Written: Marilyn C. del Barrio
Edited: Mary Jane F. Gallardo
The 2022 DChE Testimonial honoring the BS ChE Graduating Class of 2022 and May 2022 board passers was held virtually last August 5, 2022.
The activity recognized the end of the educational journey of the graduating class and the achievements of the May 2022 licensure exam board passers with 95.45% passing rate.
Dr. Monet Concepcion M. Detras, DChE Chair, acknowledged the hard work, perseverance, and determination of the graduates to succeed in pursuing the chemical engineering degree and hopes that these attributes will help them when they take chemical engineering licensure examination.
Dr. Rosanna Marie C. Amongo, CEAT Dean, congratulated everyone for a job well done and for standing strong against all odds even though they were only able to spend two years of their study on-campus and the remaining two years were conducted via remote learning. She also reiterated to the graduates to always do everything with “Honor and Excellence,” and to continue every endeavor and never give up.
An inspirational message was also delivered by Engr. Albert Samuela, DChE’s 2022 Outstanding Alumnus for Industry. Engr. Samuela advised the graduates that “it is not unos nor your singkos that will dictate your success in the future; that the chemical engineering education obtained in UPLB is a means to a more challenging arena called life.”
He shared three guiding points to achieve success namely (1) investing in developing oneself (by learning on the job, becoming an expert on a certain field); (2) enrich your humanity (by building and treasuring relationships, develop integrity); and (3) give back to the community since UP education is about serving others.
Another inspirational message was given by Dr. Veronica P. Migo, one of the esteemed faculty of DChE, which centered around the idea of treating oneself as a “start-up company.” Dr. Migo emphasized that everyone needs self-investment to ensure success of this start-up company, and this can be done through (1) physically taking care of oneself, (2) taking care of one’s mental health and (3) investing in education. She also said to always compare oneself to one’s past self (never to others) to determine what you have already accomplished.
Mr. Francis Joshua F. Ramos, BS ChE’s Class of 2022 valedictorian, shared how thankful he was for all the love given to him during his studies which was the reason why he persevered to finish his studies. Many attendees became emotional when he talked about the sacrifices made by his parents, especially his mother, when it comes to him and his studies. The line “Mommy, bumili ka naman ng para sa sarili mo,” was felt by everyone.
Dr. Myra G. Borines closed the testimonial program by reminding the graduates of the message, “we study in UP not to become the nation’s intellectual elite BUT THIS NATION’S HOPE; we in UP must succeed, not because we have a reputation to keep but a nation to serve”, from former UP President Pascual. Dr. Borines hoped that it will remind the graduates of their duty to the country and that all the lessons they learned, in and out of the classrooms, will be used for the betterment of oneself and the nation.