THE UNIVERSITY has released the schedule of activities for onsite welcoming activities for the basic education department and higher education for Academic Year 2026-2027.
According to a memorandum from the Office of the Secretary General, freshmen of Junior High School, Education High School, and Senior High School will take part in “ALAB 2026: Radiance Beyond Uncharted Coasts” during the afternoon of Aug. 5 at the Quadricentennial Pavilion (QPav) before proceeding to the Arch of the Centuries.
The event will begin with a Welcome Mass at 1 p.m., followed by the program proper at 2:30 p.m., and conclude with the Thomasian Welcome Walk at 4 p.m.
For freshmen in higher education, the in-person “ROARientation” on Aug. 6 will be divided into morning and afternoon batches under the theme “ROARientation 2026: The Thomasian Welcome Festival.”
The morning batch will include freshmen from the following academic units:
- Faculty of Arts and Letters
- Faculty of Medicine and Surgery
- Faculty of Pharmacy
- UST-AMV College of Accountancy
- College of Fine Arts and Design
- College of Information and Computing Sciences
- College of Nursing
- College of Rehabilitation Sciences
- Conservatory of Music
Activities for the morning batch will start with a Welcome Mass at 7:30 a.m., followed by the ROARientation program at 9 a.m., and conclude with the Welcome Walk from QPav to the Arch of the Centuries at 11:30 a.m.
The afternoon batch will cover freshmen from:
- Ecclesiastical Faculties
- Graduate School
- Graduate School of Law
- Faculty of Civil Law
- Faculty of Engineering
- College of Architecture
- College of Commerce and Business Administration
- College of Education
- College of Science
- College of Tourism and Hospitality Management
- Institute of Physical Education and Athletics
The afternoon activities will begin with the Welcome Walk at 12:30 p.m., followed by the Welcome Mass at 2 p.m., and the ROARientation program at 3:30 p.m.
The University will also observe a car-free day on Aug. 6 to accommodate the event.
Prior to the onsite events, freshmen are required to attend the virtual ROARientation on Aug. 4, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. via Google Stream using their UST Google accounts.
The session will tackle key University services, including academics, learning tools, faith, health, safety, and community.
The Thomasian Welcome Party is scheduled on Aug. 7 at the QPav. Entry will begin at 3 p.m., an hour before the concert proper at 4 p.m., and will run until 6 p.m.
UST General Santos
The General Santos campus will hold its ROARientation on Aug. 20 at the Main Building lobby, with the covered court designated as an alternative venue.
Carrying the theme, “ROARientation 2026: Tayó Táyo, Tomasino!,” freshmen are to attend the University’s traditional Rite of Passage activities.
Student leaders were asked to coordinate with their respective academic units regarding route planning, seat arrangements, and mobilization flow for the Welcome Walk.
‘Tangible legacy of UST’s mission’
In his reflection on the Thomasian Welcome Walk, UST Secretary General Fr. Louie Coronel, O.P., urged students to embrace their Thomasian journey as a path “from uncertainty to clarity, from isolation to communion, from searching to mission,” grounded in the University’s core value of Truth in Charity.
“More than a relic of the past, the Arch of the Centuries is a tangible legacy of UST’s mission to form men and women of competence, commitment, and compassion,” he read.
Coronel added that as new Thomasians cross the arch, “they do not walk alone, Jesus Christ walks with them,” which may be seen in the educators and in life within the Thomasian community.
The Thomasian Welcome Walk, institutionalized in the early 2000s, is a long-standing tradition that marks the beginning of a Thomasian’s stay at the University. Jed L. Ampongan
