COMING HOME TO MIRIAM COLLEGE
ANGEL THOUGHTS Lord, increase our faith! Help us to believe more and doubt less, trust more and worry less, thank more and complain less, venture more and fear less. Amen. —Fr. Jerry Orbos, SVD
Jubilarians and graduates from the past all came home last month to the homecoming celebration of 30 years of the beloved school’s name change—from Maryknoll to Miriam.
Waves of nostalgia greeted everyone at the favorite student hang-out, the Upper Lanai, with the Hall of Memories, where the Jubilarians’ mementos and artifacts of their days in MC were displayed.
Seeing engaged alumni coming home and celebrating MC excellence make the work of the Maryknoll/Miriam College Alumni Association (MMCAA) integral to the school’s success.
Now on its 40th year and headed by board of trustees chair Mari Fabian (HS batch ’78) and president Carla Villanueva-Yaptinchay (HS batch ’93), the MMCAA continues its goal of maintaining and enhancing the commitment and spirit of unity among alumni.
Supporting the association and its initiatives is the Alumni Engagement Office (AEO), headed by director Rorit Marco Mendoza
(College batch ’68). Created by the school in 2018, it envisions the alumni community as an integral and vibrant stakeholder in Miriam College life.
Present during these special events were MC president Dr. Rosario Lapus, and distinguished Triple A alumnae, such as former MC president Dr. Patricia Benitez Licuanan, former Labor Secretary Nieves
Roldan Confesor, Filipiniana fashion
pioneer Patis Pamintuan Tesoro, social activist Ging Quintos Deles, and many more. They reminisced about their time in MC, as well as the challenges and route to success they took afterwards that earned them the prestigious Triple A honor.
Continuing the Homecoming tradition of celebrating alumni excellence, MC honored eleven new Amazing Alumni Achievers who have distinguished themselves in their respective fields: Tikki Dula-Laurel (Coll ’72) for food entrepreneurship; Gloria
Dino-Steele (Coll ’74) for humanitarian and international development; Nimfa Fallarme-Ronson (Coll ‘74) for
journalism; Roselle Laput (HS ’93) for health advocacy; Ninay Manzana
(Coll ’74) for public service; Baby Nebrida (Coll ’69) for film and television;
Connie Nicolas-Bonoan (Coll ’64) for pioneering Philippine toy manufacturing; Cherie Mencias Querol-Moreno
(Coll ‘74) for advocating for victims of domestic violence; Millie Sta. MariaThomeczek (Coll ’74) for foreign diplomatic service; Roni Laurel TapiaMerk (Coll ’75) for banking/finance; and, from the host batch, Rebie Ramoso (HS ’94) for the arts and social entrepreneurship.
No generation gap was apparent as Jubilarians from the ’50s to the ’90s were in unison onstage to show collective pride and joy in song and dance.