02/07/2025
๐๐๐๐ง๐จ๐ฅ๐ | Leaders of Time: A Journey of Service, Sacrifice, and Success
To be an engineering and architecture student is one thing. To be a student leader at the same time? Thatโs an entirely different ball game.
Through their years on campus, these student leaders have once again proven that leadership isnโt just about sacrificing academicsโitโs about sacrificing time, energy, and personal responsibilities for something greater.
Wearing the black toga that gracefully brushes the ground, they are reminded to stay grounded. For years, they have walked a path defined not only by course requirements but also by the relentless balancing act between leadership and academicsโbattling against time, expectations, and the weight of responsibility.
These student leaders did not walk across the stage just to carry their names. They walked, carrying the people they served, the dreams they helped build, and the changes they dared to make.
They walked for success. For honor.
For the generations to come who will rememberโand be inspired byโwhat they stood and fought for.
Nelson Emmanuel Rendon of Architecture shared in a recent interview:
โHonestly, it felt really goodโlike a five-year-long chapter finally closed. Finishing Architecture is no joke, so I felt proud. But at the same time, there was this sadness too, knowing that my friends and I won't get to see each other every day anymore. There's also pressureโthinking about whatโs next, like the DAE or apprenticeship. Some say life after graduation is even harder, and I get that now. But what helps is reminding myself to move at my own pace. We all have our own timelines, and thatโs okay.โ
Nelson reminds us that some leaders are not just after the titleโtheyโre invested in what lies beyond, for a future they want to help build and stay in.
โAs I walked across the stage, the feeling was surrealโlike a dream I never thought would end so soon,โ said Vince Divino Alinsog of Electrical Engineering.
โIn that moment, I couldn't believe that four years filled with fun, hard work, and countless sleepless nights had finally come to an end. Holding my diploma, I was reminded of the memories, sacrifices, friendships, and growth that shaped my college journey. It was a moment of pride, gratitude, and quiet realization that I made it.โ
Vince also reminds us about the powerful truth: that success is not just about reaching the end, but embracing everything that led you there.
College was never just about finishing a degree. It was about discovering yourself and aiming for greater heights.
In the high-pressure world of engineering, where academic rigor already stretches students to their limits, the decision to take on additional responsibilities in student leadership is often met with raised eyebrows and questions of sanity. But for Jhon Russel Aurelio, a Civil Engineering student and outgoing president of Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE) โ CapSU Student Chapter, it was a commitment not just to a roleโbut to a cause.
โYou need to have a mind of steel to keep up with the demands of both roles,โ he said.
Success, in this case, wasnโt built on ideal circumstances. It was built on late-night calls, missed hours of sleep, skipped hangouts with friends, and a mountain of stress managed only through sheer willpower and teamwork.
โBehind the scenes, I knew the officers had it rough. But still, we pulled through and made the event a successโsomething meaningful and memorable for everyone.โ
Even as the spotlight shone on the program's highlights, few could see the sacrifices made behind it. And even fewer would understand the emotional toll it took.
Vince Divino Alinsog of Electrical Engineering and John Russel Aurelio of Civil Engineering along Nelson Rendon of Architecture are names etched behind the victories and progress of their respective departmentsโchampioning transformation, excellence, and meaningful leadership.
They didnโt just bring change.
They brought honor.
And they left behind a legacy.
To the next generation of student leaders, theyโve left not just footsteps to follow, but spaces to fillโwith courage, compassion, and commitment.
They proved that balancing academics and leadership isnโt impossible.
It is a choice. A mission.
And above all, a service.
Words by Princess Gwin Biรฑas
Layout by Reysan Ayn Robles