PH Graduation in New York Honors Accomplished Young Fil-Ams

Filipino and Filipino-American graduates of Bachelors and Masters degree celebrate as one community at the Philippine Graduation hosted by the Philippine Consulate General in New York. (New York PCG photo)

NEW YORK 11 June 2018 – The Philippine Consulate General in New York hosted the Sixth Annual Philippine Graduation at the Philippine Center Kalayaan last 09 June 2018 Hall.

The Philippine Graduation is one of the Consulate General’s legacy projects for the Filipino-American youth.

Thirty-one graduates of bachelors and masters degrees were part of the Philippine Graduation Class of 2018, finishing academic programs in Social Studies, Law, Women’s Studies, Health and Medical Sciences, Media and Communications, Mathematics, and Information Technology. 

In his welcome remarks, Deputy Consul General Kerwin Orville C. Tate congratulated the graduates and parents for their academic achievement, and wished them success in their professional and personal lives.

Keynote speaker Aries Dela Cruz, Manhattan Regional Representative for the Office of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, impressed upon the graduates the value of education for Filipinos, and the responsibility of having knowledge in our world today.

Dela Cruz shared that every influential man or woman had one thing in their hands that changed the course of history. He urged everyone in the audience to use their degrees for purposes that embody their values.

New York Assemblyman Brian Barnwell, represented at the event by Erika Dioquino, relayed his congratulations to the celebrants, and recognized their contributions to New York, acknowleding that “a great state is only as good as its constituents.”

New York University graduate of Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy, Global Public Health, and Sociology Janelle Micaela Panganiban was awarded a Special Personal Letter by Governor Cuomo and a Special Citation by Assemblyman Barnwell, after graduating with Summa Cum Laude honors in all her programs. She is a member of the Gaddang indigeous tribe of Isabela, Philippines.

Sesame Workshop Licensing Manager Stephanie Mendoza capped the ceremony with her motivating story about growing up as a Filipino-American, encouraging the graduates to embrace their Filipino identity, no matter how different it might be from their peers.

Mendoza shared her experience attending Miriam College in the Philippines as a pre-teen, and the life values she was taught taking up mandatory extra-curricular activities in school. Being in children’s media, she shared endearing lessons from characters in her industry in her closing remarks. END

Janelle Panganiban, who graduated Summa Cum Laude from New York University, receives a Special Letter from New York Governor Cuomo who was represented by Manhattan Regional Representative Aries Dela Cruz. (New York PCG photo)

Stephanie Mendoza shares her take on growing up Filipino-American during the Closing Keynote. (New York PCG photo)

For more information, visit www.newyorkpcg.dfa.gov.ph / www.newyorkpcg.org or https://www.facebook.com/PHLinNY/.