grades and a gold medal

• During one of his summer vacation, when he visited his mother, the latter told him of her dream and Rizal interpreted the dream that she would be released from prison in 3 months and his prophecy came true

• He loves reading and his 1st favorite novel was The Count Of Monte Cristo which is about the sufferings of Edmond Dantes in prison, his escape and the finding of buried treasure and dramatic revenge on his enemies

3rd year in Ateneo It was in this year when his

mother visited him after she was released from prison

He did not study hard thus he won only one medal – in Latin but his grades were all excellent

• 4th year in Ateneo• He became an interno and

he was inspired by Fr. Francisco de Paula Sanchez whom Rizal considered as his best professor in Ateneo

• He topped all his classmates in all subjects and won 5 medals

Last year in Ateneo He obtained the highest

grades in all subjects At the age of 16, he

received the degree of Bachelor of Arts with highest honors

• Rizal was not mere bookworm, he was an active member of Marian Congregation, a member of the Academy of Spanish Literature and the Academy of natural Science

• He also wrote poems• He was engaged in

fencing and gymnastics

He carved an image of the Virgin Mary with his pocket knife and was even asked by Fr. Lleonart to carve Sacred Heart.

Some of the significant poems written by Rizal were: My First Inspiration

– it was dedicated for her mother on her birthday

Through Education Our Motherland Receives Light – which depicts the significant role that education plays in the progress and welfare of our nations

The Intimate Alliance Between Religion and good Education – that showed the importance of religion in education. To him education without God is not true education

Rizal at the age of 16 experienced his first romance

The girl was Segunda Katigbak

He met her at his grandmother’s house

At the that very moment he was asked by visitors to sketch her and Rizal recalled that “from time to time , she looked at me and I blushed”

Segunda was studying at La Concordia College where his sister Olimpia was a boarding student

Thus, he came to know her better there but although it was a love at first sight, it was hopeless because Segunda was already engaged to be married to her town mate Manuel Luz

After graduating from Ateneo, he had to go to UST for higher studies.

His mother opposed at first she knew what happened to GOMBURZA , she said “Don’t send him to Manila again, he knows enough. If he gets to know more, the Spaniards will cut off his head”

He enrolled in UST taking up Philosophy and Letter for 2 reasons: His father liked it He was still uncertain as

to what career to pursue (he asked the advised of Fr. Pablo Ramon (Rector of Ateneo) but it was late.

And upon learning that he was advised to take up medicine, he took up medicine, simultaneously in the preparatory medical course and the regular 1st year medical course

During his 1st year in UST, he also studied vocational course leading to the title of Expert Surveyor

At the age of 17, he obtained gold medals in agriculture and topography and passed the final examination in surveying course but was not granted the title because he was below age, he was granted the title only in the year 1881, he was 20 to 21 years old.

After losing Segunda Katigbak, he paid court to a young woman of Calamba describing her as fair with seductive and attractive eyes.

But after several times of wooing her , he stopped and the romance died a natural death.

He gave two reasons:The sweet memory

of Segunda was still fresh

His father did not like the family of Ms. L

then came Leonor Valenzuela, a tall girl from Pagsanjan, Laguna. Rizal send her love notes written in invisible ink, that could only be deciphered over the warmth of the lamp or candle. He visited her on the eve of his departure to Spain and bade her a last goodbye.

His cousin from Calamba

She was the pretty daughter, a student at La Concordia College

She had a beautiful romance with Rizal

They became engagedShe usually signed her

name as Taimis

Victim of Spanish Officer’s BrutalityWhen he failed to

greet a Guardia Civil because it was very dark, he was brutally slashed by the latter

Excellent Literary works of Rizal

To The Filipino Youth – won 1st prize in Artistic-Literary Lyceum

Council Of the Gods – won 1st prize which defeated Spanish writers

Champion of Filipino StudentsFilipinos were often

insulted by the Spaniards calling them “Indio, chongo” and they retaliated calling the Spaniards “Kastila Bangus”

This often leads to school brawls which involves Rizal

He founded the secret society of UST students called “Companerismo”

Rizal was unhappy in UST: Because the Dominican

professors were hostile to him

The Filipino students were racially discriminated against by the Spaniards

The method of teaching is obsolete

Science subjects do not have laboratory experiments

And laboratory apparatuses were kept for show cases but not to be touched by students

After finishing 4th year, Rizal decided to continue his studies in Spain.

His older brother Paciano, approved his plan and so did his sisters Saturnina and Lucia

He left the country in the name of Jose Mercado

His parents and beloved Leonor did not know he left but they were given letter right he left.

In his letter to his father, he wrote:But as God has not made anything useless

in this world, as all beings fulfill obligations or a role in the sublime drama of Creation, I cannot exempt myself from this duty and small though it be, I too have a mission to fulfill, as for example: alleviating the suffering of my fellow men .

I realize that all his mean sacrifices and terrible ones. I imagine the pain which I must give you, but I feel something that obliges and impels me to leave. I shall strive with fate, and I shall win or lose…. God’s will be done.