Two alumnae, representing the alumni chapters in Ontario and Metro Manila, are the recipients of the 2011 Outstanding Sillimanian Awards. Beatriz Aya-ay Jackson of the Ontario Silliman University Alumni Association (ONSUAA) and Edna Callejas Mijares of the Silliman University Alumni Association Metro Manila Chapter, Inc. is honored in the field of chemistry. Both went through a rigorous selection process with the final approval of the Board of Trustees in a regular meeting last March.
Jackson, a 1977 graduate of BS Nursing, earned her MS Nursing in 2004 at the D’Youville College, Buffalo, New York. At present, she is manager of the Nursing Special Projects of the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center in Ontario. Tracing her roots to Siaton, Negros Oriental, she has collaborated with nursing leaders in developing projects, among others, to improve nurse satisfaction and implementation of standardized approaches to patient care. She was president of ONSUAA for two terms and has served as committee chair of the SU Alumni Council of North America 2001 and 2009 Tipon, secretary in 2007-2009, and vice-chair in 2009-2011, aside from being in the board of directors. Jackson was nominated by Audrey Amor Ablona, president and Elaine Lacuesta Avila, vice-president of the ONSUAA.
A native of Ilog, Negros Occidental, Mijares graduated with the degree of BS Chemistry in 1974. She passed the Chemistry Licensure Examination immediately thereafter, then pursued the MS Entomology at the University of the Philippines Los Baños. She is the chief executive officer and president of her own company, Jefcor Laboratories Inc., a provider of analytical laboratory services, chromatography training, and consultancy services with branches in Parañaque, Cavite, and Davao. An esteemed member of professional and social organizations, including having been president of the SU Chemistry Alumni Association, she has been honored with several awards in relation to her practice as chemist and entomologist. Mijares was nominated by Chona Sienes Yap, president and Gloria P. Belarmino, vice-president of the SU Alumni Association Metro Manila Chapter Inc.
This year’s Outstanding Sillimanian Awards convocation on Aug. 28, 2011 at the Claire Isabel McGill Luce Auditorium is one of the highlights of the 110th Founders Day celebration of Silliman University with the theme, A Mighty Fortress is our God. Chair of the 110th Founders Day Executive Committee is Dr. Margaret Helen Udarbe Alvarez, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. (Cecile M. Genove)
