Page 6 - UPAAA GRC '21 Souvenir Journal

To all my esteemed fellow U.P. alumni and friends all over the world,
As the Chair of the 2021 UPAAA Grand Reunion and Convention, I would like to extend my
deepest gratitude to all of you for taking part in this history-making global event.

What an incredible feat we have accomplished for successfully rolling out the very first and
may be the only virtual and global reunion for all our U.P. alumni! We are pioneers, indeed.

st
The 21 U.P. Alumni Association in America Grand Reunion and Convention (GRC) 2021 co-hosted by U.P. Alumni
Association of Nevada is appropriately themed, Arise: Pagbangon at Parangal.
True to our nature as alumni of the University of the Philippines and just like the phoenix, we rose and continue to
rise from the devastating pandemic that affected all of us. We recognize and honor all of you and those who have
left us not only through our Awards Night but also through our Fellowship Night, Jubilarian virtual parade, our
beautiful In Memoriam, and webinar sessions. We recognize the contributions of all our guest speakers by sharing
their stories and knowledge with all of us. We spotlight our fellow U.P. alumni who contributed in our very first
“show and tell” room we fondly coined Ikot-Toki.

With the phenomenal partnership that we have forged with the UPAA Nevada through its amazing President
Dorothy Tome, we set out to make this fantastic journey to deliver the most engaging virtual reunion experience
for our participants—attendees and sponsors alike. We may not have done the GRC 2021 in Las Vegas, physically
as we had originally planned, but the contribution of the UPAA of Nevada Board members were palpable.
When we finally made the decision to go 100% virtual in early 2021, we set out to make sure that the virtual
experience by all attendees and sponsors will be user-friendly and fun one—tech savvy or not. Weeks and months
of research resulted in the very productive collaboration with vFairs, our virtual reunion platform provider. Thank
you so much to the amazing vFairs team for partnering with us to create this wonderful experience for all of us!

Hats off to the amazing GRC Team for making this happen! Thank you for being nimble and stepping up to the
plate to deliver a one-of-a-kind virtual reunion; for learning how to navigate as we forged along. We did not a have
formula to follow.

One thing is for sure, providing an excellent program is key to the success of this Reunion, so heartfelt gratitude to
all our moderators, panelists and speakers for simply saying YES without hesitation including Her Excellency
Philippine Vice President Maria Leonor Robredo, and U.P. President Danilo L. Concepcion.

Our event sponsors, expo booth exhibitors, underwriting and media sponsors have made it possible for us to
ensure that we will be able to raise funds to give back to our alma mater.
It is my hope and wish that we continue to be inspired by what we have all experienced at the GRC 2021.

My heart is full, and I am overwhelmed with gratitude and blessings!
Maraming Salamat at Mabuhay!

Padayon,

Ethel G. Rubio