The SEARCA Scholars Association (SSA) has elected new officers for school year 2010/2011, who were inducted in a formal ceremony held on 6 August 2010 at the SEARCA Residence Hotel in Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines.

The new officers are Mr. Daud Samsudewa, Indonesian, President; Ms. Aisa O. Manlosa, Filipino, Vice President; Mr. Anongsack Chanthavong, Laotian, Secretary; Ms. Yin Yin Nwet, Myanmar, Treasurer; Mr. Mario Jose Morais, Timorese, Auditor; and Mr. Tho Kim Eang, Cambodian, Coordinator. The country representatives are Mr. Heak Pring, Cambodia; Mr. Yayan Sanjaya, Indonesia; Mr Bouakham Sisongkham, Lao PDR; Ms. Zin Mar Lwin, Myanmar; Ms. Bathsheba P. Aparilla, Philippines; Ms. Wilaiwun Intarachaimas, Thailand; Mr. Natalino Babo Martins, Timor-Leste, and Mr. Vu Hoang Lan, Vietnam.
 
Dr. Editha C. Cedicol, Manager, Graduate Scholarship Department, SEARCA, serves as the adviser to the Association.  In her speech, Dr. Cedicol relayed the message of Dr. Gil C. Saguiguit, Jr., SEARCA Director, that SEARCA is counting on the scholars to be models of good students. She stressed that SEARCA’s role is to support the scholars’ studies to the limits of its resources and to expose them to more opportunities to strengthen their graduate program.

Furthermore, Dr. Cedicol told the scholars, “When you accepted the scholarship, you automatically committed yourself to fulfill the requirements of SEARCA and that of the Graduate School. As graduate students and scholars of SEARCA you must have the right attitude.  This means the right attitude to study; the right attitude to do your research; the right attitude towards your teachers, your fellow scholars, and your sponsors. There is always truth in the saying that how you conduct yourself, determines how high you go up or how low you fall.”

The induction ceremony was followed by a dinner hosted by the SSA and an acquaintance party attended by the new and ongoing scholars pursuing their graduate programs at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB); Dr. Oscar B. Zamora, Dean, UPLB Graduate School; and some SEARCA staff.

The SSA is based at UPLB as the majority of ongoing scholars pursue their graduate programs at UPLB in any given year. This school year, 57 of the 73 ongoing SEARCA scholars are studying at UPLB.