Loyola Schools honors its top college applicants with a Welcome Reception

Sixty Merit and 200 Director's List scholars, all hailed as the most promising young minds in our country today, were welcomed to the Loyola Schools – ushering in a future bright in blue and white.

Every year, the Loyola Schools holds a welcome reception for its best and brightest college applicants— recipients of the Freshman Merit and Director's List Scholarship. On 22 May, 260 future Ateneans were feted in a virtual celebration hosted by University President Fr. Roberto C. Yap SJ.
 
In his welcome remarks, he spoke of the cannonball moment 500 years ago, which compelled St. Ignatius de Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, to pivot to a life of service.
 
"In Ateneo, we are being called to become cannonballs ourselves, making an impact to change the course of people's lives for the better, moving them to also work towards building a better world. This year's recipients of these scholarships have the great potential to be those cannonballs."
 
Every year, thousands of students compete for a place in the freshman class of Ateneo de Manila University. Of these, only the top college applicants who have demonstrated leadership, scholarship, and community commitment are accepted. This unique cohort of students forms the Ateneo Freshman Merit and Director's List scholars -a community that represents the heritage and future of Ateneo, showing great promise in contributing to the tradition of excellence and service that the University espouses.
 
Freshman Merit scholars comprise the top 50 applicants from local private and public schools and senior high schools abroad. San Ignacio de Loyola Merit Scholars are the ten best applicants from public and science high schools in the Philippines. All merit scholars are awarded full tuition and fees grant and an annual allowance amounting to P50,000. Director's List Scholars, on the other hand, are recognized as the top 200 applicants to the Loyola Schools. They receive an annual scholarship grant amounting to P100,000.
 
Dr. Maria Luz Vilches, Vice-President for the Loyola Schools, was also on hand to greet the scholars and give a brief overview of Loyola Schools. Office of Admission and Aid Director Dr. Jose Maria Edito Tirol then invited the scholars, deemed by many as the cream of the crop, to come home to Ateneo: "This university – traditional yet modern, idealistic yet grounded, can be the place where you can be most at home, becoming most of yourselves for the next few years."

 
The scholars also had the opportunity to meet the various deans of Loyola Schools: Fr. Johnny Go (founding Dean of the Gokongwei Brothers School of Education and Learning Design), Dr. Raphael Guerrero (Dean of the School of Science and Engineering), Dr. Fernando Aldaba (Acting Dean of the School of Social Sciences), Dr. Jonathan Chua (Dean of the School of Humanities), and Dr. Luis Dumlao (Dean of the John Gokongwei School of Management). 

The welcome reception was coordinated with the Loyola Schools deans and the Office of Admission and Aid.

 
For more news and stories on Loyola Schools, visit http://www.ateneo.edu/ls/loyola-schools-bulletin.