UST General Santos

𝐣𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐍𝐎𝐖: Meet the Tiger Duo of UST General Santos! Inspired by UST’s iconic Bengal tiger mascot, a symbol of Thomasian pride since 1992, the UST GenSan Growling Tiger and Tigress proudly embody the strength, courage, and excellence of Thomasians in Mindanao.

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Thomasian Welcome Walk 2026 Eucharistic Celebration

“Walk in faith, walk beside one another and welcome others.”

With these words, Rev. Fr. Louie R. Coronel, O.P., E.H.L., Secretary General of the University of Santo Tomas, gave the newest Thomasians of UST General Santos a simple direction for the journey ahead.

During the Thomasian Welcome Walk on August 20, 2026, Fr. Coronel, together with Dominican Fathers as concelebrants, reflected on what it means to begin university life with openness, courage, and a heart ready to receive others.

“Every journey begins with a first step,” he reminded the students, “and you do not have to take that step alone.”

Drawing from the Gospel of the wedding feast, Fr. Coronel spoke of an invitation that remains open and personal: “Come.”

“Come with your dreams. Come with your talents. Come with your questions. Come even with your fears and uncertainties.”

For the freshmen, the message was especially fitting. A new academic journey brings excitement, but also questions that quietly accompany every beginning.

“Will I belong here? Will I make good friends? Can I keep up? Did I choose the right course? Will I make my family proud?”

Fr. Coronel acknowledged that not every answer comes at once. “Not everything will immediately make sense.” Like the disciples who were simply called to follow, students are invited to move forward with faith, trusting that understanding often comes through the journey itself.

He encouraged them to remain fresh in curiosity, in dreams, in aspirations, and in faith. To be a freshman, in this sense, is to remain open to wonder, growth, and discovery.

But the journey, he emphasized, is never only about oneself.

At the heart of the homily was the invitation of St. Paul: “Welcome one another, then, as Christ welcomed you, for the glory of God.”

Fr. Coronel reminded the community that welcome is lived in ordinary moments. It is found in sitting beside someone who is alone, listening to a friend who is struggling, asking for forgiveness, offering help, and “choosing kindness even when no one is watching.”

“Communities are not built by one grand event,” he said. “They are built through the small things we do for one another every day.”

For the newest Thomasians of UST General Santos, the Welcome Walk became more than an entrance into university life. It was a passage into a community and a tradition that calls each student to seek truth, live with charity, and make room for others along the way.

There will be difficult days. There will be mistakes, questions, and moments of uncertainty. Yet Fr. Coronel offered a reminder worth carrying beyond the first walk:

“You do not have to pretend that everything is easy. What matters is that you do not stop walking simply because the road becomes difficult.”

And so, a new Thomasian journey begins, not with all the answers, but with faith enough to take the next step, companions willing to walk beside one another, and a community ready to say:

“Welcome home.”

Today, the UST General Santos community commemorates the life and sacrifice of former Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, Jr.

Ninoy shared a meaningful connection with the Dominican family, with his wake held at Santo Domingo Church in Quezon City. His wife, the late President Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino, was also conferred a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa degree by UST.

May their legacy continue to inspire courage, freedom, and service to the nation.