Celadon First GA: You Got a Friend in Us

Every worthy experience often starts out with the humblest of beginnings. Held last September 7 and 9, Ateneo Celadon’s first general assembly (GA) officially marked the beginning of another year’s journey for the organization. Split into the main event and the make-up GA, Leong Hall Auditorium and its roofdeck served as this year’s venue for the Pixar-themed gathering.

The GA team getting ready to welcome the members. Photo by Regine Choa.

Leong Hall Auditorium was the first stop for the members after registration started at 4 p.m. Hosts Tricia Lao and Isaac Cheung started the program by giving everyone a warm welcome. This was then followed by a short message from the head of the Intercultural Relations Cluster – Jamiessonn Lao.

Celadon President Stephanie Sayson gave the first talk, where she shared what Celadon is as an organization and what it hopes to become. After which, each of Celadon’s seven departments got a chance to talk about themselves, their projects, and what they do in the organization.

Celadon members listening attentively to the talks. Photo by Regine Choa.

After the presentations from the different departments, the participants were split into their respective groups, and their assigned facilitators took charge. There were supposed to be 15 groups composing of 20 participants each, but due to early dismissals the number of participants per group varied widely. In total, the participants numbered around 280. They proceeded to the Leong Hall Roofdeck for the booth activities, where managers have set up projects booths to promote their respective events. Each booth had their own theme and gimmick to help encourage the participants into joining their project. Freebies, courtesy of the event’s sponsors, were also distributed to the participants as they hopped from booth to booth.

The make-up GA meanwhile was held in Leong Hall Roofdeck on September 9 where over 60 participants took part. Following the introductory remarks from hosts Sean Lee and Shaira Santiago and a welcoming speech from the Celadon President, the participants were again split into groups and their assigned facilitators whisked them away for a tour around the booths. This time the representatives from each department of Celadon had their own booth where they discussed their respective department’s duties and projects to the participants.

The Communication (COMM) department and their Monsters, Inc. themed booth. Photo by Mark Yu.

The Financial Affairs (FIN) department spreading the love shared by Carl and Ellie from Up. Photo by Angel Chan.

The Cars-themed games from the External Affairs (EXT) department. Photo by Colleen Gatchalian.

The Cultural Affairs (CUL) department’s Wall-E themed booth. Photo by Angel Chan.

Creating memories with the Documentations and Publications (DOCPUB) department’s Inside Out-inspired activity. Photo by Mark Yu.

The Finding Nemo themed booth by the Corporate Relations (CORREL) department. Photo by Angel Chan.

The Human Resources (HR) department and their The Incredibles inspired booth. Photo by Mark Yu.

“The GA was pretty good overall. Though the presentations weren’t quite engaging in their delivery, they provided a lot of information about the different departments. The highlight would be the tour around the booths though. I’ve been to other GAs before and I can say that the booths here were unique and eye-catching. The facilitators were also friendly and active. The grouping systems and the registration process could be improved, but overall I really had fun,” shared Aldwin Uy, a participant in the event.

Project head Quimbe Dy gave her hindsight on the selection of the Pixar theme by sharing, ”The rationale behind why we went for “Pixar Fam Squad” as our main theme is because of the relate-ability and familiarity it brought to the table. It was the type of theme that would be close to most people’s childhoods and emerge closer to their hearts and thus becoming more meaningful for them.”

Mivan Ong, co-project head, expressed his personal goal for the event with us, saying, “For me, my goal for the GA was really to really just create an environment where people can enjoy themselves and learn more about the organization. They should leave the GA really wanting to be a part of the projects and the org.”

“We all really saw how Celadoneans talked and laughed with each other amidst being strangers at first. I asked around during certain times and feedback from them was that they definitely wanted to be active and felt this “home” we’ve all been talking about,” said Stephanie Sayson when asked about the success of the GA.

A Celadon member shares a warm welcoming hug from the President herself. Photo by Mark Yu. — A Celadon member shares a warm, welcoming hug from the President herself. Photo by Mark Yu.

When asked what she wanted the members to take away from this event, Vice President for HR Belrica Ma expressed, “More than the know hows and the in and outs of Celadon, I do hope they experienced the Celadon home. For those Celadoneans who expected to gain new friends, I do hope that you did meet lots of friends! Plus, know that you’re part of something big. We have so much for all of you, it’s a matter of taking that step of faith. I dare you, give Celadon a chance! We won’t let you down. We gotchu. And… You’ve got a friend in me!”

Written by Ervin Llobrera and Alyssa Yu

Photos by Mark Yu, Coleen Gatchalian, Angel Chan, and Regine Choa