The UP College of Engineering Recognition Rites on July 8, 2025, at the University Theater celebrated the achievements of 920 undergraduate students, including 63 graduates from the Department of Geodetic Engineering (DGE)—60 from the BS Geodetic Engineering program and 3 from the MS Geomatics Engineering program.

The DGE cohort featured 43 Latin honor recipients: 3 summa cum laude, 22 magna cum laude, and 18 cum laude. They were among the 281 cum laude, 263 magna cum laude, and 54 summa cum laude awardees recognized across the college. The ceremony also honored 108 MS and 9 PhD graduates from various engineering programs.

Krystel Joy S. Swin was selected to deliver the message on behalf of the graduating class. Speaking from experience as a self-supporting student, Krystel recounted the quiet, unspoken battles many students carry: financial instability, mental health struggles, and personal losses. Her own story stood as a testament to perseverance—navigating academic demands while managing a serious health condition: a pituitary adenoma. She candidly spoke of moments of doubt, hunger, exhaustion, and the loneliness of facing a tumor diagnosis while living alone and barely getting by.

But her message wasn’t one of defeat. It was one of radical hope. She paid tribute to classmates, faculty, and strangers whose quiet acts of kindness reminded her—and many others—that they were never truly alone. “Kindness isn’t a grand solution,” she said, “but it uplifts. It heals. It kept me alive.”

She reflected on being part of the first batch of UPCA passers and the scrutiny they faced, the labels of being “less deserving,” and how each graduate now stands in defiance of those doubts. “We don’t owe the world perfection. We owe ourselves grace,” she reminded her batchmates. “And maybe, just maybe, if we learn how to be kind to ourselves—especially on the days we feel unworthy—then we’ll have even more love to offer the world.”

Krystel was conferred the Professor Emeritus Norberto Vila Award for Excellence in Geodetic Engineering, the department’s highest academic distinction given to the graduate with the highest weighted average grade. She completed her degree with a remarkable GWA of 1.099. She was also a recipient of the Pahinungod Award, granted by the UP Diliman Ugnayan ng Pahinungód to students who exemplify volunteerism and a deep commitment to public service. Fellow graduate Alexi Mae Y. Narca received the Dr. Anselmo Dolor Almazan Award for Excellence in Geodesy, given to the student who obtained the highest average grade in all Geodesy courses.

DGE students were likewise recognized at the Dr. Francis Chua Innovation Awards: Undergraduate Project Competition 2025, a university-wide competition that highlights outstanding undergraduate research and design projects across the UP College of Engineering. The competition aims to encourage innovation, creativity, and relevance in addressing real-world problems through engineering solutions. Leila Micahella D. Cruz and Jasper B. Molleno won 1st Place in the Design Category for their project “Tidal Measurements in Limay, Bataan Using GNSS Interferometric Reflectometry (GNSS-IR),” advised by Asst. Prof. Luis Carlos S. Mabaquiao and Dr. Dongju Peng. Meanwhile, John Dave C. Maclang and Alexi Mae Y. Narca were named Finalists in the Research Category for their study “Correlation of Land Subsidence with Groundwater Extraction and Urbanization in Hagonoy and Calumpit, Bulacan from 2015 to 2021-Q1,” advised by Assoc. Prof. Rosalie B. Reyes and Asst. Prof. Luis Carlos S. Mabaquiao.

Baguio City Mayor, Benjamin Magalong, invited guest speaker, delivered an inspirational keynote on leadership and integrity. He urged the graduates to confront injustice and resist corruption, emphasizing that silence in the face of wrongdoing only serves to protect the guilty. “You are not powerless,” he said. “You are what this country needs.”

The event was not only a recognition of academic excellence, but a tribute to resilience, volunteerism, and public service. The UP DGE Class of 2025 leaves with the knowledge and heart to serve as true Inhinyero ng Bayan.

Padayon, Inhinyero ng Bayan.