“Let’s fight a good fight.”
IN HER first speech as the Sanggunian President, Carmela Vinzon emphasized that the challenge facing the renewed Sanggunian is “[tackling] issues together as one, united Sanggunian right beside the Ateneo student body and the wider community.”
The induction of the newly elected and appointed Sanggunian officers was held at the University Dorm Roofdeck on October 28. Student Judicial Court Magistrate Ayesha Nicole del Rosario led the swearing-in of the officers.
The Ateneo Commission on Elections released the official results of the 2016 Sanggunian Elections through a memorandum on October 10. Meanwhile, the memorandum on the appointment of Sanggunian Department Chairpersons was posted on the Sanggunian page on October 29.
Call to service
Associate Dean for Student Formation Bobby Guevara and Office of Student Activities Director Ralph Quiblat were invited to give speeches on service and leadership. Moreover, former Constitutional Convention Head Shiph Belonguel shared her insights on how student leaders can respond to criticism.
Vinzon called on her fellow Sanggunian officers to “rise above the narrow confines of individualistic concerns and instead be set free in answering the call of service to those who truly need it.”
“If you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together. And we need to go far, while being fast,” she said.
“That tension between urgency and correctness is something we must learn along the way. There are still many things for all of us to learn,” she added.
In an interview with The GUIDON, Vinzon mentioned her hope for all units within the Sanggunian to “flourish” this year. Additionally, she hoped for the Sanggunian to have a “new and fresh” perspective in addressing the needs of the student body and the country.
“We are exactly in this privileged position to make creative solutions and do meaningful actions to change the problems facing us today,” she said.
Although Vinzon sees that addressing issues within and outside the campus has always been an imperative, she also expressed her wish for the Ateneo to celebrate triumphs as one community.
