Delight Marie Encontro is graduating magna cum laude in the BS in Management program of the College of Management (CM). She leads the rest of the latin honor awardees from her college, having gotten the highest GWA.
Studying in UP is no small feat. Encontro was faced with challenges akin to any student who strived to succeed in this national university. For her, the toughest challenge was when she had to change to another degree program for not meeting the minimum grade requirement in a major subject. The disappointment seemed daunting for her but that also prodded her to work hard and redeemed herself, such that she has achieved things that she did not think possible.
In UP Visayas, Encontro met many people to admire and they formed her ideals. UP has also given way for her to access information, knowledge, and experiences to be conscious of UP’s values of honor and excellence that she, too, tries to live up to. “I need to strengthen my sense of moral principles for UP has taught me to become responsible for my actions and to take accountability for my shortcomings,” she emphasized.
“My four years in UP have taught me how to manage my time and energy well. With the number of tasks and roles a UP student must fulll, time and energy management will certainly be a skill a UP student should learn,” Encontro said.
Part of this is the time spent with people in the university as well as the labyrinth in going through various platforms to survive university life. “I’ll denitely miss my friends, especially when we sneak in a 30-min chat over their busy schedules or whenever we share a meal after a tiring exam to vent and let our frustrations out. I’ll also miss my buzzer-beater submissions and the relief of receiving a message saying, “Wala pa man ko ka start” while accomplishing a task. Most of all, I’ll miss how CM became my home away from home.”
University life is not purely serious lessons as we know and for Encontro, joining the cheer dance competition for the Pahampang is one of the most memorable and treasured experiences in her UPV life. “It became an avenue for us freshies to bond and get to know our seniors as we spent days and nights practicing our cheers. It is also one of the very first events where I have witnessed the competitiveness among UPV students. I remember how we must embrace our character and continuously embody it even though we just need to go outside of the room.”
When asked about her plans after graduation, she enthused that she has not fully figured out that yet as she is torn between studying for another degree, pursuing a Master’s, or being part of the workforce. “Right now my priority is to find a job to be able to provide for myself and to give back to my parents and relatives who have tirelessly supported my schooling in UPV, as well as to the Filipino people, who have, in many ways, helped me get to where I am now.” For these, we cheer Delight Encontro as the top graduate of CM for 2023.
