The University of Santo Tomas conferred distinctions upon its student achievers on May 18, 2018, Friday, at the Quadricentennial Pavilion Arena.
The Rector’s Academic Award was given by the UST Rector, Very Rev Fr.
Herminio V. Dagohoy, O.P., to each of the top academic achievers from 18 faculties and colleges. Leading them was Ms. Catherine C. Mondejar from the College of Tourism and Hospitality Management with a general weighted average of 1.111.
Nine exemplary officers of recognized organizations received the Quezon
Leadership Award for their service. One of them was Communication Arts Students’ Association President Ms. Nicole Cruz from the UST Faculty of Arts and Letters who spearheaded a podcast convention with the theme “Upholding Media Credibility Amidst the Age of Fake News.”
The Pope Leo XIII Community Development Award for active involvement
in developing the University’s partner communities was given to six students and 12 student organizations, such as the Becarios de Santo Tomas who spearheaded the seventh year of the BUTIL Scholar Program and increased the number of its supported scholars to 112.
Ten student organizations, including the UST Central Student Council who
organized the TEDxUST in March of this year, received the St. Dominic de Guzman Award for outstanding teamwork, while five individuals and two groups received the St. Albertus Magnus Award for excellence in research. Among the researchers who were given this award were: UST Graduate
School student Ms. Paula Glenda Cheng who published internationally her findings on lexicon development and content validation of a mobile-based app for depression screening, and Mr. Tristan Santos who won the Best Maternal and Child Nursing Research at the 36th National Convention of the Mother and Child Nurses Association of the Philippines.
The Benavides Outstanding Achievement Award for accomplishments of national or international importance was given to 27 students and six groups, that included Mr. Marc Angelo Sanchez from the USTAMV College of Accountancy who won Best Individual Presenter and Best in Auditing in the 15th Accountancy Students’ Seminar and Extra-Curricular Training
(ASSET XV), and the ECO-Tigers from the UST Faculty of Engineering who won first place in the Shell Eco Marathon Prototype Internal Combustion Engine Category for the national level and second place in the Prototype Diesel Engine Category of the same contest for the international level.
Four student organizations that achieved the same award for at least five
consecutive years were awarded the Tradition of Excellence Award, including the UST Volunteers for UNICEF, who were consistent recipients of the Pope Leo XIII Award.
Ortho Clinical Diagnostics Regional Director for Asia-Pacific and Country
Manager for the Philippines Mr. Ban Joseph Ang, RPh, delivered the keynote address. He is an alumnus of the UST Faculty of Pharmacy Class of 2003, Cum Laude, and of the UST Graduate School, from
where he obtained his Master in Business Administration degree in 2007. Mr. Ang was a recipient of the Quezon Leadership Award and the Pope Leo XIII Community Development Award as a student of the University. In his speech, he urged students to adhere to Thomasian values and pursue their passions with optimism and self-assurance.
Among the previous Thomasian personalities who have given keynote
addresses for the annual student awards are: GMA Network broadcast journalist and UST Faculty of Arts and Letters alumnus from the Class of 1987 Mr. Arnold Clavio; Ayala Foundation President and alumnus
of the UST Faculty of Civil Law Class of 1992 Mr. Ruel Maranan; President and CEO of Informatics Philippines and UST High School alumnus from the Class of 1980 Mr. Leonardo Riingen; and Atty. Joseph Noel Estrada of the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations and
of the Catholic Education Association of the Philippines, who is an alumnus of the UST Faculty of Civil Law from the Class of 2004.
The Baccalaureate Celebration and send-off rites for Batch 2018 was held
on May 24, 2018 at the UST Grandstand, with UST Rector Very Rev. Fr. Herminio V. Dagohoy, O.P., as main celebrant of the annual Baccalaureate Mass concelebrated with the Dominican Fathers.
