UPIE Students Enjoy Their Traditional Graduation Dinner

The UP Industrial Engineering graduates-to-be held their graduation dinner at Celebrity Sports Plaza’s ballroom A & B last Friday, June 26. The event was organized by the IE representatives to the Engineering Student Council. 45 of the 97 graduating IE Batch 2015 students were in attendance. The dinner was also graced by IEORD chair Lowell Lorenzo, Professor Mitchay Pacia, and junior instructors Simon Anthony Lorenzo and Raymond Lagria. Also attending were representatives of the UPIE Alumni Association, led by its president Bing del Rosario, Vice-President Benjie Mirasol, former president Elise del Rosario, and director Liza Ting, who was also the UPIEAA’s point person for Celebrity Sports Plaza. The IE representatives included Ramon Perez, Lily Lefranco, Tin Mercado, and Jess Cahoy.

The organizers insisted on a formal black-and-white theme and the graduating students responded admirably in their black, gray, and-or white shirts, coats, and cocktail dresses.Everyone was given a sunflower necklace with a maroon ribbon, a cute touch to the event, since the sunflower had become a second symbol of the University after the Oblation.

The ballroom ceiling was grandly decorated with white-and-blue swags while the table each had their gold-silver balloon centerpieces, the same color motif of the stage balloon sculptures. Outside the ballroom, students lined up for the photo booth.

Dinner was a combination of set and buffet, with Celebrity providing the main chicken plate but the organizers had additionally ordered pork loin and beef lasagna to complement the food, plus buco pandan for dessert.

The ESC could only provide P5,000 for the event so the UPIEAA helped with sponsorship solicitation, in addition to committing P25,000 as its own contribution to the affair. Shell Philippines Exploration committed P20,000, UPIEAA director Jody Gadia contributed P5,000, and directors Bing & Elise del Rosario contributed P12,000.

Highlights of the evening included the welcome remarks of Professor Lowell Lorenzo, a toast to the teachers by Gaby Santos (magna cum laude), an impromptu song number by Lisette Jingco and Andrea Alegre, a valedictory address by Cam Carag (magna cum laude & department valedictorian), final toast by Andrea Alegre (magna cum laude), the awarding of “best projects”, and the swearing in by UPIEAA president Bing del Rosario of the graduating students as new bona fide members of the UP Industrial Engineering Alumni Association, complete with UPIEAA lapel pins. In his introduction, Bing talked about the homecomings, the UPIEAA web site, and the importance of the IE “iskolars ng bayan” giving back in the future, whether for teacher salary supplementation, student financial assistance, or equipment-lab donations for the new IE building at the Engineering Complex.

The event ended just before the 10:00 pm time limit. Students were encouraged to bring home the balloon centerpieces, and there were several takers. The graduating students milled around for another 15 minutes, chatting, saying goodbyes, posing for barkada pictures, and arranging for next meetings before some of them agreed to go out together for late night drinks elsewhere.