Students and faculty celebrate past achievements during 2nd Math Majors' Gathering

The Department of Mathematics, in partnership with the Ateneo Mathematics Society, hosted its second Math Majors’ Gathering last August 15, 2023 at Leong Hall Auditorium. The event aimed to celebrate the accomplishments of undergraduate and graduate students in the department, particularly during the Second Semester of School Year 2022-2023. 

Acting AMS President, Jaime Angelo Nery (4 BS AMF), opened the program by retelling how this gathering was put-together, so that all students in the department meet at the start of the semester to ponder about the year that has just concluded and to anticipate the year ahead.

The Department Chair, Dr. Eden Delight P. Miro, started the series of talks by summarizing the student support programs and initiatives of the Math Department in the previous school year. These included the Freshmen Enrichment Program, which aimed to help interested first year math majors to solidify their foundation in Precalculus topics while navigating their first college Calculus class,  and the Mathematics Research Seminar Series (MRSS), which primarily targets math majors who need exposure to possible research topics for their theses. The MRSS also sometimes serves as an opportunity for students to engage in career discussion with invited math alumni.  

Aside from initiatives that cater to students' studies and coursework, Dr. Miro also mentioned activities that highlighted the department's active involvement in nation-building. One such example is the second iteration of the Problem Solving Enrichment and Training Program (ProbSET). In programs like this, students in the Math Department get to work alongside their teachers and other partner institutions.  

One of the highlights of the assembly was the honoring of student achievements, followed by short responses of select students.

Mikko Vitug (M AMF 2023), representing his award-winning team of debaters like David Africa and Tobi Leung. talked about how being a math major helped him in his experience in debating. Miguel Yapan (4 BS AMDSc) and Elgene Bermudez (4 BS AMF) relayed their learnings from studying abroad through the NTU GEM Trailblazer Summer Programme and the NUS Enterprise Summer program, respectively. 

Aengus Martin Donaire (M AMF) and JP Layacan (BS Math '23) also talked about their experience presenting their research paper in the International Joint Conference on Neural Networks 2023 in Australia. Theresa Magsajo (M DSc) and Kimberlee Say (M DSc) also took the stage to promote their campaign for the ASEAN Data Science Explorers competition. They were recently awarded 2nd runner-up for this competition. 

Gratitude was also the main message of Mr. Errol Matthew Garcia (PhD Math Ed), representing the graduate students, after being recognized for winning 1st Place in the Oral Presentations at a local conference last school year. 

Math majors also excelled in the arts, proof of that is Richell Isaiah Flores (M DSc) winning 2023 Loyola Schools Awards for the Arts. Not only did he serve as master of ceremony during the event, he also delighted us a reading of his poems "Combinatorics sa Umaga" and "Bellarmine Field." 

Truly, these achievements of math majors embody the values and aspirations of the department. Seeing them talk about their personal journey is proof of the remarkable and diverse possibilities that lie at the intersection of passion, talent, and hard work.

The faculty, represented by Dr. Jumela Sarmiento and Dr. Catherine Vistro-Yu, also shared their words of advice and encouragement to the students. Addressing the undergraduate students, Dr. Sarmiento stressed the importance of building a community of math majors. She believes that a positive disposition towards mathematics and studying in general only flourishes in a supportive learning environment. Both faculty and students play a role in nurturing this mindset. Furthermore, Dr. Vistro-Yu addressed the graduate students and reminded them to always strive to be better and to be examples for the newer generations. However, striving to be better is not a solo endeavor but a collective effort. Hence, a community of math majors should foster an environment where everyone can flourish together. 

After the speeches, Mr. Jake Garnace, currently a PhD Mathematics Education student wowed the audience with his rendition of "This is the Moment" - a fitting finale to the afternoon filled with nostalgia, gratitude, and inspiration.