Saturday, March 29, 2008 Hechanova: Gawad San Luis By Rev. Fr. Jessie Hechanova Light That Transforms
SAINT Louis University believes that each student is a different individual with unique needs and therefore must be provided with all the services they require in order to gain knowledge and attain full personal and social development. To this end, SLU provides a welcoming and supportive environment that enhances the students' ability to achieve their highest potential and competencies through learning, programs and services.
Their holistic development involves participation in intramurals, arts festivals, student organizations' programs and activities in accordance with the university's core values of Christian spirit, competence, creativity, and social involvement.
We ensure that these activities develop their skills in, among others, leadership, communication, decision-making and problem-solving through an environment that encourages learning even beyond the classroom. Thus, we encourage our students to participate in community outreach projects, athletics and cultural enrichment programs. In this way, SLU is able to create opportunities for them to explore their personal and career choices.
Now on its second year, the Gawad San Luis for students is an annual award-giving ceremony just before the school year ends to honor our student leaders and student organizations who excelled in their co-curricular and extra-curricular activities for the immediate past school year. It was only recently last March 6 that we have awarded another set of certificates to our outstanding student leaders as well as iconic busts of our patron Saint Aloysius Gonzaga to the outstanding student organizations. On the other hand, to honor our outstanding SLU employees, a separate Gawad San Luis program is likewise being held annually, and is particularly timed when the University President presents his Annual Report during a formal program called Academic Session.
Gawad San Luis (student category) has two main categories, namely: the individual awards and group awards. The individual award is given to those who manifested creativity in the fields of music, arts and research, as well as competence in the fields of academics and sports. On the other hand, the group awards include three major awards, which are the Presidential Award for Outstanding Leadership, Most Outstanding Co-curricular Student Organization, and the Most Outstanding Extra-curricular Student Organization; and the minor awards for Social Involvement (Ramon Magsaysay Award), for Creativity and Innovation (Fernando Amorsolo Award), and for Competence (Jose Rizal Award).
This year, there were 42 individual awardees for the arts (1), research (21), academics (9) and sports (11). Joy Mendoza (JPIA president), the Junior Philippine Institute of Accountants, and Vinculum were judged as the major group awardees, followed by the Philippine Economists Solidarity, College of Accountancy and Commerce Ecological Society, and, the "White and Blue" who won as the minor group awardees. Kudos to our outstanding student leaders and organizations!
For more information about SLU, log on to www.slu.edu.ph. Until next Friday. God bless!
