AASA New Year Party

Last Saturday, 29 January 2022, from three to six in the afternoon, the Ateneo Alumni Scholars Association (AASA) celebrated their annual New Year Party or Get Together of AASA Scholars. It was attended by the past and present AASA Board of Directors, AASA Office Team, Alumni Batch Representatives and of course, the 54 AASA Scholars this SY 2021-2022.

The event began with a Mass presided by Fr. Jose Ramon “Jett” Villarin, S.J. In his homily, Fr. Jett emphasized the notion of love, urging everyone to remember that the love of God has been faithful in the midst of struggles and challenges. He encouraged everyone to continue having faith in God’s love, and to let love strengthen their conviction and move them to action.

Such a message was evident in the program that proceeded as love, gratitude, and joy pervaded the party. Around four in the afternoon, once the mass concluded, the event proper took place. Starting it off was a picture-taking session, where the entire Zoom room was filled with wide smiles and bright eyes. 

After the picture-taking session was the kamustahan. During this segment, the participants were divided into breakout groups. Here, they introduced themselves to each other and answered numerous prompts. One question in the activity was, “What do you love most about AASA?” To this question, numerous scholars pointed to the sense of family and community within the organization. 

Dr. Ronald Cruz, the current President of AASA, used this answer as the springboard of his Welcoming Remarks. He stated that the bonds between the members of AASA were unique, valuable, and enduring. A bubbly intermission number from the first year scholars followed this, and many found it such a joy to see the freshies’ high-spirited dancing.

After the freshmen scholars’ performance, Dr. Ronald Cruz presented the President’s Report. A few highlights of the detailed report were:

  • AASA is celebrating 35 years of service;
  • AASA has supported a total of 183 scholars since its establishment;
  • AASA currently supports 54 scholars;
  • AASA has received 1 endowment for the year; and
  • AASA has relaunched its website.

The report testifies to the success of the organization. However, AASA seeks to continuously improve and meet the needs of its scholars. This was followed by an update on the AASA Mentorship Program by Ms. Lidel Bajao, one of the BOD Members of AASA. 

After the reports came one of the most enjoyable segments of the event—the AASA Amazing Race. The AASA Amazing Race was a game in which groups were tasked to complete numerous challenges by navigating through the newly launched AASA website, heading from one “station” to the next as quickly as they could in order to finish first. One of the challenges in the game was to guess the song given a handful of emojis. 

Two presentations followed the game, both of which were heartwarming. The first presentation was prepared by the third year scholars. They created a video expressing their most appreciated aspect of AASA. Meanwhile, the seniors created a tear-jerking montage narrating the story of being accepted into Ateneo, getting the AASA scholarship, attending AASA events and programs, and finding a family in AASA. Both presentations were wonderfully prepared, beautiful, and moving. In fact, some Board of Directors confessed to crying while watching the presentations.

The program ended around six in the afternoon, with BOD member Ms. Malou Mercado acknowledging those that have helped in the program and the hosts (freshman AASA scholar Angeline Braganza and Ms. Bajao) thanking everyone for their attendance and active participation. Truly, it was a day imbued with love. 

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