The University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) is set to hold its 1st face-to-face commencement exercise on July 31 after two years of conducting virtual graduation rites due to Covid-19.
According to UPD, the ceremony will strictly observe health and safety protocols to prevent the spread of Covid-19 among the attendees.
"Only key participants and essential staff are allowed to attend together with the graduates and their guests (only one guest per graduate)," UPD reminded.
The UPD's 111th General Commencement Exercise theme is “Dásig,” a Cebuano word meaning "most commonly, liveliness and cheer; more profoundly, strength of spirit and resolute determination."
The university said that the chosen theme celebrates its students' perseverance to finish their degrees despite the uncertainties brought by the pandemic.
The UPD is hoping that its soon-to-be graduates will continue meeting every crisis with honor, excellence, and compassion, and maintain integrity in serving the nation.
There are 150 students graduating summa cum laude from the Class of 2022, said UPD. These are the students who successfully earned a weighted average grade of 1.20 or better.
As of July 25, the UPD Office of the University Registrar's record shows a total of 3,475 candidates for graduation with 2,516 candidates for baccalaureate degrees and 959 candidates for graduate degrees.
"The College of Engineering has the most number of students graduating summa cum laude (49), followed by the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy (30), and the College of Science (16)," UPD shared.
Caroline S. Hau, PhD, an expert in Southeast Asian literature and a professor at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Kyoto University, Japan, will serve as this year’s commencement speaker.
She is a recipient of the Grant Goodman Prize in Historical Studies from the Philippine Studies Group of the Association of Asian Studies (USA) in March 2021.
Hau graduated with a bachelor's degree in English as summa cum laude from UPD in 1990 and later earned her master’s and PhD (English language and literature) from Cornell University.