THE University of the Philippines Alumni Association in America (UPAAA) will hold its biennial 2007 General Assembly and Convention on September 1-3, 2007, at the Hilton Hotel in San Francisco’s Financial District, California. The biennial event is designed to bring together alumni in America to network and work toward the common goal of assisting the University pursue its mission of providing a great education to the best and the brightest young minds in the Philippines. It is also an occasion for the alumni to honor their achievers and loyal members, recapture the memorable times they spent as students in their campuses, and have fun together. The convention attendees will have the opportunity to enjoy the many romantic sights that the lovely Greater San Francisco Bay Area has to offer – from the famous Golden Gate Bridge to the charming wineries of Napa Valley in the North and the scenic sites of Monterey Peninsula to the South.

The Convention venue at the Hilton Hotel in San Francisco’s Financial District is located right across historic Chinatown and is within walking distance to the many tourist haunts of the City – the world-class shops of Union Square, the lively strip of Fisherman’s Wharf, the newly renovated Waterfront where one can board a boat to Alcatraz or sail beneath the Golden Gate Bridge. One can also hop on the wildly popular San Francisco trolley that stops just around the corner of the Hilton Hotel and will take you to more places of fun and adventure in the city while you enjoy a leisurely sight-seeing ride.

Lombard Street in San Francisco

One of the places that I enjoy visiting is The Lombard Street. It is one of San Francisco’s most enjoyable attractions. Lovingly referred to as “The Crookedest Street in the World,” it’s actually crooked for a very good reason. It’s unbelievably steep so if not for the serpentine curves taming this treacherous slope, people would likely be killed rolling down. This was built in the mid-1920’s.

“The Crookedest Street” has eight sharp turns on the 40-degree slope. But it continues in both directions, going all the way east, up Telegraph Hill to Coit Tower and continuing west down through the Marina, where it becomes the major conduit to the Golden Gate Bridge. A walk in either direction makes for a pleasant hike.

Fun side activities at the convention

This year’s host, the University of the Philippines Alumni Association of San Francisco (UPAASF), has lined up separate activities to commemorate the coming U.P. Centennial. There will be a Musical Extravaganza on Friday, August 31 (free to registered convention delegates who arrve early), a U.P. Alumni Golf Tournament that starts on the morning of Saturday, September 1 and a U.P. Alumni Bowling Tournament in the afternoon of Saturday, September 1 as well. There will also be booth displays and poster exhibits in the hotel pavilions to cater to U.P. alumni interests. The exhibits will run throughout the duration of the convention

About the convention program

This year’s event is especially significant as it marks the advent of U.P.’s Centennial Year. UPAAA aims to use the occasion to start mobilizing alumni for the big Centennial Homecoming in June 2008. Thus, the convention program design celebrates the hundred-year U.P. Legacy with the added purpose of forming an alumni vision for the next U.P. century.

The three-day convention program begins with the registration of delegates/participants and a Welcome Night Celebration on Saturday, September 1. The Saturday evening program features a recognition ceremony of Jubilarians and entertainment numbers from the various delegations of local alumni chapters.

September 2, 2007 will be devoted to a Plenary Session and Breakout Workshops. U.P. President, Dr. Emerlinda Roman will address the entire alumni body in the Plenary Session where she will report the U.P.’s achievements, describe its current program and share her vision of the Next U.P. Century.

The six Breakout Workshops will touch on the various interests of the alumni including the development of an alumni vision for the Next U.P. Century, earning professional development credits, planning a vacation to the Philippines for the Centennial Homecoming and retiring and investing in the Philippines. It will also look into more community-oriented concerns such as global warming, socio-political developments in the Philippines and Filipino youth in America. Resources persons will be on hand to productively lead these workshop discussions. The Plenary Session and Breakout Workshops are open to all registered convention delegates, participants and their spouses/guests.

Gala Night celebration

To cap the convention schedule is the Gala Night Celebration. It will feature a night of fine dining, dancing, entertainment numbers and award-giving to outstanding alumni. The UPAAA Awards Committee chaired by Luz Sapin Micabalo, past national president, UPAAA and Sid Dela Cruz, past president UPAA-Nevada Chapter released the following criteria for the many of awards:

Most Distinguished Alumni/Alumna

Nominees for this award must have attained national and international prestige. He/She must be outstanding in his/her professional fields or areas of endeavor.

Lifetime Distinguished Achievement

Nominees for this category must have rendered, through the years of continuous and outstanding service to the University of the Philippines (UP) or the nation, and given prestige to UP, to the community and to his/her profession.

Outstanding Professional

This award is granted to the nominee who has attained national or international distinction in his/her particular field. More recent achievements will be given priority over earlier achievements.

Meritorious Community Service

The recipient of this award will be recognized for his/her outstanding and distinguished services rendered to the community, society or the nation.

Special Recognition

This award is granted to an individual or group, whose outstanding performance in his/her/their professional and/or community activities has been acknowledged nationally or internationally, and has given honor and prestige to UP, the community and the nation.

The nominees must be graduates of the University of the Philippines and residents of the United States. The deadline for submitting nominations is June 15, 2007. Decisions will be made by July 15, 2007. Awardees must be registered at the convention and must be present to receive the award during the Gala Night on September 2, 2007. For nomination forms and guidelines, please write to Luz Sapin Micabalo at 10705 Back Plains Drive, Las Vegas, Nevada 89134, tel. (702) 360-4148, e-mail: lmicabalo@yahoo.com, or to Sid Dela Cruz at 8080 Dark Hollow Place, Las Vegas, Nevada 89117, tel. (702) 256-3301 or e-mail: siddelacruz@yahoo.com.

The Jubilarians
If you belong to the following graduation classes, you will be honored as a Jubilarian during the Convention: gold, 1957, 1958; sapphire, 1962, 1963; ruby, 1967, 1968; coral, 1972, 1973; pearl, 1977, 1978, and silver, 1982, 1983.

As a Jubilarian, your name will appear in the convention souvenir journal publication on a page dedicated to Jubilarian attendees. As a Jubilarian, you will be recognized on Saturday night and receive a certificate signed by U.P. President Emerlinda Roman and UPAAA President Theodore M. Aquino.