A harvest of wins for JG-SOM Students
Graduates and students from the John Gokongwei School of Management proved themselves to be among the best and brightest once again with the recently awarded Loyola Schools Awards for Leadership and Service awarded last March 3, 2006. The Ateneo community came in full force, headed by Ateneo President Fr. Bienvenido F. Nebres, S.J.,Vice-President of the Loyola Schools Dr. Anna Miren Gonzalez-Intal and JG-SOM Dean Rudy Ang, to support and celebrate with the finalists and winners. Mr. Harvey Keh, Director of Pathways to Higher Education gave the keynote address.
Leading the list of the Loyola School Awards for Sports is Mikaela Francesca M. Santos (3-BS MCT) who was given the Sportswoman of the Year award by the Guidon-Moro-Lorenzo Awards for Sports. Mikaela is the Republic of the Philippines' record holder in Women's Pole Vault. She has three gold medals from the 2005 Sabah Athletics Open, the 2005 Hong Kong Intercity Amateur Athletics Challenge and the 2005 National Open. She recently placed sixth in the 23rd Southeast Asian games.
The Guidon and Moro Lorenzo family confer the Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year awards to deserving students who exemplify the Ateneo ideal if mens sana in corpore sano - a sound mind in a sound body. Named after the legendary Luis "Moro" Lorenzo, the awards endeavor to recognize athletes who have shown excellence and utmost dedication in their sport. Ignatius Michael Ingles, 4 BS MCT was also nominated for Sportsman of the Year.
Procter and Gamble gave its annual Student Excellence Awards to Jaryd Luke Chan, 3 BS ME, Isabel Francesca Falco, 3 BS ME and Jonathan Pua, 3 BS Mgt-H. Winners of this award are chosen based on the following criteria: academic excellence, student/organizational leadership and exemplification of the ideals of the university. Procter and Gamble confers this award as part of its contribution to the academe in developing better and brighter students who are capable of becoming the building blocks of a great nation.
Other JG-SOM students/finalists for this award include Jose Marco Ballesteros (3 BS ME), Mark Robert Uy (3 BS ME), Mark Denison Velasquez, (3 BS ME) and Charles Anthony Yeung (3 BS ME).
The Council of Organizations of the Ateneo Awards also gave its nod to the Ateneo Management Association by awarding it Best Project for its AMA Mall project and its Best New Project for the AMA Entrepreneurial Challenge.
A weeklong bazaar, which showcased the entrepreneurial spirit of Ateneans, the AMA Mall stands as the flagship project of the AMA in striving to uphold its mission to form promising entrepreneurs equipped with the necessary skills to succeed. The bazaar was held November 21- 25, 2005 at the Science Education Complex. Students were given the chance to apply and improve their management skills through the running of the small businesses they put up at the bazaar.
The AMA Entrepreneurial Challenge sought to develop the entrepreneurial drive within its members through the implementation of the first ever Entrepreneurial Challenge entitled Entrecorps Challenge: "Will You Be the Next Entrecorps?" Divided into four legs, different groups had to successfully meet the different challenges per leg to be proclaimed winner. This project was specifically geared towards rousing a new batch of student leaders and rekindling the passion for excellence for those already part of AMA.
The Project Awards are given to projects that have demonstrated excellence and have had significant impact on the Ateneo community and/or greater society. The award is conferred on the major projects that best exemplify the Vision-Mission-Objectives of COA and the organizations.
It is important to note that the Association for Communications Technology (ACTM) was nominated for Best New Project for Converge: The Information and Communications Technology Seminar. The organization was also nominated for Most Improved Organization and Most Outstanding Student Organization. The Ateneo Junior Marketing Association (AJMA) was nominated for Most Outstanding Student Organization, as well. The Ateneo Management Association (AMA) would eventually win the coveted Most Outstanding Student Organization award for their outstanding work this school year.
The defining traits of AMA's projects are patterned after the critical components that constitute an entrepreneur - risk taking, creativity, innovativeness, resourcefulness and efficiency - all of which comprise the contours of its projects this year.
To round things up for AMA, it's current President, Charson Yu, was also awarded Most Outstanding Student Leader for his devotion, commitment and zeal that has transformed AMA into an outstanding organization.
Among the accomplishments during his term are drastic improvement to systems and structures and the organization of pioneering projects. More importantly, he has institutionalized a culture of excellence and service in AMA, resulting in a well-run, well-oiled ship under the watchful direction of Charson's compass.
Yda Samantha Tio, President of the Association for Communications Technology Management (ACTM) was also nominated for this award.
Meanwhile, the Loyola Schools Awards for Leadership and Service named Jovilly Donna C. Vertulfo (4 BS LM), President of Ateneo Lex, the organization of Legal Management students, Most Outstanding Individual.
A delegate to the Ayala Young Leaders Congress in 2005 and Procter and Gamble Student Excellence Awardee in 2005, Jovilly came to heed the call to head her home organization, which was in great need of restructuring. Under her leadership, the past year saw LEX engage in both new and improved projects such as the Serving the Nation in Progress through Entrepreneurship - Business Week program, BalikLaya Prison and Jail Service. She has also become instrumental in inspiring the freshmen to become leaders through the uncommon practice of giving them the opportunity to be project heads.
This award is given to a college student who has demonstrated exemplary involvement in non-academic groups or activities, actualizing a resolve to engage and positively contribute to the larger community within and beyond the Ateneo.
The School offers its warmest congratulations to all finalists and winners. We especially salute the parents of our accomplished students. Bravo!
(Information on awards and awardees taken from The Loyola Schools Exemplar program.)