Gathered by Gratitude 2026

On June 13, 2026, the Ateneo Alumni Scholars Association (AASA) held its annual Thanksgiving Luncheon at Faber Hall, bringing together graduating AASA scholars, benefactors, and alumni scholars for a meaningful celebration of gratitude and community.

AASA proudly celebrated the graduation of 15 scholars who have excelled in their respective fields. Among them, nine graduated with honors – three Magna cum laude, three Cum laude, and another three graduated Honorable Mention. Their achievements reflect the resilience, hard work, and dedication they exemplified through their four or five years of study at Ateneo de Manila University. Each scholar weathered personal and academic challenges, emerging successful in their own unique way.

Hosted by AASA alumni scholars Angeline Braganza (AB Communication ’25) and Briane Dela Peña (AB Communication ’18), the program opened with a prayer led by AASA Founder, Fr. Bill H. Kreutz, SJ, followed by the opening remarks of Corinne Ignacio (BS Chemistry–Materials Science and Engineering ’26). In her speech, she shared how her father was among the construction workers who built the Church of the Gesù in 2003, leading her to believe that Ateneo had already been part of her being long before she officially became a scholar. She also reflected on the personal and academic challenges that she overcame throughout her Ateneo journey, the people who continued to believe in her, and the responsibility of scholars to one day become the hands that extend the same opportunities to others.

Afterwards, AASA President, Ms. Lorna Datiles-Fabian (BS Business Management ’80), delivered her President’s Report, where she proudly shared the association’s accomplishments in the past year – raising P14.33M and another P5M in Endowment. Looking forward, AASA remains committed to supporting 75 scholars in the next academic year through tuition assistance, food subsidies, mentorship opportunities, and special aid as needed. Ms. Lorna also emphasized that none of these feats would have been possible without the unwavering generosity of alumni scholars and benefactors who continue to pay forward the gift of Ateneo education.

The event also featured a message from former University President Fr. Jett T. Villarin, SJ, who reminded the community that everything is a gift and that gratitude leaves no room for entitlement. He encouraged the graduates to understand Magis as choosing the more loving path, to build a lifelong habit of giving, and to remember that their graces are greater than the weaknesses and darkness surrounding them.

In Stephanie Cale’s (BS Psychology ’26) response, she described AASA scholars as “living metaphors” of resilience, opportunity, and transformation. She reflected on how scholarships can change not only individual lives but entire family histories, emphasizing that the opportunities scholars receive carry a responsibility to serve, lead, and create possibilities for those who will come after them.

The program ended with the singing of “A Song for Mary,” a meaningful expression of hope, faith, and solidarity amid challenging times.

With the culmination of another school year, AASA hopes that our newly graduated scholars will embody what it means to be persons with and for others, live out cura personalis, and continuously strive for the magis. Ultimately, may our scholars never forget that AASA remains their home, always waiting to welcome them back, no matter how far they may go.