Student Honors Convocation recognizes IITians' outstanding achievements during Welcoming Week

by Kassandra Buenafe, OfCom | Aug 15 2025

Recognizing and honoring students who excel in academics and extracurricular activities, the annual Student Honors Convocation was held on August 13, 2025, at the University Gymnasium, as part of the celebration of this academic year’s Welcoming Week.

Various award categories acknowledged the hard work and excellence of IITians–Gawad Serbisyo to honor the student groups of 萝莉社-IIT; Gawad Alampat to recognize student artists; OMAR Awards to highlight the efforts of student athletes; and the awarding and conferment of new members–fourth-year students holding a grade between 1.00 to 1.20–to the Bantogen Honors Society. A total of 242 awardees were given these distinctions.

This year’s convocation featured Mr. Sean Dela Cruz as the guest speaker–an alumnus of the Institute, a professional events host, and an established entrepreneur. In his speech, Dela Cruz inspired the awardees by sharing his three guiding pillars: (1) poverty is a situation, not a sentence; (2) take care of yourself and accept life’s realities; and (3) with God, we are never alone.

More than the accolades and recognitions, awardees were reminded by Dela Cruz that it is important to be humble and to never step on other people.

Vice Chancellor for Student Services, Dr. Rohane Derogongan, also shared the same sentiments of humility and service towards people in her welcome remarks, saying, “...these awards are not just a recognition of past accomplishments but a challenge to continue striving, serving, and making a difference as influencers of the future.”

Apart from the Honors Convocation, more activities are still in motion for the students in the Welcoming Week, set to culminate on August 15, 2025, with a KASAMA General Assembly and Acquaintance Party.

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