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by PAM
So, my "dear friend", sickness, is paying me a visit again. *sigh* And, from the looks of it, it has no intention of leaving soon. Looks like it will prevent me from attending our much awaited "Meet the Parents" event for our graduating students on Friday. While I really do not have the energy to stop my friend's aggressive and brutal desire to bring me down physically, it cannot touch me spiritually. Therefore, I'm using this medium to reach our students. I guess that if the spirit was willing, even a sick body would be no obstacle... electronically, that is! Thanks, blogspot! :)
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Ah, 'goddesses' of excellence in Thomasian chemical engineering education!
Speaking of International Women's Day a couple of weeks back, it's still Women's Month... and I'm taking advantage! :)
With our Neocentennial Chem. E. Batch at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) graduating soon, I'm feeling a bit nostalgic... and inspired to write a little tribute to one aspect of their stay with us. I was telling them last Saturday in a seminar that they are one very lucky Batch! It's because during their five-year of stay in the University, they had that wonderful opportunity to have listened to four of the 'Goddesses' of Excellence in Thomasian Chemical Engineering via seminars and symposia. And, I think it's worth it to go over the experience... because, I believe, that this occurrence is no coincidence. There is a reason behind this... and it's up to Batch 2012 to figure it out. I believe they can! :)
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The energetic and feisty 'goddess'....
Back in their sophomore year, our Neocentennial Batch had the opportunity to experience the enthralling presence of Engr. Valarie Ku during that year's "Course Orientation" event. Val is one of our Department's prized 'goddesses'. She graduated summa cum laude in 2001, won the BPI Science Award, one of the Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines in 2001 awarded by the Philippine President no less, hailed as an Ayala Young Leader, a Rector's Academic Excellence Awardee in 2001, and finished #2 in the Chemical Engineers' Licensure Examination in November 2001. Those are just a few of her many exciting accomplishments as a student. These, in spite of her rather "typical" younger days of adventures and misadventures - boyfriend(s), heartbreak(s), funny "indentity crisis" (haha...) and "awkward" teenage rebellions (ah-haha...).
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| The energetic goddess... in action! |
A high achiever as always, she is now "rocking" the Pilipinas-Shell world - mostly a "Man's World" - with her string of "first" this and that feats... this while balancing career and motherhood and, at some point, pursuing and finishing with flying colors her Graduate Studies at the De La Salle University in Manila.
Recently, Val dropped by the Department to give a talk at the Chemical Engineering Society's celebration of the "International Women's Day". As usual, the students were treated to a fun, informative, entertaining and inspiring talk from our lovely "energetic and feisty goddess" of excellence.
Whew! Oh, Val... you are absolutely incredible!
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Soft-spoken 'goddess'... but she can "slap" you with a Chem.E. Handbook - from memory!
Engr. Anne C. Buenavista-Aganda graduated magna cum laude in 1998... just a fine thread outside the summa cum laude line. Her memory was incredible... seemed like she had the Chemical Engineers' Handbook etched in it! But that isn't what makes her special - it's her humility, good nature, sense of humor and endearing down-to-earth ways that make her one of our dearest 'goddesses' in the Department.
Anne was the President of the Chemical Engineering Society (ChES), and during her tenure, ChES won the prestigious "Best Organization Award" at the Faculty of Engineering. It was amazing how she was this incredibly soft-spoken leader, and yet, she was able to inspire and mobilize the entire ChES membership to work together to capture the most coveted prize for an Engineering Student Organization. Such is her strength - she is a teamworker. She was also a BPI Science Awardee, a Rector's Awardee for Academic Excellence, and captured the #1 spot in the Chemical Engineers Licensure Examination in November of 1998.
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| Anne...ever understated in stance, ever outstanding in substance! |
In spite of Anne's extremely busy schedule at Pilipinas-Shell and playing her role as a mother of two beautiful and very smart daughters these days, she always found the time to drop by the Department to participate in Career Orientation seminars, among many others. As former ChES President, she understands perfectly the importance of students' interactions with alumni as part of their education, and this is why she makes time for our students, even if coming to the campus meant driving for four hours with her husband - himself a Thomasian chemical engineer who graduated cum laude and a former ChES President, too - and their kids.
Ah, Anne... you're one of a kind, and we love you!
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The 'goddess' of beauty is a topnotch scientist!
Who could forget this 'goddess' who is every inch "a lady and a tough scientist"? I think she, Engr. Jeanne Therese P. Hilario-Andres, was one of those beauty queens who inspired beautiful girls around the world to excel in a "Man's World" while strutting haute couture in an impressive pair of high-heeled shoes! Nette-Nette, as she is fondly called by everyone, was crowned Bb. Pilipinas-Maja (Miss Philippines-Maja) in 1989. She went on to win 2nd runner-up in the Miss Maja-International competition at the Dominican Republic... she was an incoming sophomore at the Faculty of Engineering in UST when her pageant stint started, and she did not allow her gruelling schedule as a beauty queen to prevent her from winning a place in the Dean's List - every single semester.
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| Beauty queen and a tough scientist... our "it" girl came home. |
Nette-Nette graduated magna cum laude in 1993, won the BPI Science Award, Rector's Awardee for Academic Excellence, and one of the Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines in 1993 - the first for UST. She was #3 in the Chemical Engineers Licensure Examination in November 1993, too. She was extremely talented... she was a very good writer - she was editor-in-chief of the "Thomasian Engineer", which is the official student publication of the UST Faculty of Engineering. She is a very good singer and song writer, cutting her own record, with many of her songs she wrote herself. She was a charismatic leader, and used her leadership skills to inspire young people like her in the campus to dedicate their time and talent in service of our Lord, as a Christian Youth in Action (CYA) leader. Until now, service to God is on top of her list of favorite things... in fact, her life is driven by this commitment.
Today, Nette resides in the UK with her lovely family, enjoying her role as a loving wife to her husband (also a Thomasian, graduated magna cum laude at the Department of Chemistry, and has a Ph. D. from University of Manchester) and a cool Mom to her two adorable little boys, while finishing her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at Cambridge University as a Schlumberger Foundation's Faculty for the Future scholar. True to her commitment to preserve the environment, Nette is currently pursuing a ground-breaking research, using Fluid Mechanics, Reaction Kinetics, Mathematical modelling and computer simulation, to find solution to problems related to carbon dioxide capture and storage.
Oh, yeah! Nette, you are, indeed, our favorite "it" girl - then and now!
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The "Queen" of them 'goddesses'...
Ah... what kind of brain one must have to obtain a general weighted average of 1.07/1.00 in Chemical Engineering... and back in the days when the UST Faculty of Engineering was "dominated" by "old-school", red-pen wielding, fright-inducing mentors whose mere presence alone made weak hearted students faint in terror, too? Whatever kind of brain it was, it must definitely be an admirable one! But that is not what made the owner of that brain worth emulating... it was her humility and simplicity in spirit that commanded respect and inspired admiration. And this is why, Engr. Ilian T. Chan, is the role model of many of our younger 'goddesses' (okay, and "gods", too. Hehe...), if not all! As she was gifted with a "super brain", she values this by augmenting it with hardwork, discipline and commitment to excellence, which resulted to unprecedented achievements that brought honor to our Department... and to our University - as a student and as a professional.
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| A "queenly" homecoming... and the queen's humility and simplicity in spirit is amazingly queenly! |
In her senior year in the Department, Ilian captained the "winningest" UST Chemical Engineering Quiz Team, which captured the National Chemical Engineering Quiz Contest Crown, among many others. In 1992, she graduted summa cum laude - obviously. She was a Rector's Awardee for Academic Excellence when she graduated, and obtained the highest grade in the graduating Batch in the whole UST campus that year. She placed first in the Chemical Engineers Licensure Examination in November of 1992, and in a fashion that left everyone awed, too.
In spite of the many job offers in the industry, Ilian opted to stay in UST to work as a teaching assistant/Instructor for a few years. While teaching, she did her M.S. in Chemical Engineering at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City. At some point, she decided to give industry a shot, and did all three: working in the industry, working in the Academe and pursuing higher education at the Graduate School... and excelled in all of them - naturally! Later, the industry demanded more of her time, and we lost her in the Academia. Always thirsty for new knowledge, Ilian pursued post-graduate education at the Heriot-Watt University in Scotland via distance learning while handling her tasks in the industry - excelling in both, once again!
Today, our Ilian is the Director of Technical Service and Support at the R & D - Asia Pacific of Mead Johnson Nutrition. While all her pursuits and achievements - past and present - are incredibly impressive, Ilian's biggest strength is her adorable humility, unselfishness, and extremely down-to-earth yet, respectable ways. As our three other 'goddesses' above, she embodies the values of a true Thomasian: competence, commitment and compassion. Truly impressive!
Ah, Ilian, you make us absolutely proud!
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Ah, UST Chem. E. Neocentennial Batch... you are one very lucky batch, indeed! May you pursue your careers after graduation, with guidance from God, and inspiration from our 'goddesses', whose commitment to our University's Thomasian ideals are stamped on their every pursuit. We have faith in you... and we know, you have faith in our University's ideals, too. Now that you received the 'blessing' from the 'goddesses'... I take it that you know the meaning of it all. ;) All the very best!
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| Godspeed, Batch 2012! :) |
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