Outgoing and incoming student leaders on spotlight at the Induction and Turnover Ceremonies 2023
By Anne Gabrielle V. Mangali | The Paulinian
The St. Paul University Manila Student Welfare Development Office (SWDO) and Supreme Student Council (SSC) held the annual Induction and Turnover Ceremonies on June 2, 2023 in the St. Maurice Hall of the HMTC Building.
The first part of the event was a Eucharistic Celebration presided over by Rev. Fr. Jeff Manlapig. In his homily, Fr. Manlapig gave advice on how the new student leaders may fulfill their roles as their respective organization’s new officers:
Make Christ the center of your life.
He emphasized that in the midst of the stressful and tiring academic life in St. Paul University Manila, there is the Chapel of the Crucified Christ, where the community can find peace and precious time with the Lord. He then compared the students with the Chapel, saying that just like how it survived the war, the students, will do, too because “we anchor our lives on the Lord. We will survive everything, and rest will follow.”
“Sa ano mang bokasyon, unahin niyo si Lord. Siya ang tumawag sa’yo [rito],” he added.
(“No matter what vocation or call, seek first the Lord, as He is the one who called upon you to serve,” he added.)
Give life to your fellow students.
He told the newly-elected leaders to give life to those who see life as an endless cycle of pain and suffering. “Hindi natin role maging panginoon ng campus… magpaganda o magpagwapo lang. You’re there to inspire, give life, give hope, and let them know that you understand and care for your fellow students,” he said.
(“It’s not [your] role to be the lords of the campus… to just look pretty in the eyes of your fellow students. You’re there to inspire, give, life, give hope, and let them know that you understand and care for your fellow students,” he said.)
He then stressed that being a leader is not seasonal, that they should “be full of life, life-giving always.”
Be fruitful.
He reminded the students to serve, not just for the sake of clout. According to him, they must be an inspiration and a model so that many will know how good the student leaders of the university are. They must leave a legacy by creating a difference, giving new hope, new strength, and inspiration to their fellow students.
The homily was then followed by the Induction Rites, where SWDO head and SSC moderator, Ms. Marjiemae Lorenzo, RGC, presented the newly elected officers of the Paulinian Student Government (PSG) who took their oath of office, led by the outgoing SSC President, Earl David Ong. University President, Sr. Maria Evangeline Anastacio, SPC, then accepted their appointment as the new officers for the coming Academic Year 2023-2024.
After a short break, the turnover program proper began with the singing of the National Anthem and the Welcome Remarks by Ms. Marjiemae Lorenzo, RGC. In her address, she told the student leaders to “lead by example and inspire others to do the same,” while being guided by the Paulinian core values and using them as beacons to guide their actions.
Outgoing SSC President, Earl David Ong, delivered the State of the Student Government Address, where he shared all the projects and events that his administration accomplished in the past academic year. He also expressed his gratitude to all those behind the success of their term as leaders. Ong ended his address by sharing the story of Malala Yousafzai, and how this story should serve as an example and a motivation for students to not be afraid of failure as leaders.
The program continued with the turnover of each organization and student councils, followed by the Inaugural Speech of the newly-elected SSC President, Josef Mari Dator. In her speech, she shared how she was at first hesitant to run for the position as she was “hyperfixated on those who didn’t believe her.” However, she realized that the absence of someone’s belief in her didn’t diminish who she is.
She also thanked God and her fellow students who supported her, as well as those “supporters she’s yet to gain.”
After Mari’s address, selected students from the College of Music and the Performing Arts performed a cover of the hit Disney song, “I See the Light.”
During the snack break, tribute videos to the outgoing student leaders were played.
As the second part of the event continued, SWDO awarded the departing SSC officers with tokens of appreciation for the service and time they shared with the University in the past year. It was then followed by the recognition of outstanding organizations and student leaders:
- Most Outstanding Extracurricular Organization: The Paulinian
- Most Outstanding Co-Curricular Organization: Paulinian Psychology Circle
- Most Outstanding College Student Council: College of Arts and Sciences Student Council
- Social Contributor Award: Poline Julia Cusi
- Outstanding Volunteer Award: Edana Sopoco
Special awards for the attendees of the event were also given to selected students chosen as “Mr. and Ms. Darling of the Crowd” and “Mr. and Ms. Trendsetter.”
The annual event ended with a raffle and a closing prayer.
