THE UNIVERSITY has officially acknowledged the UST Alumni Association Hong Kong (USTAAHK), designating it as the pioneering alumni association in the city and the sixth international chapter of Thomasian graduates.
The induction ceremony took place on Jan. 19 at The Hive in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. The event was attended by Asst. Prof. Joreen Rocamora, the acting director of the UST Office of Alumni Relations, along with over 100 University alumni.
The USTAAHK joins other international UST alumni chapters established in Brunei, Australia, Singapore, Guam, and Canada.
In an interview with the Varsitarian, Rocamora said the Hong Kong alumni chapter would focus on “uplifting and mainstreaming Filipino professionals in Hong Kong.”
“The advocacy is coming from the desire to uplift the image of Filipino professionals who are contributing to the society and nation, to the society and the global community,” she said.
Rocamora added that the USTAAHK would also work toward empowering the Filipino youth in the city and promoting Philippine arts and culture through exhibits, demonstrations, and performances of Thomasian groups.
The alumni chapter, which became a registered society in Hong Kong and a registered Philippine organization last December, is composed of 13 founding members. It will be led by Jan Yumul, a journalism graduate working for China Daily Asia Weekly.
Other officials who joined Rocamora in the induction ceremony were Evelyn Songco, chairman of the UST Alumni Association Inc., and Germinia Aguilar-Usudan, the newly appointed Philippine Consul General to Hong Kong.
Aguilar-Usudan, who earned her law doctorate in UST, led the oath-taking ceremony of the chapter’s founding officers.
Local UST alumni chapters in Samar and Baguio, as well as a foreign chapter in California, are awaiting official recognition, according to Rocamora.
Alumni organizations for the Salinggawi Dance Troupe and Teatro Tomasino are also awaiting recognition, she said.
