If you’ve ever bought a cup of joe at any of UBC’s cafes, the chances are you’ve met this week’s campus celebrity, Rosario Larion. The chances are, Rosario is probably familiar with you too.
Rosario says it’s her duty to cheer people up: “If I can make one person’s day easy, as a human being, I’ve done my job.” She has befriended many students over the years while working at multiple cafes across UBC. In a fast-paced working environment, where demand for coffee is high, she makes it a point to address every customer with “Hello, dear” or “Sweetheart”. As I waited for her to tell me about her experiences at UBC, she brewed a tasty latte and brought it to my table.
Under Rosario’s soft-spoken and upbeat demeanor lies tremendous strength. She was born and raised in the Philippines, and spent some time working in Hong Kong before she came to Canada in 1982 – all by herself: “Coming to Canada was very different. I have no family here, I’m here by myself but I’m very fortunate. As a Catholic, they have so many things going on in church. I went down there, and they have become my extended family.”
When Rosario was previously working in Hong Kong, she helped migrant workers express themselves in tribunals on her days off. She decided to come to Canada because at the time, workers in Hong Kong could not get permanent resident status.
I asked Rosario what her experience at UBC has been like so far. “Oh my Gosh. It’s wonderful. You guys taught me, I learnt so much from you guys. I was not able to go to university. It was my dream, but you know what, now that I’ve learned and observed something from you guys, I think I have enough learning from the students.”
Rosario is also a poet, and says that her encounters with students has profoundly shaped her poetry. “Honestly, you guys [the students] inspire me. All the poems that I’ve written are about you guys.” Poetry for Rosario is one of the many ways in which she inspires and motivates people. Her poetry has been published in the National Academy for older Canadians.
“My dream is actually when I retire is to go back home and have my poetry book published.”
Rosario took out a large, black book filled with hundreds of pages of poems. “I have four of these journals for my poetry.” I asked Rosario to tell me about some of the topics she addresses in her poetry. She pointed to a poem entitled “Broken” written from the perspective of a young girl going through a tumultuous time with her boyfriend. “Broken” was written by Rosario after a distressed student wandered into the Cafe at Gage Towers, where Rosario used to work.
She turned to another poem entitled “Graduation”, a poem unveiling the many emotions experienced by a graduating student, infused with words of encouragement for the future.
Poetry and writing have been a long-time interest for Rosario, ever since she was living in the Philippines. “I would really like to be a writer, I would really like to be a journalist, but this was before.”
Today, Rosario has close ties to the Philippines, a country where she spent her formative years. She is very close to her nieces and nephews residing in the Philippines, whom she supports now after the passing of her brother.
One of the most remarkable things about Rosario is her positivity and the rapport she has built with students and co-workers at UBC. Oftentimes, students have approached her during her lunch breaks and confided in her. This is her favourite advice for students: “We create our own surroundings, and do not be so hard on yourself. Sometimes you feel that you’re carrying too much, but you’re the ones who’s carrying it to hard on yourself.”
She advises students to be introspective, and urges them not to sweat the small things. Rosario says “The only thing I would really like for the students, when I say relax, is don’t stress out yourself with so many things. I keep on telling them you’re here to study so if you think you’re going overboard, just step back and think about it and then you’ll see and learn. Reflect, and then you will see that was easy.”
But once the semester comes to an end, Rosario has different advice to offer: “After exams, I tell them [students] it’s time to party.”