MCS holds College Week

Mount Carmel School Student Council president Dayna Macaranas signs her commitment to enroll at the University of Notre Dame. The College Signing Day was the concluding event for the school’s annual College Week. (MCS)

For over 65 years, Mount Carmel School has prided itself with a college-preparatory curriculum that has helped graduates earn admission into some of the world’s top universities. This past week, the school highlighted that legacy as its Student Council hosted the school’s 4th College Week.

The week promoted a college-bound culture among the student body and culminated with the announcement that a number of seniors had been admitted to several prestigious colleges and universities, including the University of Notre Dame, the University of California-Berkeley, New York University, Chapman University, and Ateneo de Manila University.

MCS College Week kicked off with a weeklong series of crash course college admissions sessions facilitated by school president Galvin Deleon Guerrero.

I firmly believe that all of our students can and should go to college,” he said. “Whether you pursue a four-year bachelor’s degree, a two-year associate degree, or certification in a specialized field, today’s job market requires additional training beyond high school, which is why we hold this annual event.”

In the over two decades that he has been an educator, Deleon Guerrero has helped hundreds of students get into the colleges of their choice, including the University of Michigan, UC Berkeley, and the University of Washington.

Networking and mentoring
One of the keys to getting into college is by networking with accomplished mentors, which is why the school also held several networking events for its students.

Early in the week, college-bound seniors met with juniors to offer tips and guidance on the college admissions process.

An AlumKnight College Fair also featured the school’s alumni, called AlumKnights. representing their college alma maters at booths in the first-floor hallway of the school’s Maturana Building. Students then had the opportunity to talk with the guests about their college experience in speed-dating-style round-robin sessions.

Colleges represented included Boise State University, Oregon State University, and Seattle University. Participating AlumKnights included Ray Muña, Coast Guard Lt. Christine Igisomar, Maisie B. Tenorio, Dr. Alfred Ada, Victoria Deleon Guerrero, David Attao, and John Blanco

On Thursday, five AlumKnights from off-island who are currently enrolled in college participated in a live, online forum with current juniors, sophomores, and freshmen. They included Ryan Ortizo, currently enrolled at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Aydan Gagaring, currently enrolled at University of Nevada at Las Vegas; Thomas Manglona, currently enrolled at UC Berkeley; Jacqueline Doctor, currently enrolled at Emory University; and Monica Usi, currently enrolled at UC Irvine.

For Manglona, participating in the forum was a reassuring return to his alma mater, especially since he initiated College Week at the school during his senior year when he was Student Council president.

“When we first planned College Week it was not only to start a critical dialogue about admissions and financial aid, but also to showcase how exciting, challenging, and liberating college can be,” he said. “I’m so glad to see other student leaders continuing the program for the benefit of our Knight and AlumKnight community. Whether you decide to leave or stay on island, it’s a time to celebrate achievements of all kinds.”

College Signing Day
The week concluded with College Signing Day, with seniors announcing which colleges they are attending this fall. At the ceremony, Student Council president Dayna Macaranas announced her intention to enroll at the University of Notre Dame while three seniors announced that they were accepted into and would be enrolling at UC Berkeley: Reica Ramirez, Louisa Han, and Minju Kang. Students also announced their decisions to enroll at several universities, including Chapman University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Ateneo de Manila University, the University of Hawaii, the University of Guam, and Northern Marianas College.

Ramirez was very happy with how the week turned out. “I think College Week was such a great opportunity for the high school students to learn more and prepare for college.”

Student Council moderator Quincy Chinen echoed this. “College Week was a learning experience for all our high school students. As a senior my favorite parts were being able to share my college admissions experience with the junior class and watching my classmates commit to their future schools.” (PR)