Be humble, hopeful, and proud’: 12 summa cum laude graduates lead Class of 2007

Be humble, hopeful, and proud’: 12 summa cum laude graduates lead Class of 2007
Arlyn VCD Romualdo



“Go with humility, and with hope, and with pride,” UP President Emerlinda R. Roman told almost 7,000 graduates of the Class of 2007. President Roman reminded them that as they leave the university, they will realize that there is still much to be learned in a “world that will give [them] no quarter, though [they] might be young and bright and full of promise.”

Twelve summa cum laude graduates, 153 magna cum laude graduates, and 913 cum laude graduates led this year’s batch. Of the 12 who graduated with top honors, eight came from UP Diliman (UPD): Mikaela Irene D. Fudolig (BS Physics) with a general weighted average (GWA) of 1.09; Ariel C. Lopez (BA History) with a GWA of 1.1; Deniece S. Yusun (BS Architecture) with a GWA of 1.13; Hannah Hazel Morales (BS Chemistry) with a GWA of 1.18; Lorraine Joyce N. Yu (BS Architecture) with a GWA of 1.18; Ma. Lourena M. Mangaban (BA Philosophy) with a GWA of 1.18; Magdalene Y. Lim (BS Business Administration) with a GWA of 1.18; and Ivan Chester G. Canoy (BS Biology) with a GWA of 1.19.

UP Los Baños (UPLB) had two summa cum laude graduates: Michael B. Gamalinda, who finished his BS Biology (major in Genetics) degree with a GWA of 1.14 and Carlos Juan Paolo I. Vega, who earned his BS Economics degree with a GWA of 1.17.

UP Manila (UPM) and UP Baguio (UPB) had one summa cum laude graduate each. Gerald Raimon Saranza received his BS Biology degree at UPM with a GWA of 1.17 while Jahzeel Abihail G. Cruz of UPB earned his BA Communication (Journalism) degree with a GWA of 1.15.

Of the magna cum laude graduates, 133 came from UPD, nine from UPLB, six from UP Visayas (UPV), and five from UPM. Of the cum laude graduates, 638 came from UPD, 118 from UPLB, 85 from UPM, 46 from UPV, 20 from UPB, and six from UP Mindanao (UPMin).

According to the UPD Office of the University Registrar, UPD, the biggest constituent university, had a total of 3,927 graduates, including those who earned their degrees at the Extension Programs in Olongapo and Pampanga. In addition, the Board of Regents also approved the graduation of 1,122 students in UPLB, 908 students in UPV, 658 students in UPM, 242 students in UPB, and 111 students in UPMin.

The following guests of honor graced the commencement exercises of the whole UP System: in UPD, Dr. Reynaldo B. Vea, president of the Mapua Institute of Technology and former dean of the UPD College of Engineering; in UPM, Prof. Ambeth Ocampo, concurrent chair of the National Historical Institute and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts; in UPLB, Department of Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap; in UPMin, Gawad Kalinga President Antonio Meloto; in UPV Iloilo, respected broadcast journalist Cecilia Lazaro; in UPV Tacloban, activist-lawyer Katrina Legarda; in UPV Cebu and UPB, National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera.