THE COUNCIL of Organizations of the Ateneo (COA) held its induction ceremony for incoming student organization leaders and incoming members of the COA Central Board on Monday, May 8, from 5:00 to 8:00 PM at Ricardo and Dr. Rosita Leong Hall Roof Deck.
All outgoing and incoming student organization presidents and members of the COA Central Board were invited to the ceremony to formally send off all outgoing leaders and to ritually pass on the several duties and responsibilities to the incoming leaders.
Office of Student Activities (OSA) Director Ralph Jacinto Quiblat extended his gratitude to the outgoing leaders for their service and for “proving what magis is” during his opening remarks.
He mentioned how student leadership was simply a “call to respond to love” and thanked all leaders for responding to the said call.
Quiblat also called all incoming leaders to “aim to do the difficult” and to set big goals for their respective organizations.
“Aim for the life-giving, aim for what’s nation-building, and aim for what praises your truth, your God, and everything you stand for,” he said.
Defining leadership
The first keynote speaker was Xavier Alpasa, Chief Strategist of Xavier and Associates, who presented several common quotes on leadership.
One of the quotes presented read, “leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” Alpasa stressed that this was the “greater challenge” for leaders.
He also discussed how one’s definition of success changes when one becomes a leader, as success before one becomes a leader is focused on the growth of the self, while success when one is a leader refers to the growth of others.
The second keynote speaker, Dr. Ernesto Ordoñez, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Alyansa Agrikultura, tackled the multifaceted being of a leader, and their different needs.
Ordoñez stressed the need for leaders to have social intelligence, apart from analytical and creative intelligence, in order to properly engage with their followers.
“You must lead for others, not for yourself. The important thing is to always understand the environment, and to do it for the good of others,” he said.
Ordoñez also mentioned that the need of power is vital for leaders, but also made a clear distinction between two types of power. He mentioned that the first kind of power is simply for bettering oneself, while the second kind is about one’s ability to influence people, which he stated was the kind of power all leaders should strive for.
He also called all incoming leaders to not just cater to all the needs of the people and to instead do what they believe is right, and to take risks and get out of their comfort zones.
Incoming COA President Bea Ruiz also gave her first address, and called all student leaders to remember their “why” and to remember their purpose as a leader or as a normal member of any organization.
Ruiz also recalled a quote from University President Jose Ramon Villarin, SJ on being nervous about becoming a student leader.
“Mas okay na kinakabahan ka at hindi ka sure. Bakit? Because this is where you acknowledge your shortcomings and room to grow (It’s better if you’re anxious and if you’re not sure. Why? Because this is where you acknowledge your shortcomings and room to grow),” she stated.
The ceremony ended with the commissioning of new student leaders and the lighting of candles.
