2007 Most Outstanding USC Alumni Awardees

Seven feted as hundreds of alumni come home to USC anew

Seven of this year’s eight Most Outstanding Alumni Awardees were feted by Carolinians Inc., the alumni association of all USC graduates, as hundreds of other alumni from various places in the country and abroad---including a large delegation from the Carolinians of Surigao, Inc. and Carolinians Midwest USA---came to attend the 2007 USC Grand Alumni Homecoming.

The seven were Philip Ngai Tan (B.S. in Business Administration) for entrepreneurship; Archt. Socorro B. Atega (B.S in Architecture, Magna cum laude) for landscape architecture; Judge Marilyn L. Yap (Bachelor of Laws), for law and justice; Dir. Prudenciana C. Cruz (B.S.E. major in Library Science) for library science; Engr. Ernesto Codina (B.S. in Mechanical Engineering) for aeronautics and space flight engineering; Arlene Donaire (A.B. in Economics) for environmental advocacy; and Arnulfo Ramos (M.A. in History) for community service. Also awarded but failed to attend the event was Dr. Vermen Verallo-Rowell (Pre-Medicine) for dermatology.

Carolinians, Inc. President Archt. Lizeta Uy (extreme left) with seven of the eight outstanding alumni: (from right): Tan, Atega, Yap, Cruz, Codina, Donaire and Ramos.

Prior to the homecoming, various colleges conducted alumni congresses in different venues of the University's four campuses between 1:30 and 3:30 to bring together graduates of the University and the academic community.

The Grand Homecoming, with the theme “Carolinians: Crossing Borders, Coming Home”, opened with the traditional Holy Mass at 3:30 at the Church of St. Arnold and St. Joseph. The dark clouds and brief downpour failed to dampen everyone's spirits as the gathering proceeded in earnest at the lobby and concourse of the College of Architecture and Fine Arts.

Fr. Pres. Roderick C. Salazar, Jr., SVD, in a brief opening statement, exhorted the alumni to be witnesses to the Word even as he explained the beautifully crafted theme of this year's USC Foundation Week, "Beyond Borders, Within Worlds: Witness to the Word, USC's Corporate Social Responsibility".

The annual homecoming traditionally kicks off the first day of USC Foundation Week, which marks the time when four Jesuit priests and a lay brother opened the oldest school in the Philippines and USC's precursor, the Colegio de San Ildefonso, on August 21, 1595 in Cebu.

As in previous years, a fireworks display wowed the alumni even as fanfare and celebrations of noble achievements by Carolinians ensued. A unique feature of this year’s reunion was the special request for all alumni to attend wearing their best pair of jeans. The cover and signage of the homecoming were also a fresh departure from the usual formalized designs that marked most of the homecoming souvenir programs in the past.

Author: J.E. R. Bersales
19 / August / 2007