Dennis Trillo’s son Calix Ho opens up about rookie pressure and overcoming major culture shock at UP

Fighting Maroon student-athlete Calix Ho shares inspirational advice for freshies after navigating tough college adjustments.

Stepping into the University of the Philippines is daunting enough for any freshman, but carrying a famous last name and representing the school on the athletic stage adds an entirely different level of pressure.

Calix Andreas Ho, a second-year BS Home Economics major and the son of actor Dennis Trillo and his ex-girlfriend, former beauty queen Carlene Aguilar, recently got candid about his transition into college life.

Speaking in an interview video organized by the UP Diliman Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs for the Diliman campus’s 2026 University Welcome Assembly, the student-athlete admitted that his entry into the state university was accompanied by a heavy dose of anxiety.

“‘Yung expectations ko talaga is ma-cu-culture shock ako, like super feeling ko sobrang hirap ng mga subjects and feeling ko I wouldn’t fit in,” Ho shared, echoing a sentiment familiar to many incoming freshmen.

Beyond the academic adjustments, stepping up as a student-athlete for the Fighting Maroons proved to be a heavy, yet fulfilling, responsibility.

“My rookie year was the first ever time I represented a school ever,” he explained. “I really felt the pressure when I saw my name and club as ‘Unibersidad ng Pilipinas.’ Before I joined UP, parang walang pressure; the pressure was only on me, pero alam ko na kaya ko and I’ve been waiting all my life for this: to represent UP.”

Having navigated those initial hurdles, Ho offered a grounded piece of advice for the university’s incoming batch of freshmen, shiftees, and transferees (FSTs).

“Never give up on your dreams and always keep pushing,” he advised the new crowd. “Like I always tell my brother, always keep pushing and never give up on your dreams. Even if times get hard, try. Go for gold, ‘di ba?”

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