Page 7 - UPAAA GRC '21 Souvenir Journal

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Greetings to all U.P. alumni, family, friends and supporters! It is my greatest honor Grand and
privilege to welcome you to this unique event to celebrate the Virtual 2021 Reunion & Con-
vention. As the UPAAA,Inc. president for the last two years, we have borne the challenges of
the global Covid-19 pandemic that decimated thousands of our fellow citizens in the United
States and elsewhere around the world, including some of our esteemed UP alumni members.
We were able to overcome challenges within the organization. Our theme “Arise: Pagbangon
at Parangal” reflects our resilience.

Like the phoenix that rose from the ashes of despair over our difficulties, we as an organization of U.P. alumni with our
innate creativity and guided by the U.P. spirit, surmounted these challenges. We became even better as we learned to navi-
gate through the barriers of time and distance during the outbreak of the pandemic with our many accomplishments within
this two-year term.
We were able to craft a Strategic Plan that paved the way for more ambitious and transformative goals. Our membership
has increased dramatically through our vigorous membership campaign. We raised funds through creative ways such as a
virtual exercise program and an evening of music with performances from well-known Filipino artists and groups. The
money we raised and through the generosity of individual board directors, was able to fund donations to communities dev-
astated by the Taal eruption, students stuck in their dorms, international students, and students in need of laptops as they
switched to online instruction through the University’s Kaagapay Program.

We boosted our scholarship program with scholarships in all constituent campuses of the university. We presented educa-
tional programs in webinars through the power of the internet, reaching even audiences from other parts of the world. We
are able to take a closer look at our Constitution and Bylaws and revised it in ways that will improve our governance, or-
ganizational structure and Code of Conduct guidelines. We even led the local advocacy forum against Asian Hate and the
first Global Forum with our European UP alumni partners from Germany, Netherlands and Geneva in support of the
UNESCO Global Call Against Racism. To cap this year’s accomplishments, we were recently recognized by the UP
Alumni Association in Diliman with the distinct honor of the “2021 Distinguished Service Award for an Alumni Chapter”.

We will be also recognizing 17 distinguished UP alumni in various fields during the GRC. This is our “parangal” - honor
we received and honor we give to deserving ones. These and many more, have made us a stronger national organization of
UP alumni just within the last two years. We are reaching out to other groups to join us in our quest for one UP alumni
community. Our vision is to reach far beyond the horizon so that together, we can bring to bear the formidable resources
of the UP alumni. My hope and my dream are that the foundation we have laid here will give rise to a stronger and trans-
formed UPAAA, Inc. This Grand Reunion and Convention is the start of that spark which I hope will grow brighter as we
ignite the U.P. spirit now and in the years to come.

To HONOR, EXCELLENCE and SERVICE for the Alma mater and the community. Mabuhay ang UP alumni!!

Daisy M. Rodriguez
Daisy M. Rodriguez, RN, MN, MPA
National President 2020-2021, UPAAA, Inc.