REVIVING TRADITIONS such as the O-Night and the Irwin Show, the University welcomed freshmen and transferees alike in this year’s Orientation Seminar (OrSem) held asynchronously online last August 3 to 4 and onsite last August 7 to 8.
With the theme Muli, the event celebrated the new students in a way that recalls OrSem’s primary roots—love and care-filled. Elaborating on these, O-Chairs Joey Tekiko and Maureen Tan envisioned a “freshie-centric” OrSem, giving new Ateneans opportunities to “rediscover themselves.”
True Atenean welcome
Prior to the onsite festivities, a new online talk series entitled Yugto had 14 speakers from the Ateneo community discuss Atenean life, ranging from co-curricular activities to inclusivity and cultural understanding.
Tan shared that Yugto was their way of providing more talks that “struck a chord” with the freshmen, adding that as many as 700 freshmen participated.
Beyond talks, Muli also incorporated hybrid options for O-Laro activities, allowing the blocks to form bonds through online challenges and onsite activities. Aside from these, the top eight contestants of O-Idol: Idolescence were able to showcase their concluding performances to the live crowd.
Behind the welcoming display
With only 11 weeks of preparation, Tan and Tekiko attributed OrSem’s success to the Organizing Committee (OrCom) and volunteers’ harmonious efforts. “OrSem is a very technical, systematic, and highly operational event. But the core of it really boils down to the people and the community that we build and share,” Tan asserted.
Despite the initial difficulty in practice, Tekiko mentioned that events, notably the campus tours, ran “like clockwork” for the volunteers. This efficiency was made more possible through consultations with prior OrCom.
A night for all
Capping off OrSem: Muli, this year’s O-Night: Kinang recognized the new students’ active participation through awardings for the O-Laro and O-Idol winners. The culminating concert also spotlighted notable performers such as drag impersonator Taylor Sheesh and award-winning OPM band Lola Amour.
Tekiko and Tan mentioned that O-Night’s revival provided an avenue for students to further bond and interact beyond structured activities.
When asked about her sentiments regarding OrSem, Annika Montoya (1 BS PSY) said that OrSem: Muli showed her how enthusiastic and welcoming the Ateneo is. “I really feel like all my worries just melted away a bit,” she shared.
Similarly, Zia Carreon (1 BS BIO) initially felt intimidated as a student coming from the province, but after feeling the overall ambience of the event, she felt more at home in the Ateneo.
