I Don’t Believe It! The Whole University Of The Philippines System Has 96 Outstanding Alumni This Year, 2024, While UP Los Baños Has Only 1 Outstanding Alumnus (For Creative Writing) In Its Entire 100 Years History!

I am reading today, Monday, 12 Aug, the news by ANN, “UPAA Announces 2024 Top Alumni Awardees” (06 Aug 2024, Author Not Named, NewsInfo, Inquirer, newsinfo.inquirer.net), saying:

The UP Alumni Association (UPAA) will honour 96 outstanding graduates, in fitting ceremonies, as this year’s top Alumni Awardees. “These exceptional individuals are being recognized for their established leadership, significant achievements, tireless service, and substantial contributions to their professions and the communities they chose to serve” said UPAA President and Alumni Regent Robert Lester F Aranton.

I am overwhelmed, to say the least, that there are 96 outstanding graduates from 8 constituent universities: UP Baguio, UP Manila, UP Diliman, UP Los Baños, UP Cebu, UP Mindanao, UP Tacloban, and UP Mindanao.

For me, the more the un-merrier!

What credentials do I have to dare say that? Well, I am the one-and-only “Outstanding Alumnus For Creative Writing,” a singular honor granted by the UP Los Baños Alumni Association, with UPLBAA President Elpidio L Rosario, in the entire 100+ years of UP Los Baños. That was 2011 yet, 13 years ago.

How much did I deserve such a distinction? At that time, I was a Writer From Home (WFH) blogger for the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) based in Patancheru, India – and ICRISAT had already printed 4 of my books that I desktop-published myself into printable document format (pdf). (You can check with ex-Sec of Agriculture William Dar, who was the Director General of ICRISAT at that time.)
(image from localizationengineers.com)

Now, note – I was not simply “Distinguished” but “Outstanding” because I was self-taught when it comes to both creative writing and desktop publishing – neither of which skills is taught by UP Los Baños yesterday nor today.

With that as background, I would consider the following as “Outstanding UP Alumni” if:

UP Baguio – An alumnus or alumna comes up with a concept of enriching those rice terraces and simultaneously enriching the farmers there. (Poor rice terraces farmers!)

UP Manila – How about an alumnus concocting a diet that is very much welcome to the children sufferering from Vitamin A deficiency, out of Golden Rice?

UP Diliman – An alumnus in one’s province leading a community of learners in discovering their individual multiple intelligences (MI) in the manner of Harvard psychology professor Howard Gardner, having unusual MI in any of these 10 areas (I added the 2^nd): 1. Bodily-Kinesthetic; 2. Creative (added by FAH); 3. Existential; 4. Interpersonal; 5. Intrapersonal; 6. Mathematical-Logical; 7. Musical Intelligence; 8. Naturalist; 9. Spatial; and 10. Verbal-Linguistic.

UP Los Baños – An alumnus coming up with a cultivation method that automatically produces a rich soil.

UP Cebu – An alumnus showing in a project how Tagalogs and Bisayans can work together harmoniously.

UP Visayas – An alumnus leading a community into “sustainable development” in Eastern Visayas.

UP Mindanao – An alumnus leading Muslims in community development visibly benefitting all residents.

Outstanding UP alumni all!@517