Written by Aldriana Baliton and Justine De Guzman
On October 5 to 7, 2026, the Sirib ken Dayaw: Academic Olympics 2026, an annual event competition presented by the Office of Student Affairs, was held at FGB Hall with the theme “MISS10N: Bridging the Digital Divide.” The Academic Olympics is a university-wide event, wherein several schools in the University of Baguio join to showcase their school’s wisdom and honor, beyond the textbook knowledge. This event comprises six competitions, namely: Quiz Bee, Debate, Extemporaneous Speech, Photo-Essay Contest, Poster Making Contest, and Video Awareness Campaign.
This year’s Academic Olympics, rooted in the Ilokan words “Sirib” meaning knowledge or wisdom and “Dayaw” meaning honor, highlighted the proud STELArs who represented the School of Teacher Education and Liberal Arts in their respective fields. Focusing on Sustainable Development Goal 10 (Reduced Inequalities), the STELA students shined brighter to champion SDG10 and bring home pride to STELA.
The UB Shining STELArs bagged several awards, specifically:
- Extemporaneous Speech (Champion) – represented by Yuan Marco Del Valle
- Poster Making Contest (Champion) – represented by Nathalie Princess Español
- Photo-Essay Contest (Champion) – represented by Angelica Alonzo
- Quiz Bee (Champion) – represented by Khaetal Wayne Digmayo and Rhian Trixia Bayo
- Quiz Bee (2nd Runner Up) – represented by Aldriana Baliton and Crizarl Godwin Escoto
- Debate (Champion) – represented by Yuan Marco Del Valle, Linzie Althea Arenos, and Cedrick Aaron Aswigue
- Debate (Best Debate Speaker for Preliminary and Final Round) – awarded to Linzie Althea Arenos
- Video Awareness Campaign (2nd Runner Up) – represented by Aldriana Baliton, Lorraine Kate Ogbac, Allyah Usal, Grethel Manuel, and Justine De Guzman
Securing multiple awards from the six competitions, the School of Teacher Education and Liberal Arts once again bagged the Overall Champion for the Academic Olympics 2026. With the STELA Student Body’s mantra “acta non verba (actions not words),” this year’s Academic Olympics serves as a testimony of the wisdom and honor of STELArs–championing competitions in various fields not just through words, but through actions and results.
