USPAACC’s Annual
Excellence Awards and Scholarships Dinner
To
be part of USPAACC’s Annual Excellence Awards and Scholarships Dinner was a most
commemorating experience that I have ever encountered. Being amidst a group of
highly prestigious men and women was an honor. Not to mention the valuable words
of wisdom spoken by these delectable men and women. What I hope to have
accomplished from this unforgettable experience is to have left a stamp of
myself amongst the present invitees and
as well as the scholarship recipients.
The mistress of
ceremonies, Sachi Koto introduced and welcomed me along with the sixteen other
scholarship recipients into the ballroom. When I proceeded in as the last
recipient I felt the camaraderie and warm welcome of the six hundred guests at
dinner. The undeniable charm of Sachi Koto set the mood for the evening. The
fourteen year veteran bestowed us with an enthusiastic audience who seemed eager
to be present at dinner.
The keynote speaker of
the evening, Hector Barreto left a trace of his own legacy at the dinner. He
made very clear to me that one should never forget where they came from. Mr.
Barreto also manifested the idea that nothing absolutely nothing in this world
(not even the president of the United States) should hinder one’s beliefs nor
methods of attaining or pursuing what they desire. The account he gave about his
father’s predilection of a “stew pot” rather than a “melting pot” was indeed a
memorable one. I believed that he gave a meaning to a whole new philosophy,
which was the “stew pot.”
The performance of “New
York, New York” inspired a feeling of nostalgia and emotions within me. Being on
the West Coast for the first time and being reminded of your hometown in that
manner produced melancholic stance. The closing note of the evening was perhaps
a most spectacular one. As Sachi Koto called it, the “Marathon Fashion Show”
displayed an entire array of costumes from different countries of Asia.
I have to say that
besides the photographic memories I have, the mental picture and memory of that
evening will remain in my heart forever.
To
be part of USPAACC’s Annual Excellence Awards and Scholarships Dinner was a most
commemorating experience that I have ever encountered. Being amidst a group of
highly prestigious men and women was an honor. Not to mention the valuable words
of wisdom spoken by these delectable men and women. What I hope to have
accomplished from this unforgettable experience is to have left a stamp of
myself amongst the present invitees and