After a nerve-wracking and a short-time preparation, the University of the Immaculate Conception (UIC) Information Technology Education program was hailed victorious. The program made its way to the top, besting more that 20 other schools in the annually held Philippine Society of Information Technology Students Region XI Festival. Furthermore, the program also landed a spot as one of the Best Performing Schools in the Mindanao-wide IT Olympiad 2013.
University of Mindanao, Matina campus hosted the IT Olympiad last January 14, 2013 and it was spear headed by the collaboration and sponsorship of Commission of Higher Education (CHED), Council of Deans in Information Technology Education (CDITE) XI, Philippines Society of Information Technology Educators (PSITE) XI and Philippines Society of Information Technology Students (PSITS) XI. The festival on the other hand was held last February 2-3, 2013 at University of Mindanao, Matina campus and Abreeza Ayala Malls. Mr. Cedrick Dave U. Syting, president of PSITS XI, led the rest of the PSITS officers all throughout event.
With the festival’s new set of events and the revival of Mr. and Ms. PSITS XI, it made a clamor among different schools as they compete for the coveted title. All eyes were set on the representatives of the different schools in the pageant, all of them having their own unique beauty and charm. On the other hand, every school also expected something good from their academically-inclined students in the IT Olympiad. All in all, there were 11 different events conducted for PSITS XI Festival 2013 while the IT Olympiad had three – Programming Contest, IT Quiz and Image Editing.
The following were the different events during the PSITS XI Festival where UIC ITE landed a sweet spot:
| Event | Participants | Place |
|---|---|---|
| Mr. PSITS XI 2013 | Ansall Ace Abayon – IT1 | Winner |
| Ms. PSITS XI 2013 | Ma. Kristina Rae Manuel | 2nd Runner-up |
| MTV Spoof | IT MM | Champion |
| Short Film | IT MM | Champion |
| Vocal Duet | Elixer John Rodil – IT3 SE | Champion |
| Anna Margaretta Sienes – IT3 MM | ||
| Cheerdance Competition | 1st Runner-up | |
| Modern Dance | 1st Runner-up |
Other events in which the school participated in included Volleyball Men and Women, Basketball Men and Women, Palarong Pinoy, and Photo Contest.
The success is all attributed to the collaborative efforts of the ITE program Officers, the ever-supportive and dynamic faculty, the working committees, and the brave-hearted participants all headed by their very hands-on Dean Exander T. Barrios.
With this year’s performance and achievement, expectations for next year have soared.
Written by: Ceasar Ian P. Benablo, UIC ITE Faculty