The newest army of resolute Cobras, geared to combat in their next four to six years of university life, has officially crossed the Maroon gates of Southwestern University PHINMA last July 15, 2024, wholeheartedly welcomed by the pioneering joint Freshie x Quill Fair.
Vibrant hues set the mood for the major event with the complementary core childhood-themed booths and activities prepared by The Quill and other youthful activities spearheaded by the Supreme Student Government along with the student body organizations and sub-organizations in the University.
Student Life Vice President Maita G. Magalong raised the drapes of the day-long stage with her introductory speech.
“I only have one message for you. You are in the best university,” she quoted.
The event progressed with an array of live showcases, simultaneously as other freshies leisurely hopped from playful booths to trading posts to food stalls.
Feeding up the festival of talents were performances from local acts Hiraya and Maroon Echoes, to guest productions from Cresensored Band, Oral Six, and the explosive showdown of Drag Queens Tsirena and Miss Melat.
Deviating from the customary dedication wall, arcade hub, and photo booth, this year’s celebration featured the debut appearance of a bounce house, adding highlight to the already festive atmosphere.
Ms. Maria Cheya Alianna Derecho, Student Development Officer, revealed in a later interview their reaction to the surprisingly overwhelming surge of attendees.
“Kung icount lang, matamatahun icount, murag hing-abot 3K or something ang people plus upper classmen pa jud,” she said, expressing near disbelief at the crowd’s weight.
“Naa ta’y moment ganiha [nga] murag dili ta kalakaw; murag nag Sinulog,” she added.
Roaming around campus corners, Bin Walled, a Fine Arts freshman, commended the event’s production, describing it as a perfect welcome for his college journey.
“I can see [that] SWU allows individuality like colored hair which is really nice, and there is freedom here, which is nice of SWU,” he added, emphasizing satisfaction on perceived light regulatory policies.
In an interview with Rance Martel, SSG President, he discussed the deeper sentiment behind the event, with reference to the theme, “A Cobra Welcoming to Remember.”
“First day of school sa mga freshmen, walay ganap. Diba? Dapat pag-sud sa freshmen, kahibaw sila what to expect,” he said.
He further attributed the completion of the goal to the collaborative participation of the SBOs and student organizations, particularly the major involvement of The Quill.
“That’s why very diverse ang organization—to make them feel welcome sa ilang interests and hobbies,” he added.
Meanwhile, Shazzy Famat, leading the event from The Quill, rounded up the publication’s success amid financial and time constraints.
“It was heartwarming to hear students say, ‘healing my inner child.’ Sometimes, we all just need a break from school-related stuff,” she said, highlighting the positive gains of the event.
“For seven decades, The Quill has always recognized the studentry as the pulse of the university,” Trisha Kate Escalante, The Quill’s Editor in Chief, quoted in her welcoming remarks, subsequently raising hopes for the coming Cobra generations to be resilient purveyors of truth and change.
“You are the lifeblood of our community and the reason why we do what we are doing,” serving to amplify the shared vision among student organizations—to breed a humanitarian studentry.
