By Rusieljs G. Lunasco

Ivan Jan Romero was a university scholar from his freshman to senior year. He was also the recipient of the Rotary Award for the Most Outstanding Graduate.

College of Engineering alumni Christian Ruiz (BS Civil Engineering ’20) and Ivan Jan Romero (BS Chemical Engineering ’20) were among the recipients of The Outstanding Students of Iloilo Awards (TOSIA).

Ruiz and Romero were awarded during TOSIA’s first Virtual Awarding Ceremony on September 30, 2020.
Ruiz was among the roster of finalists who were chosen for the TOSIA 2020 Top Circle. The chosen students for the said award embody the four pillars of TOSIA (Academics, Leadership, Community Service and Faith). He also earned the titles TOSIA Writer (a student who exemplifies the impact of his advocacy work through writing) and TOSIA Worker (a student who exemplifies the ideal characteristics of a nation builder).

As a consistent TOSIA awardee since high school, Romero received the TOSIA Hall of Fame Award. Like Ruiz, he was also among the 20 finalists who were chosen for the TOSIA Top Circle. He also earned the titles TOSIA Leader (a student who exemplifies the ideal characteristics of a leader through his school and advocacy), TOSIA Speaker (a student who exemplifies confidence, firmness, and wit during the interview round of TOSIA), and TOSIA Scholar (a student who has embodied the meaning of burning the midnight candle to exceed in the pursuit).

Christian Ruiz was a consistent dean’s lister. He was also an active leader in the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers- CPU Student Chapter and its Iloilo Student Affiliates serving and held positions as President, Vice-President and Secretary.

Both Ruiz and Romero graduated magna cum laude in June 2020. Ruiz was a University Academic Scholar and held various positions for the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers- CPU Student Chapter (President 2019-2020) and for its Iloilo Student Affiliates (Secretary 2018-2020) (Vice President 2019-2020). He was also a news writer for The CPU Engineer.

Romero was the recipient of the Rotary Award for the Most Oustanding Graduate. He was a university scholar from 2015-2020. He was the Associate Editor Centralite 2020 and served as President of The Navigators (2018-2019), a Christian student organization. Upon graduation, he received several awards from the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation – Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (GBF-STEM), Council of Engineering and Architecture Schools – Western Visayas (CEAS-WV, Inc.), Department of Science and Technology – Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI) and the CPU Alumni Association of Southern California.

The Outstanding Students of Iloilo Awards is a program of JCI REGATTA- Iloilo. It aims to recognize students are outstanding not just in academics and leadership but also in community service.