The ever loyal ViSCA/LSU/VSU alumni who are now based in the United States of America and organized the ViSCA Alumni Association in North America (VAANA) held on April 3-5, 2015 its 2^nd VAANA Reunion at Gold Coast Casino, Las Vegas, USA.  Attended by 19 alumni together with 30 family members and guests, the gathering was spearheaded by Jess Diongzon, Joel and Zarah  Borines, and other VAANA members. 

            According to Dr. James A. Patindol, the different activities conducted during the occasion included: (April 3) – welcome dinner, Vegas strip sight-seeing, and bowling; (April 4) – Hawaiian-themed dinner, ball, and business meeting; and (April 5) – karaoke time and late lunch at the Borines’ residence.

            VAANA has the following set of officers: President–Osea Catalino ‘Jess’ Diongzon; Vice Presidents–Rico Cruz (West Coast), and Adam Christopher Tibe (East Coast); Secretary–Roselita ‘Bo-Peep’ Coloma Paloma-Stinson; Treasurer–Zarah Gayrama-Borines; Auditor–Josefo Tuyor; and PRO–James Patindol.

            This write-up was made possible courtesy of the Facebook page of Ms. Zarah Gayrama-Borines who posted some of the pictures of the gathering which generated comments from the VAANA members who were present during the reunion and even from other VSU alumni who were able to open the Facebook page.  These are some of the comments of the VSU alumni:

Lea Ramos: Beautiful gathering indeed...

OC Jess: It was a great reunion. Met some old good friends and tried to rekindle the old friendships. A trip down memory lane is good for the spirit. Thank you VAANA for the good time.

Zarah Borines: T’was a nice one! Missed you all! Homesick nako karon hahaha.

R Prudente Monreal: 40 percent man pud ang mga Miss ViSCA alumnae, including Miss ViSCA 1980. Mga gwapa gihapon. Cathy and Malou look great . . . ayaw mo’g palag mga Sis kay panagsa ra ko makakita nila, hehe.

Rico Obligado Cruz: Driving to Las Vegas for over 15 hours was easy because I was excited; driving back home was very hard because I did not want to miss the last day of our gathering... Looking forward to our next reunion!

Bo-Peep Coloma Paloma Stinson: Same here, Rico Obligado Cruz. I left with a heavy heart.

Zarah Borines: That’s true Sir Rico... Missing all, I am getting sick hahaha but I just finished Yoga class to regain my strength!

Rico Obligado Cruz: My jaw is hurting because I have to slap my face and jaw several times to keep me awake while driving.

Cathy Tizon: Imo sab diay gi kusog Brod Rico?

Bo-Peep Coloma Paloma Stinson: That was so much fun, exactly the respite I badly needed. Nakalimtan kadali ang problema, haha. Everything was well-planned & perfectly executed, thanks to the organizers Zarah Borines &Joel, OC Jess and all present VAANA members. I enjoyed everything--the foods served in both parties were good, though Duane disagreed--he thought they were excellent. Surprised to hear it from somebody who is picky. He even liked the pinakbet, his first time to try. Nakuwangan pa gyod, he asked if he can have some "to go" which he later ate in our room, lol. The jerky, smoked salmon & huckleberry pie donated by Rico Obligado Cruz & Connie Mercado Cruz were delicious! The bowling was fantastic & I discovered something: I've a potential but I think it's too late to develop it kay nisakit ako hawak the following morning bisan 1 game ra, lol.

Lea Ramos: You are truly a trooper Bo-Peep. Congratulations on winning the bowling tournament...job well done.

Bo-Peep Coloma Paloma Stinson: The "getting to know you" was interesting & entertaining. Nice to reminisce the good old college days, exciting to know what everyone is up to now. Our common denominator is resilience, bisan asa ibutang, we survive & do good, to say the least. I'm happy to hear everyone's story & I'm proud of you, guys.

Bo-Peep Coloma Paloma Stinson: The party was amazing! Can't stop dancing & laughing. Our star dancers Lea Ramos & Paolo were hilarious, they brought the house down. I loved how we freely expressed ourselves in the dance floor, dancing like crazy, haha.

Bo-Peep Coloma Paloma Stinson: Most of all, I just love how each one naturally connect to each other bisan wa na ta mag- abot sa VSU. Everyone exuded warmth, love and friendship making us feel at home in this place far away from home.

Isabel Espejo: Wow kadaghan ninyo.

            The VSU alumni are very much alive here and abroad.  The VSU alumni in Luzon and in Mindanao also have their share as they gather, respectively, and hold various activities reminiscing their happy days in college.  Oftentimes, they also join the VSU Main Campus in celebrating annually the VSU Grand Alumni Homecoming. 

This year’s VSU Grand Alumni Homecoming shall be held on May 15-16, 2015 hosted by Batches 1990 and 1991 with the slogan “UNICORN: Unity, Cooperation, Recovery, Celebration (Panaghiusa, Pagbuligay, Pagbangon, Pagsadya).” JFMBaldos

• Prev
• Next