A total of 99 senior high school graduates of the University of the Philippines High School in Iloilo (UPHSI) donned their sablay during the UPHSI 43rd Graduation Exercises held at the Iloilo Convention Center, Iloilo City, on July 15, 2024.
Of the number of graduates, 34 were from the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) strand, 33 from the Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS), and 32 from the Accountancy, Business, and Management (ABM).
UPHSI Principal Asst. Prof. Edelia Braga presented the candidates for graduation for the Academic Year 2023-2024, who were then confirmed by Prof. Pepito Fernandez, Jr., College of Arts and Sciences Dean.
Retired Supreme Court Justice Francis Jardeleza, UPHSI alumnus and 43rd Graduation Exercises speaker, told the graduates to look back after graduating from UPHSI.
”Please do not forget where you came from,” said Jardeleza to the graduates, adding that they will likely have established careers in the near future. He shared how UPHSI alumni have generated funding which will be donated soon for future projects of the unit.
Meanwhile, Contessa Marie Ko, in her valedictorian speech on behalf of the UPHSI Class of 2024, talked about how UP trained them during their stay.
“UP helped me view the world and present reality as it is – we were trained to think critically, to challenge the status quo, and to seek innovative solutions to problems, all for the benefit of not just ourselves, but to our fellow countrymen,” she said.
“Hindi lang sapat na matalino ka, dapat ay may empatiya at pag-unawa din. Utak at puso,” Ko added.
The graduates were inducted into the UP Alumni Association (UPAA) – Iloilo chapter by UPAA President Consuelo Geduspan to cap UPHSI’s 43rd Graduation Exercises.
