Media Release
Mangaluru, Jan 26: St Aloysius PU College held the valedictory ceremony for the 2024–26 batch, marking a significant milestone as students embarked on new journeys while bidding farewell to familiar faces and cherished memories. The ceremony was graced by Jeevan Saldanha, CEO of Spectrum Industries, who served as the chief guest.
The ceremony commenced with a prayer song by the college choir invoking the divine presence, followed by an interreligious prayer service that reflected the true Jesuit ethos of spiritual formation and holistic education. An elegant welcome dance presented by the students of I PUC added vibrancy to the gathering.
The members of the student council received candles from Fr rector and Fr principal, representing the knowledge and learning gained at the institution and their resolve to carry forward the flame of hope, service, and peace.
Students also gave brief symbolic presentation of the experience that they gained in sports, student association and club and the extension services for social service, environment and inter-religious harmony.
The principal, Fr Clifford Sequeira, welcomed the gathering and formally introduced the chief guest. In his address, he observed that learning and skill acquisition extend beyond textbooks, as the values imbibed play a crucial role in building confidence. He remarked that the students would face life’s challenges with courage, firmly grounded in the formation they had received at SAPUC. Drawing an analogy to the statue of Lord Buddha in Bangkok, which was found to be made of pure gold beneath an ordinary clay exterior, he observed that while individuals may appear ordinary, it is the inner golden potential that truly defines a person.
Fr Clifford expressed his gratitude to the parents and teachers whose contributions made these two years memorable and, in conclusion, wished the students success in their future endeavours.
The chief guest, Jeevan Saldanha, reminisced about his experiences as an alumnus and expressed his gratitude to the institution for instilling in him values that shaped him into a successful entrepreneur. He shared his journey of developing an optical sorting machine in 1993—the first of its kind—conceived following a rocket crash caused by cotton waste found in the coolant.
Emphasising that one is always right until proven wrong, he spoke about the numerous hurdles he encountered and how dedication and perseverance enabled him to succeed in his endeavour. Quoting, “Fear of failure is for those who ride horses—so ride that horse,” he exhorted the students to believe in their abilities, work diligently towards achieving their goals, make a positive difference in society, and live their dreams.
In his presidential address, the rector of St Aloysius Institutions, Fr Melwin Pinto, expressed that all should cultivate an attitude of gratitude for all that we receive. He opined that students should accept their teachers’ corrections and instructions in good faith, as they stem from deep concern for their well-being. Emphasising that every experience serves as a learning opportunity and that there is no such thing as a bad experience, he advised the students to learn from their experiences, remain grateful, and cultivate a positive attitude towards life in order to achieve success.
The ceremony continued with students, Anon Rego, Gordon Sartho and Jane Moras from various streams sharing their experiences over the past two years at SAPUC.
The award distribution segment highlighted student achievements and was followed by musical and dance performances, as well as a farewell video.
The event was graced by campus minister Fr Antony Derrick SJ, vice principals Muralikrishna G M and Vilma Fernandes, deans Kiran Shetty and Inas Dias, who also served as the staff convenor of the programme along with Edrina Sequeira. Staff convenor, Shiney Clifford proposed the vote of thanks.