“The UST Growling Tigers slay the Bar exams.”
This was the main premise of the message that University of Santo Tomas Dean of Civil Law, Nilo Divina, sent to the students who passed the recent bar exams.
Divina took note of the fact that five out of the top 20 bar topnotchers this year came from UST, as well as the school’s impressive 89. 90% bar passing rate. He then listed ten “affirmations” that the results confirmed, including points about the Thomasian spirit, unity and teamwork, strong determination, and the power of prayers.
As of this writing, the message that he posted on Facebook has elicited almost 2,500 positive reactions, as well as shared almost 350 times. Congratulatory messages and well wishes have likewise flooded the comments section.
UST’s Lorenzo Luigi Gaya placed 6th overall (89.10%), followed by Klinton Torralba at number 9 (88.65%), and Emma Ruby Aguilar at the 10th spot (88.40%). Arman Joseph Guzman (number 13, 87.75%) and Aecaya Christine Calero (number 18, 87.15%) rounded out the list of UST law topnotchers.
“This is a product of collective efforts. We thank the Father Rector, the Father Vice Rector and Regent, together with the entire Dominican community for their prayers and support. We salute our Faculty for their dedication and heroism,” Divina enthused. “We congratulate our successful bar examinees for a job well done, and we reach out to those who did not make it with our comforting assurance that this is only a temporary setback that will soon turn to victory,” he said.