ALGCIT WELCOME MASS. Xavier Ateneo welcomes its first batch of ALGCIT scholars with a mass presided by university president Fr Roberto C Yap SJ.
Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan warmly embraced its inaugural batch of scholars of the Andrew L Gotianun Sr Center for Integrated Technologies (ALGCIT) Senior High School on the 1st of May, Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker.
In his message to the 140 scholars and their parents, Xavier Ateneo president Fr Roberto C Yap SJ said: “St Joseph is the perfect patron saint for ALGCIT because here he was, a carpenter, he worked with his hands, he worked with wood, with nails. He worked with the materials of the Earth to create useful things for the people. In many ways, that is really the call of tech-voc, the call of the industrial technicians that ALGCIT wants to produce.”
ALGCIT, an endowment from the Gotianun Foundation, provides full academic and residential scholarships to competent yet financially-disadvantaged youth. Tuition, matriculation, board & lodging, books, uniforms, and other school fees are all covered by this generous program.
XAVIER ATENEO LEADER. In his message to the scholars, university president Fr Roberto C Yap SJ says, "Bring with you your faith in God as you go on your adventures and learning experiences here at Xavier Ateneo.”
Yap shared: “As we celebrate this feast and welcome you, our ALGCIT scholars, the story of St Joseph tells us that working with our hands, to labor, is a very beautiful thing that deserves much respect and dignity. This feast emphasizes the value and dignity of work. … It is the vision of ALGCIT to produce industrial technicians who will make useful things for our economy, for our society.”
Xavier Ateneo’s ALGCIT aims to champion technical and vocational education, provide profitable employment options or entrepreneurial opportunities for its graduates, and contribute to the country's social and economic growth.
Yap also left the scholars with an advice: “I am sure that your experiences in ALGCIT will be full of challenges, full of difficulties, but the key thing to remember is that God has given you this opportunity to get an education from Xavier University. In spite of all the problems you will encounter, put your trust in the Lord. If you trust God and you will do your best, God will protect you, help you, and never leave you. Bring with you your faith in God as you go on your adventures and learning experiences here at Xavier Ateneo.”
PARENTS AND SCHOLARS. The parents accompany their children during the welcome program for the ALGCIT scholars, who came from various areas of Mindanao.
ALGCIT is the university’s response to the need for a comprehensive program that helps students acquire skills, knowledge, and character formation necessary to develop their professional careers that are strongly grounded on Jesuit education, the Ateneo way.
The program is a highly specialized three-year Tech-Voc Senior High School where the first two years are allotted for academics and coursework, while the third year is primarily for industry internship.
In the face of globalization and the K-12 reform in our country’s educational system, ALGCIT puts its resources into honing the technical skills of the students in four globally in-demand specializations: (1) Automotive Servicing, (2) Computer and Electronics Technology, (3) Energy and Power System, and (4) Mechanical Design and Fabrication.
At the end of the three-year program, the students are expected to graduate world-ready, with international and national standard competencies, and formed with magis (a philosophy of excellence) and cura personalis (care for the whole person).
NEW SENIOR HIGH STUDENTS. XU Senior High School Central Student Government serves as the host of the welcome program for the ALGCIT scholars.
Xavier Ateneo’s ALGCIT Senior High School is located inside XU's Manresa Complex along Fr William Masterson SJ Avenue, Upper Carmen, Cagayan de Oro City. It is strategically located in an emerging area for foreign and local investors and sprawling subdivisions in the uptown portion of the city.
The current XU Senior High School Central Student Government hosted the welcome program for the ALGCIT scholars, who had fun interacting with one another during the GTKY games. School administrators, faculty, staff, parents, and guests were also present in the said event.
The ALGCIT scholars are temporarily housed in the three existing Manresa dormitories while waiting for the completion of the ALGCIT Dorm 1.
At present, they are attending a three-week-long Summer Enrichment Program, hosted by the XU Junior High School and SHS administration, to prepare them for the first semester of Grade 11.∎