Dr. Angel Encarnacion, Regional Director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)-2 under the Department of Agriculture, and Stephen Carlo Areño, Bachelor of Science (BS) in Applied Mathematics summa cum laude, gave their respective messages to student-awardees during the Papuri 2023.
Encarnacion, the guest speaker of the said program and BS Fisheries major in Fish Processing Technology alumnus of UPV, told the awardees to uphold “honor and excellence” in one of his key points.
He admittedly only fully-embraced UP’s motto when he started working in BFAR and pursued his graduate studies as a Japanese government scholar.
He recalled his time working on his proposed research work, which was managed by his professor. To get additional funding, they had to make tweaks to a product for it to improve, but they came up short despite available technologies, methodologies, and techniques.
With the possibility of not graduating on time or not graduating at all looming, Encarnacion refused to cut corners and decided to recommend the termination of the project.
“When I chose to uphold honor in that situation, I did not have to pretend so I could impress my professor or earn my laboratory mates’ respect,” he said.
He had to prepare a new proposal and conduct experiments on his own. He shared that he was not satisfied with ending that situation with honor – he had to follow it up with excellence.
He wrote his first manuscript and sent it to his professor for review and submission to the journal he prescribed. After two weeks, Encarnacion received an email from his professor congratulating him for having his article accepted by a journal for publication.
Eventually, he was sent to various conferences and conducted research outside of Japan. In a turn of events, he received the University President Award that the graduate school bestowed on him during their graduation.
“If life is not a bed of roses, sticking to honor and excellence seems to bring the thorns,” he said.
Meanwhile, Areño, who is among the three summa cum laude graduates of the UPV class of 2023, gave a response on behalf of the awardees.
“The honorific titles granted to us today and also the made-up labels for ourselves, are reflections of our greatness here at the university. This greatness encompasses not only the struggles we have to undergo, but also the enjoyment and successes we have experienced with the institution, its education, and the people,” he said.
He pointed out that college further brings the vulnerable side of people, including those who excel. He recalled experiencing failing two "long exams" for a major math course, which would have affected his chances at Latin honors or being an honorific scholar.
He also talked about the time when he cried after failing an examination for logic and set theory on his freshman year, knowing how passionate he was in his studies.
“You see, a person like me is also vulnerable to these unfortunate circumstances. Our college life exposes our vulnerable side, but more than anything else, it makes us more human,” he said.
Areño then shared his experience of being a UP student at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic that disrupted face-to-face classes for over two years.
He said him and his fellow students had to face adversity in the form of unstable internet connection, deadlines of requirements, and mental health concerns, among others.
“Self-studying has drained us, knowing that we have to exert much more effort as we are unaccompanied, alone - for most times, and learn new skills and routines alongside the already difficult lessons,” Areño said.
"Consequently, I know everybody worked hard for these distinctions, everybody gave their best," he said.
He urged his fellow awardees to go beyond the titles and awards they received during the Papuri.
“These titles bestowed on us are not purely for aesthetics or for show, they carry the social responsibility of being an iskolar ng bayan,” Areño said.
The Papuri 2023 was held at the UPV Auditorium, Iloilo City campus on July 19, which featured honor graduates composed of three summa cum laude, 98 magna cum laude, 280 cum laude, and 83 special achievement awardees.
