[Left picture] Daniel Joseph Pisano leads this year’s graduates having graduated magna cum laude and gaining the second highest GWA among College of Arts and Sciences graduates. Posing with Daniel are guest speaker Karl Kelvin Cruz, Daniel’s parents and INSTAT Director Consorcia Reaño. [Right picture] Dr. Mariano De Ramos together with CAS Dean Felino Lansigan and INSTAT Director Consorcia Reaño unveil the Dr. Mariano B. De Ramos Statistical Excellence Award display wall. Adriel Brent Aparri is the first to receive the award

The Institute of Statistics held its testimonial program for the Class 2017 graduates on 23 June 2017 at the INSTAT Lecture Hall. Leading this year’s graduates is magna cum laude, Daniel Joseph Pisano who received the Dean’s Medal for Academic Excellence for having the second highest GWA of 1.2651 among the graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences and the DOST Medal of Merit for Academic Excellence for his outstanding performance as a DOST RA 7587 scholar.

This academic year, INSTAT produced a total of 60 graduates, 56 from its bachelor degree and four from its master’s degree. Of these graduates, four graduated cum laude and one magna cum laude. Honor graduates Jerenz Serrano, Ira Joy Martin, Ed Kieran Reyes, Justine Buño and Daniel Joseph Pisano were awarded the INSTAT Medal of Merit for Academic Excellence. This year also marked the first awarding of the Dr. Mariano B. De Ramos Statistical Excellence Award which is given to a student with the most outstanding undergraduate special problem. Adriel Brent Aparri bagged the award for his special problem entitled Modeling Suicidal Ideation Likelihood among Filipino Young Adults.

The testimonial ceremony was graced by guest speaker Karl Kelvin Cruz, BS Statistics class 2010, who is now an expert quality engineer at Misys Philippines. Cruz’ inspirational message centered on taking advantage of opportunities having told the graduates his story of catching breaks as they present themselves.

~JDL Grajo