On September 11, 2024, 21 DVM 3 students were pinned by their respective parents during the 27th pinning ceremony held at CVM Rooms B1 and B2. The event was attended by 21 third-year students, their parents, the Office of the President’s chief of staff, Dr. Corazon Padilla, guest speaker Dr. Jasmine Marie Gerona and the CVM faculty and staff.

Group photo of the CVM students, their parents, CVM faculty and staff, and guests of the 27th pinning ceremony.

The pinning ceremony symbolizes the readiness of the students to take a new step toward becoming a veterinarian. This year’s number of students who qualified to be pinned is not as many as in 2023 because of a new guideline imposed this year. The new guideline crafted by the CVM faculty strictly stipulated that only students who took and passed all first- and second-year subjects would qualify for the pinning. Implementing the new guidelines is one way to ensure that the students are ready to take their third year, which is composed of all major subjects. The guidelines were also imposed to motivate students to finish their minor subjects before earning the symbolic pin during the pinning ceremony.

The pinning started with a processional march by the students, parents, CVM faculty, staff, and guests. Ms. Hella Fe Arban led the opening prayer, followed by the Philippine National Anthem singing. Dr. Harvie P. Portugaliza, the Dean of CVM, welcomes everyone with his message, highlighting how fortunate CVM is for being entrusted by the parents with their children’s education. Dr. Corazon Padilla, the OP chief of staff, gave the president’s inspirational message in place of the VSU president, Dr. Prose Ivy G. Yepes, who attended an equally important event then. Dr. Padilla empowered the students through the words of the VSU president, saying that they are indeed heading in the correct direction and should continue to do so until they become licensed veterinarians.

Dr. Portugaliza (left) gives his words of encouragement, and Dr. Padilla (right) delivers an inspirational message on behalf of Dr. Ivy Prose G. Yepes (VSU President).

Soon after, Dr. Harvie P. Portugaliza, CVM Dean and Dr. Santiago T. Peña, Jr., former CVM Dean and now VP for Research, Extension and Innovation, assisted with the presentation of pins for the students by their parents. Here is the list of students who received their pins during the 27th pinning ceremony:

  1. Allosada, Darena May M.
  2. Arban, Hella Fe M.
  3. Balo, Myca Uver L
  4. Barbarona, Marianne J.
  5. Canonigo, Keziah Grace C.
  6. Carerra, Ysabel R.
  7. Castro, Jhea F.
  8. Cimafranca III, Carmelo S.
  9. Davis, Farah Grace N.
  10. Dulpina, Allea S.
  11. Gonzaga, Maia Theresa N.
  12. Janson, Lovely Shane I.
  13. Javier, Abigail A.
  14. Libaton, Shan Mae
  15. Marte, Benjamin A.
  16. Mejias, Melvi Grace P.
  17. Cardaño, Cinirea M.
  18. Sabijon, Ryka Stephanie M.
  19. Salarda, Amiel Raphael C.
  20. Tan, Andrea T.
  21. Valentin, Pearl Monique V.

The 21 recently pinned students swear an oath of commitment led by Dr. Shiela R. Rabe, the chairperson of the CVM student services committee, to uphold the highest standards of accountability, integrity and excellence and do their best to stay regular and graduate on time.

Dr. Rabe (left) reads the Oath of Commitment, and the students (right) do the pledge.

The guest speaker, Dr. Jasmine Marie Gerona, an alumna of the CVM-VSU, imparted words of wisdom and encouragement to the students. She reiterated that when things get tough, they should always remember their whys to keep their spirit alive and continue their journey as DVM students. They should do their best to achieve their goals but always remember to enjoy and find their breather activities to keep the balance.

Dr. Jasmine Marie Gerona delivered her speech to the students.

Ms. Melvi Grace P. Mejias, the top student in their class, gave the batch message. Melvi’s message pointed out that their pinning ceremony is a significant milestone in their journey as Doctor of Veterinary Medicine students, symbolizing both their achievements and the commitment that they must serve animals and the community. She stated that as they embark on this journey, they have faced numerous challenges that have strengthened their resilience and unity, reminding them of their shared purpose and passion for veterinary medicine. She finished her speech by reminding her batchmates to stay focused on their motivations and support one another, knowing that while the path ahead may be challenging, they have the strength and determination to succeed. This was followed by a batch challenge from a regular 4th year student, Mr. Jianuelle Encina. He challenged the newly pinned DVM students that as they continue their journey toward earning the title of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, all of them must ignite their passion with a blast of dedication.  He asked them not to settle for simply moving forward; instead, they should charge ahead, driven by perseverance, knowledge, and the dreams within their reach.

Ms. Mejia (left) delivers her batch message, and Mr. Encina (right) reads his batch challenge.

Dr. Santiago T. Peña, Jr., the former dean of CVM and now the Vice President for Research, Extension, and Innovation, gave the closing remarks. Dr. Peña shared a story about the sad and happy pin, emphasizing the significance of the event. His message gave the students some advice on how to make their journey in CVM bearable.

Dr. Peña gives his inspirational message to the students.

As a finale, the students rendered their batch song, an original composition of one of the current DVM students of CVM-VSU, Ms. Keziah Brianne Jamora, entitled “Puhon”.

Students that have received their pins, sung their batch song.

[This article aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals: No. 4 (Quality Education)]

 

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