News by Olivia M. Tan
After more than two years of conducting online school events, the annual Grand Pakain returned to the UP School of Statistics (UPSS) community on November 11, 2022 at the UP School of Statistics Auditorium. The event was presented by the UPSS Student Council in collaboration with UP Statistical Society (UP StatSoc), UP Variates (UPV), and their media partner, WhenInManila.com.
Participants were free to stop by the booths set up by the school's home organizations, UP StatSoc and UPV, before the program officially started.
To kick-start the program, Prof. Joseph Ryan Lansangan, Dean of the UP School of Statistics, expressed his gratitude and recognized all who contributed to the event's fulfillment. He remarked that more than the Grand Pakain and Tribute Day, the event was a welcoming celebration for the freshmen, sophomores, and juniors who were unable to stay on campus due to the pandemic.
Following the welcoming remarks were video presentations and games prepared by the organizations. The UP Statistical Society presented a video prior to hosting their first game named “Hep-Hep Hooray With a Twist.” Similarly, the UP Variates displayed a video depicting the “Day of a Variate.” It was then followed by the game entitled “Bark that Tune.”
To close the program, UP Stat SC Chairperson Matubis expressed her gratitude to the participants for attending the event as well as the council, organizations, and faculty who had prepared for the event. “The community is a family we can all belong to,” she added.
When asked about the preparations for the returning event, Matubis explained that organizing the event took at most two to three weeks and was supposedly postponed due to the inclement weather brought about by Severe Tropical Storm Paeng. She was glad that many members of the community attended and enjoyed the event.
Philip Laurence Arenas, president of UP StatSoc, shared that they prepared for the booth with the goal of encouraging everyone to participate and enjoy. The UP StatSoc president added that their booth served as a reflection of how their organization worked and showcased the close bond among its members.
“Surreal” was the word used by UP Variates president Noeliano Ocorro in describing Grand Pakain 2022, mentioning that it was unexpected and that slowly but surely, the circumstances are going back to what they used to experience before. The event, according to the UPV president, is a “pivotal step towards normality” in the UPSS, hoping that similar events will happen in the following months and semesters.
REFERENCES
Arenas, Philip Laurence. Interview by Olivia Tan and Niña Martin, UP Stat SC Sample Space, November 11, 2022.
Matubis, Zoe Nayla. Interview by Olivia Tan and Niña Martin, UP Stat SC Sample Space, November 11, 2022.
Ocorro, Noeliano. Interview by Olivia Tan and Niña Martin, UP Stat SC Sample Space, November 11, 2022.
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