MANILA, Philippines - Ateneo launches its year-long celebration “40 Years, Half the Sky: Celebrating Coeducation in the Ateneo†on Sept. 7, from 4 to 7:30 p.m. at the new Rizal Library, Ateneo de Manila University.
Coeducation in the Ateneo has definitely come a long way. Inspired by the well-known Chinese adage “Women hold up half the sky,†the celebration speaks of the active participation of the women of Ateneo in building a peaceful and progressive society.
In 1973, the very first batch of female students enrolled at the Ateneo de Manila’s College of Arts and Sciences. Out of the 580 freshman applicants accepted into the university, 127 were women. Thirty-five female transferees were admitted to the upper year levels. The first six women transferees graduated from Ateneo de Manila in 1975.
From 1976 to 2013, there have been 2,336 women who graduated with honors: 37 summa cum laude, 227 magna cum laude; 929 cum laude, and 1,349 honorable mention. Today, 4,377 young women are enrolled in the Loyola Schools, making up 51 percent of the college student population.
In the 40 years since coeducation was implemented, Ateneo de Manila has produced many distinguished alumnae whose successes have contributed not only to the university’s stature as a center of achievement and leadership but also to the development of the country in its political, economic, and social sectors. These distinguished alumnae have emphasized the invaluable contribution of women in the growth of the community.
Some of the Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Teacher Awardees include Ma. Assunta Caoile-Cuyegkeng,(Dept. of Chem 1997), Queena Lee-Chua (Dept. of Math 2003), and Catherine Vistro-Yu (Dept. of Math 2012). The Ten Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service Awards were given to alumnae like Justice Lourdes Aranal-Sereno (ABEco 1980), Dr. Queena Lee-Chua (BSMath 1987), Catherine Babao-Guballa (BSMgmt 1986), Dr. Catherine Vistro-Yu (BSMath 1994), and Reese Fernandez-Ruiz (BSMgmt 2007).
In the recent years, the Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines Award was given to Kathy Louise B. Tan (BSME 1998), Sherlyn L. de Guzman (BSME 2002), Kendra Castillo (BSPhysics 2004), Kiran Tina Vaswani (BSMIS 2005), Kellda Centeno (BSMgmt-Honors 2006), and Cheryl G. Uynicky (BSMIS 2001).
The Ateneo is also home to the first woman Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Maria Lourdes Aranal-Sereno, who belongs to the AB Eco Batch 1980; and Roselle Ambubuyog, the first visually impaired student to graduate summa cum laude and class valedictorian, is BS Math, minor in Actuarial Science Batch 2001.
As Ateneo looks back at 40 years of coeducation, the university is grateful for and proud of alumnae who have contributed in so many different ways to society. These women hold up not just half of the blue sky shared by Ateneans — they do indeed hold up half the Philippine sky.
For information, call Liza Maramag at 426-6001 ext. 4081 or e-mail amaramag@ateneo.edu