The Girl Scouts of the Philippines Auditorium was jammed full with 291 new Iskos and Iskas during the welcome ceremonies for first year students on 1 August 2016. The reduction in the number of first year enrollees was a result of the government’s full implementation of the senior high school program this year.
Ushering the ‘freshies’ to the new academic year at the country’s health sciences center were UP System and UP Manila officials, deans, faculty and staff, and old students. The venue was filled with the students’ dynamic energy and vibrant spirits through yells and cheers when their respective deans introduced them per program. There were also various song and dance presentations from the different student organizations that helped exude a warm and welcoming atmosphere for the new students.
During her welcome remarks, UPM Chancellor Carmencita David Padilla awakened the students’ consciousness of the University’s rich, eventful past by briefly recounting its history and depicting UP Manila as the University’s birthplace. She then addressed the new enrollees as the “lucky batch.” “Your batch is lucky because your batch is the first to benefit from several infrastructure projects,” Padilla said.
As the country’s one and only national university, UP makes certain that it admits the best and the brightest. UP President Alfredo Pascual congratulated the UP ‘freshies’ of 2016 for making it to the country’s best university. “You are here because you have proved that you are the best minds of your generation,” Pascual stated.
He introduced the new students to the University’s guiding principles of honor and excellence. According to the UP President, these two virtues constitute ‘Tatak UP’. “Honor is the stuff of heroes. It encompasses integrity, sense of service, sense of purpose, citizenship, relevance. Excellence is the stuff of success. It encompasses innovation, going beyond what others have achieved; it is making a difference. You must make a difference for the common good. That is honor and excellence combined,” he underscored.
Pres. Pascual also pointed out that in becoming an Iskolar ng Bayan, a student realizes that one’s family has grown. “Together with your nuclear family, millions of Filipinos are now supporting your studies. As much as your family’s pride, you have become the embodiment of the people’s hopes for the country’s future,” he uttered.
Student regent Miguel Enrico Pangalangan, the ceremony’s guest speaker, prompted the new students to take the higher challenge, satisfying the demand of honor and excellence, and going beyond it. He emphasized that the students will not have to wait until graduation to be shapers and leaders of society. “Today we take on the role to become the leaders of the society,” he said.
He also enlightened the ‘freshies’ on the concepts of academic freedom and liberal education, which the University upholds. “Our education here in UP should be liberating, and it should put us in a position to liberate others from the chains of poverty, from the chains of oppression,” Pangalangan added.
Aside from the first year students, transferees from different UP campuses and other schools also joined the welcome ceremonies.
Anne Loren Claire Santos & Charmaine Lingdas
