The University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) officially welcomed its students to the Academic Year (AY) 2024-2025 during the UPV Opening Exercises 2024 held at the UPV Covered Court, Miagao campus, on Aug. 12.
The students, clustered by academic organization during the introductions, were welcomed to the program with the theme “Padayon sa Pagpasangkad kang Kaaram kag Pag-alagad.”
UPV officials and the deans of the various colleges and schools briefly presented the mandates of their offices and units – accompanied by audio-visual presentations – and introduced their respective personnel.
Ms. Josette Emlen Genio, UPV alumna and guest speaker, talked about her experience during her time as a student of the University – learning Hiligaynon as a Bicolana, shifting to BS Fisheries during her sophomore year, and recovering from setbacks in her academics.
“The cycle of challenges – and at times failures – and learnings is a dynamic process that fuels our continuous improvement,” Genio said in her inspirational message.
“You surround yourself with people who are better than you in certain areas because, then, it encourages continuous learning, growth, and humility,” she said.
Genio is a Sustainable Market Specialist for Better Seafood Philippines, a US Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded initiative implemented by the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership under the Fish Right program. She earned her BS Fisheries and MSc Fisheries (Aquaculture) degrees at UPV in 2011 and 2014, respectively.
Meanwhile, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Dr. Alice Joan Ferrer gave reminders to the students on the challenges and opportunities of UPV in the new academic year.
“UPV is full of opportunities for you to further develop essential attributes to succeed in life – discipline, grit, tenacity, passion, resilience, and more. Grab these opportunities and show that you can stay in the University, graduate on time, and leave UPV better than the version of you when you came in,” she said.
For his part, Chancellor Clement Camposano, in his message said “As a person who has learned to grasp the social and structural character of inequality, a real ‘Iskolar ng Bayan’ is saddled with a political burden – and it is a heavy one: it is to use what you have learned in this institution to make this society a less inequal place, nothing more, but certainly nothing less.”
Kylene Anne Millanes, a senior BA Political Science student, delivered the message on behalf of the upclass, followed by a response by Eva Cerise Lopez, BS Fisheries student, on behalf of the freshmen.
