Education is the great equalizer. So an old adage would say. And for students belonging to the less privileged economic sector of our society, this is a promise that they hope would lead them to better opportunities to uplift not only themselves but their respective families as well. For our students, seeking higher education is the path towards realizing a brighter future through a career that could provide a relevant, stable and adequate livelihood and this journey begins the moment they step in the campus of the STI College Santa Rosa (STISR).

In order to transform students a school needs to also continuously transform itself to adapt to the changing environment. As a teaching organization, the school needs to be a learning organization. Over the years, this is what STISR has aspired to become. Beginning with its physical transformation from a two-classroom, one-laboratory education center in 1998, it has evolved to be a two-building college in 2001 and eventually one of the first Colleges of Excellence in the STI franchised school network. Today, it is the biggest provincial branch in the network of 90 branches nationwide. But the physical expansions were merely outward manifestations of the more important transformation that was happening within the organization.

Systems thinking, the cornerstone of STISR as a learning organization, promotes self-mastery of each member of the organization who, in turn, contributes to the growth and development of school`s educational delivery systems. Working as a team, the faculty and staff of STISR built a shared vision for the school and the students that it serves as well as for the STI network of schools where it belongs. It has evolved to be an organization where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning to see the whole together. Discipline has been an effective tool in instilling not only academic rigor in STISR students but also in implanting good values, a morally upright character, creativity and confidence. All these were made possible by the faculty and staff who were willing to Go the Extra Mile for our students and to whom GEM awards will be given at the end of the school year.

Through STISR`s learner-centered approach, students will continue to excel in academics, sports, socials and community activities while nurturing a deep sense of spirituality. All these are possible because STISR chose not only to transform its students but also transform the organization and the people in order to provide quality education. STISR has truly evolved to be a learning organization.