Trishia Ysobelle Remegio 
Commemorating two decades of innovating, building, and serving, Samar State University celebrated its 20th Charter Day with a day-long event filled with different festivities on November 25, 2024. Hosted by the College of Education (CoEd), the event featured a mass, parade, “salo-salo,” and various activities highlighting cultural appreciation.
Themed “SSU @ 20: Forging Our Cultural Identity, Affirming a Heritage of Excellence,” the celebration emphasized the university’s pride and unity, blending the beauty of modernity with the art of cultural heritage.
Opening Ceremony
Following the hour-long parade, students were greeted by the opening salvo of selected Bachelor of Physical Education students, who received numerous cheers from the audience consisting of students from the different colleges, faculty, and satellite campuses.
Cultural Competitions
In the wake of the events, the Mercedes Campus dominated the Field Demonstration Competition. Moreover, the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) showed resilience by bagging the Best Festival Queen title, while the College of Industrial Technology (CIT) won the Best Arc Competition.
Employee and Student Tandem Contests
To kickstart the afternoon activities after the “salo-salo,” the host college performed an entertaining and interactive cultural presentation, featuring Kuratsa and a dance mob involving fellow education students, filled with consecutive surprises.
Later in the event, both employees and students were given the chance to engage in different activities.
SSU-Basey clinched the top spot for Kuratsa with a twist, while CAS successfully grabbed the title for the Kundiman competition. Additionally, SSU-Mercedes took first place for Siday – Student Category, and CIT nicked the spot for the Personnel Category.
Students’ Night
The day-long event concluded with a students’ night participated by the different colleges of the university. Students were given a chance to interact and connect with their peers from their own and other colleges.
Dr. Gina Españo, Vice President for Student Affairs and Services, also gave a few encouraging remarks to the students.
“Tonight we celebrate not only the 20th Charter Day of Samar State University, but also the heart and soul of this institution, you, our students—higit sa lahat, kayong mga mahal naming mga estudyante. Para ini ha iyo nga selebrasyon, and as we gather here, let us remember that this university was chartered to create opportunities and transform lives. You, my dear students, are the living legacy of that vision,” she said.
Drawing out the battle of wits from chosen LGBTQIA+ members, the search for Queen Paturapak also took place during the students’ night.
Besting other candidates from CIT and Mercedes Campus, CAS’ Jovie Tadia proved her wit and took home the crown, with CoEd’s Jeno Bacurio, College of Nursing and Health Sciences’ (CoNHS) Bella Pacoma placing first and second runners-up, respectively.
To conclude the event, a raffle draw was also held where a brand new phone, stand fans, and five kilos of rice, among other prizes, were claimed by lucky winners.
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