GENERAL SANTOS CITY — The inaugural batch of UST General Santos (GenSan) students embarked on their Thomasian journeys on Thursday, Aug. 29, by participating in the Welcome Walk, the customary rite of passage for UST freshmen.
Unlike the Welcome Walk at UST Manila, where freshmen pass through the Arch of the Centuries, the 126 pioneering UST GenSan students entered through the front gates, accompanied by the first set of support and academic staff.
This is because the Mindanao campus has yet to build its own arch, which UST Rector Fr. Richard Ang, O.P. earlier suggested be named “Arch of the New Century” to set itself apart from the iconic monument in Manila.
The Arch of the Centuries, originally part of UST’s old campus in Intramuros, was moved piece by piece when UST transferred to Sampaloc in 1927. It serves as a symbolic gateway for UST students, who enter through it during the Welcome Walk and exit during their graduation at the Baccalaureate Mass.
A total of 126 Mindanaoan Thomasians were welcomed by UST on Thursday:
- BS Medical Technology – 60
- BS Pharmacy – 28
- BS Industrial Engineering – 18
- BS Entrepreneurship – 14
- BS Accounting Information System – 6
Joining them during the Welcome Walk were top officials from UST Manila, UST GenSan’s school directors, program heads, and the assistant to the rector, Prof. Emeritus Maribel Nonato.
Despite the differences in their Welcome Walk, UST GenSan freshmen expressed their joy in participating in the symbolic rite of passage.
“It’s not the Arch of the Centuries that makes us Thomasians; it’s the environment, it’s the faculty,” it’s us that makes us Thomasians,” said pharmacy freshman Artemis Suzara.
“We are the first to enter UST GenSan, and we will be the first to come out of it as graduates,” he added. “It’s very overwhelming, but at the same time, we are making history.”
The Welcome Walk concluded the series of welcome rites at UST GenSan on Aug. 29, which also included a Welcome Mass and the ROARientation.
In his homily, Ang emphasized how University traditions play a crucial role in guiding Thomasian freshmen toward fresh beginnings.
“Our welcome rites serve as signposts indicating that you are empowered to make changes and take your life into an exciting new direction. So, my dear students, do not be afraid to take the first steps,” he said.
“We strongly believe that you will invigorate this campus with your brilliant ideas, ardent passions, and dynamic energies,” he added.
UST GenSan is expected to adopt other University customs and traditions, such as the Paskuhan festivities.
Nonato earlier told the Varsitarian that these rites affirm UST’s commitment to extending “Thomasian education” to the southern region.
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“Students at (GenSan) should not feel that they are less than the students in Manila,” she had said. “[Kung] ano ‘yung mga puwede naming ibigay sa kanila, ibibigay namin.”
“It’s also one way for us to show that you don’t have to come here in Manila to experience Thomasian education, to experience the Thomasian activities, the traditions that we often provide our students here.” Mabel Anne B. Cardinez, Rafael Paolo P. Salaya, and Amador Denzel M. Teston
