SMU Honors Exemplary Employees and Teams at Gawad Maria 2025
Honoring the tradition of recognizing the commendable accomplishments of employees and teams or units in Saint Mary’s University, the Administration held the “Gawad Maria” last August 13 at the Fr. Cornelious Tonus Gymnasium. The “Gawad Maria” publicly acknowledges the efforts of the employees in terms of various aspects of their professional work within the University and outside of it during the academic year 2024-2025.
The awards presented were categorized as follows: retirement (7 awardees) and longevity (34 awardees), academic achievements (1 awardee), professional achievements (22 awardees), professional leadership (3 awardees), professional service (11 awardees), creativity and innovation (8 awardees), and team awards (10).
In his opening message, the University President, Dr. John Octavious S. Palina said the “Gawad Maria” recognizes and celebrates the exemplary achievements and milestones of our dear employees and retirees. “The list of retirees and longevity awardees speak of the school’s culture with a good number of employees who have spent almost half of their life in the university… We can say that the school has a strong holding power that makes employees stay for a long time.”
Addressing the individual and team honorees, he said, “congratulations and thank you for manifesting the four core values of excellence, innovation, communion, and social responsibility. May you continue to inspire others and serve as role models. In the work setting here at SMU, our honorees today may be regarded as heroes, or role models for loyalty and commitment, hear work and perseverance, leadership, innovation, collaboration, and teamwork.”
Dr. Palina talked about the Marian community as a family of heroes. “A hero is noted for nobility of character, has special achievements, admired for selflessness, and willingness to put the needs of others before their own, and uses God-given strengths and talents to serve others rather than seeking one’s own interest…
“I know that we cannot be able to realize many significant accomplishments in the previous year if we have not acted as a hero in our own way, in our respective offices, workplaces, and if we have not used our God-given talents and abilities to serve our clients, learners, and other stakeholders.”
On behalf of the honorees for this batch, Mrs. Venica S. Acosta, who retired this year, recalled countless precious memories and lifelong friendships. “As for us, the retirees, seeing all your faces today brings back many wonderful memories of our time together. On behalf of my fellow retirees, I extend our deepest gratitude to the Administration and to everyone here for sharing in our joy as we celebrate our retirement from service. But retirement does not mean farewell – we will always be part of this Marian community, and we look forward to witnessing and celebrating SMU’s continued success and growth in the years ahead, especially as it approaches its centennial founding anniversary.
“During our years of serving in the University, each day has taught us something valuable—about work, about relationships, and about life itself. SMU has given us far more than just a job, more than salaries and benefits. Here, we found opportunities to learn, to grow, and to build lasting friendships. We experienced the joy and certainty of feeling loved, connected, and part of something greater than ourselves—a family we could come home to when we were not at home.”
Mrs. Acosta continued thus: “Our hearts are filled with pride for having been part of these teams and for all that we have accomplished together. We are confident that, in one way or another, we have made our modest contributions toward the attainment of our units’ goals and in advancing the University’s vision and mission.”
Joining Mrs. Acosta in the roster of retirees this year are: Mr. Demetrio T. Abungan, Jr., Mrs. Florita B. Galamay, Mrs. Maria Ines R. Minia, Engr. Candido Joseph T. Rosario, Jr., Mr. Andres T. Tubaran, and Mrs. Jovita C. Villanueva. Together with them were 79 employees and teams who were honored by Saint Mary’s University for their heroic triumphs during the previous academic year 2024-2025.
Through the “Gawad Maria”, the SMU administration expresses its appreciation to its employees for the excellent work, as the entire University continues to walk the path of mission & identity, academic excellence, research & innovation, institutional sustainability academic, non-academic personnel, students & infrastructure development, and national & international presence.
Written by and photo by: PIO
