As the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year approached, Ateneo de Zamboanga University opened its doors warmly to the college freshmen on June 8-9, 2018 through a program called College Freshmen Orientation Program (ORSEM). This program was their first college activity and it served to acquaint the fresh faces with the university’s guidelines and policies.
On the other hand, the ORSEM also helps open their minds to the experience of college life in a Jesuit institution, where core values are emphasized to help train the students in the Ateneo way.
On the first day of ORSEM, the School of Liberal Arts officers organized a small and comfortable orientation in the Carlos Dominguez Conference Hall, where 36 freshmen were able to attend and listen to the program. The orientation began with a video, shot by the Communication Department, that served to welcome the freshmen to the SLA. Following that was a foreword from SLA’s governor, Zhea Abdulmajid, where she introduced the SLA officers to the new students so as to familiarize them with their ate’s and kuya’s. As for the duration of the orientation, designated speakers from Interdisciplinary Studies and Economics, International Studies, Psychology, Communication, Philosophy and English departments were able to enlighten the freshmen with short presentations about their course description, their possible careers after graduating and lastly, their own personal testimonies and experiences as students of SLA. After the presentations, the students were able to practice for a few minutes for the yell competition on the second day of ORSEM. They left encouraged and informed about their respective courses and were all excited for the events that would follow after. On the second day of ORSEM, the SLA officers and freshmen were able to show unity and sportsmanship while practicing for the yell competition. The cooperation from the freshmen and the persistence of the officers helped them give a good yell performance. Despite their defeat, the students remained optimistic as they continued with the rest of the day’s events.
The SLA officers and volunteers were successful in welcoming this year’s fresh faces. As the year continues with exciting activities amid the hectic academic life, the School of Liberal Arts look forward to conquering the new school year with optimism.
