By: Samantha Bernardo
Artwork by Eah Dino of The LANCE.
Letranites flock to the SC Auditorium on Monday afternoon, August 7, 2023, to witness the 2023 Collegiate Recognition, where students from all of the Colegio’s colleges are awarded for their hard work and contributions to the institution and its community.
Non-academic Awards
The non-academic awards are given to students who contribute to athletics, leadership, and service inside and outside the institution.
The Beato Antonio Varona Ortega, O.P. Award is given to a student or team that participates in local and international sporting events. They must have won first place in a regional competition, at least third place in a national or Asia-wide tournament, or represented the country in an international competition.
The award is bestowed to the Colegio’s legendary Senior Men’s Basketball team (Letran Knights) for the NCAA Season 98, Women’s Volleyball team (Lady Knights), Men’s Volleyball, Men’s Chess, Men’s & Women’s Swimming teams (Aqua Knights), Senior Men’s Basketball team for the PBA D-League, Cheerleading team, and E-Sports team (Letran Cyberknights).
The Doctor & President Manuel L. Quezon Award is presented to a student that displayed exemplary ability to lead and organize significant events for the Letran Community. It is given to Julian Harish Bhojwani, the Editor in Chief of The LANCE, in addition to the Rising Leader of the Year Award and Outstanding Student Leader of the Year Award during the 2023 Gawad Arriba.
On the other hand, the St. Dominic de Guzman, O.P. Award is bestowed to organizations that conducted meaningful events for the institution and/or the country and had at least a 90% final rating for the academic year. This is awarded to the Letran Psychology Society (LPS) as they have accomplished 100% of their operational plan for the school year 2022 - 2023.
The Don Juan Geronimo Guerrero and Fray Diego de Sta. Maria, O.P. Award is given to the top five Letranites who exhibited the spirit of volunteerism during the academic year 2022 - 2023. It is named after the founders of Letran who shared the same concern for the orphans of Intramuros. The award is bestowed to three Letranites, namely 2nd year BSE Mathematics Major, Richard Aquino, 2nd year Marketing Management, Carl Vicente Diamzon, and 3rd year Electronics and Communications Engineering Adrian Louise Vitente.
Academic Awards
The academic awards are given to students who showcased exemplary academic performance for the school year 2022 - 2023 inside and outside the institution.
The Beato Jesus Villaverde Andres, O.P. Award is awarded to students who participated in local and international academic-related competitions. They must have garnered first place in a regional competition, at least third place in a national or Asia-wide tournament, or represented the country in an international competition.
The production team of “The Adventures of Kween Jhonabelle” is one of the recipients of the award as they garnered multiple awards in The Manila Film Fest (TMFF), namely Best Picture, Top Grosser Film, Best Sound Design, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Supporting Actor, Best Actress, and Best Director.
The team for the documentary “Si Chuck” also received the award as they were nominated for Best Documentary in the 2023 Student World Impact Film Fest (SWIFF) in the United States.
Two Letranite-made films accumulated awards from the Sining Likhasan Filmmaking Competition - National Level, namely “Limos” - for First Place, Best Screenplay, Best Musical Score, Best Actress - and “Under the Guise of Resiliency'' - for Third Place. This secured a spot for the academic award.
The Nutrition and Dietetics program was also represented during the award ceremony as some students from the program participated in the 2022 Nutrition Masterclass Interschool, where they placed as Second Runner-Up in the competition.
Participants from the different categories of 2023 AdSpeak: Trending also received the award. For the TV AD Category, Maria Ellaine Del Fonso for First Runner-Up and Gabriel Mindaña for Second Runner-Up. For the Radio AD Category, Angel Romdel Canzana for Second Runner-Up.
Meanwhile, the San Vicente Liem de la Paz, O.P. Award is bestowed to the top three performing first and second-year students across all programs, and top performing third-year student per program. For students to qualify for the award, a student should have a regular academic load based on their curriculum for the semester, no grade below 85 in the courses taken, and a 90% or higher weighted average.
Phoemela Caully Ibañez of BS Accountancy, Geen Franzaine Ricate of BS Accountancy, and Carl Daniel Santos of BS Psychology are the recipients of the academic award for the first year level.
Jairizzer Nicole Gonzales of BS Tourism Management, Richard Aquino of BSE Mathematics, and Joffemycel Castillon of BS Psychology are the awardees for the second year level.
Dorothy Joy Calanoc of BSBA Financial Management, Maria Ellaine Del Fonso for BSBA Marketing Management, Alyana Dominique Rosarda of BS Hospitality, John Angelo Jaca of BC Information Technology, Carl Steven Lacson of BSBA Economics, Seane David Atibagos of BS Civil Engineering, Cristine Joi Jimenez of BS Tourism Management, Juan Zyian Sebastian Manalo o9d AB Communication, Anjelo Mateo of BSBA Hospitality and Restaurant Management, Kristine Valenzuela of BS Entrepreneurship, Gabriel Angelo Jaca of BS Accountancy, John Paul Marvida of AB Political Science, Mark Laurence Reyes of BS Psychology, and Jerina Andres of AB Legal Management are the recipients of the academic distinction for the third year level.