AD VICTORIAM: Spirit and Sport

By: Faith Dacara

To end this year’s Spirit Week with a bang, the SPCP G.I.F.T. Center for Sports in collaboration with the SPCP Student Coordinating Team held Ad Victoriam — an online talk with the objective of enlightening Paulinian student-athletes about what true school spirit & sportsmanship means through the talks of two invited keynote speakers. The talk was held via Zoom, last November 11, 2022.

The first speaker was Shine Roxas, former Center for Sports President, about the question: “What makes a true Paulinian?”. Roxas shared insightful words about how being a football player and Center for Sports core officer shaped them as a Paulinian. Their talk highly emphasized the importance of being a team player in different aspects of life, whether in academics, sports, or extracurricular activities. Filled with stories reminiscent of pre-pandemic times and Paulinian culture, the talk reminds students how integral our Paulinian identity is.

The second talk was by AD Dueñas, former Center for Sports Vice President and SCT Gift Representative, entitled “For the Love of the Game”. Dueñas emphasized different aspects of being a good athlete; like valuing teamwork, maximizing opportunities, the importance of showing up and training hard, gratitude, and lastly, paying it forward. Dueñas’ journey as a student-athlete and eventually a student leader highlights a crucial part of our Paulinian values: knowing how to give back to your community.

With the week before the talk filled with various thrilling events such as the Pep Rally and Paul Wins, Ad Victoriam served as a perfect way to cap off Spirit Week festivities as it served as a recollection of the Paulinian identity we share and celebrate.