KASAMA Vice-President-elect addressed all members of the various Executive Councils in the University during the proclamation

[IN PHOTO] Vice-President-elect addressing the members of the various Executive Councils in the University

Sitting adjacent to where the CASS EC officers are seated is the Vice-President-elect of KASAMA, Veanamari Elise Santillan, and her Senators-elect. Veanamari is a Senior English Language studies student at CASS. Simultaneously, she serves as the Editor-in-chief of the Linguazette, the AB English Organization’s official online student publication.

In her first address as the Vice-President-elect, she expressed that this proclamation is long overdue, “but better late than never,” she added.

Santillan’s speech underscored the price student leaders pay with the titles and designations they will be occupying through their oaths—a fleeting peace of mind. She pointed out that “...our peace of mind is what we sacrifice in order to pave the way for our constituents.” She went so far as to apologize and regrets to inform them that from the day they were proclaimed, their duties would never be easy. “Our peace is what we give away first when we face never-ending challenges that overwhelm us in every way possible,” the Vice-President-elect explained.

She continued to explain that there will be moments when they doubt their abilities and themselves. Albeit, the Vice-President-elect, reminded the newly proclaimed leaders, “we must accept that some will doubt us, that some will not support us, and some will even slander us. But we must continue to lead with truth, justice, and accountability even if it means compromising our peace.”

The Vice-President elect made sure to be steadfast in her presentation of self. Thus, when she gave her final remark, “we are one of the building blocks of this Institution, we represent the largest population—when we falter, they falter,” it meant something, especially for the students part of the IIT Community. She then proceeded to encourage the attending leaders to be the leaders they wish they had and be the role models that influence the future, “our future,” she expressed.

About the Author

Reggy Bartido

Reggy H. Bartido is a Senior BA Sociology undergraduate student of the Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT). At the present, Reggy holds the post of Editor-in-Chief of CASSayuran - the official publication of the College of Arts and Social Sciences (CASS) of MSU-IIT. That said, Mr. Bartido’s undergraduate thesis (on-going) primarily revolves around Environmental Sociology studies and Sustainable Development, areas that are part of his research interest that also includes Youth Studies and Political Sociology.