The whole Finster Auditorium was jam-packed as the School of Engineering and Architecture held its orientation day last June 21.
Engr. Jenith L. Banluta, the Assistant Dean of the SEA, welcomed the students in her opening remarks. Banluta encouraged the first year students to make use of the facilities in school such as the library and the laboratories and engage themselves not just in academics but also in extra-curricular activities.
Banluta also congratulated the topnotchers of this year’s Architecture Licensure Examination and Arch. Wilfredo Policarpio, chair of the Architecture department, for the big success.
The EA Executive Council, together with the EA Talents, rendered a production number after which followed by the roll call of every course. After the loud cheers and roars, the faculty and staff of the SEA were then presented.
The crowd cheered and laughed as the Sine mo ‘to performance featured the story of Julia Dela Cruz and her life as an engineering student. Along with the performance were the introductions of the different courses with its descriptions and a message from Engr. Randell Espina, Dean of SEA, in a form of an audio-visual presentation.
A song number by the EA Octaves and the presentation of the EA Executive Council then followed it.
The Kalokalike contestants added to the dynamic atmosphere as they took the center stage and portrayed the characters they were impersonating. At the end, the hailed winner was Kalokalike contestant Zarex Castro from the Chemical Engineering.
SAMAHAN President and EA student Ralph Robin Tongcua then challenged his co-EA students in his speech. Tongcua said about shifting the outflowing energies of the EA students into advocacies like “no to mining” and anti-drug campaigns.
Tongcua also mentioned about empowerment through the SSG Confederation and the embodiment of Sui Generis, which is entitled to everyone. Tongcua also talked about Buklod Atenista and shared about the things that they discussed such as the support on the Freedom of Information act, crowd sourcing and the responsible use of the social media.
The program ended with a dance number by the EA Talents.
“I never thought that this year’s orientation day would be a blast! The venue, theme, time, and activities of the event were perfect! It was informative and fun at the same time. The energy of the crowd was off the roof!” said Kristoffer Chan, an Industrial Engineering student.
EA representative Kristian Mikael Dillera was overwhelmed by the success of the orientation. He was delighted because it was the first time the students showed much interest in attending the orientation day.
“To all EA students, sa ngayon siguro happy-happy pa pero on the way, we will encounter difficulties, problems and sa tingin natin mahirap talagang lampasan. Pero as the EA students would always say, salig lang, makaya nato ni and in time we will fix all the problems and challenges that we will face,” Dillera said.