722 came. 153 fought. 81 conquered. And 2 of them are from MMSU.

Jonas Paul B. de la Cruz (BSCE IV) and Reindel Owen E. Salvador (BA Socio III) joined other outstanding student leaders in the 2011 Ayala Young Leaders Congress held Feb. 8-11 at the San Miguel Corporation Management Training Center in Alfonso, Cavite.

Out of the 722 student leaders nominated by 138 top schools and universities nationwide, 153 successfully qualified as interviewees. These 153 got the opportunity to introduce themselves to top executives and human resource personnel of the Ayala Group of Companies. After successfully passing through a rigorous screening process, which concluded with the panel interviews last Nov. 23-25, 2010, the newest batch of 81 outstanding young leaders were chosen for the 13th AYLC.

The AYLC is the flagship program for youth development created by the Ayala Group of Companies as its concrete expression of its commitment to national development. For 12 years now, the AYLC continues to fuel the dream of developing a corps of servant leaders who will contribute to uplifting the lives of all Filipinos.

Focused on the theme: “Leadership: Serving, Transforming, Sustaining,” let the participants embark on a life-changing leadership journey aimed at deepening their desire for service to the community and love for the country.  AYLC 2011 delegates were joined by notable figures from government, business, and the socio-civic and arts sectors, which included: Dr. Chelsea Calcado, a rural health physician of the Integrated Provincial Health Office of Negros Oriental who is noted for her work in bringing healthcare services to far flung and conflict areas; Chris Tiu, TV personality and athlete, who is also a businessman and barangay official in Makati City; and Marites Vitug, co-founder and board member of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism.

At the time of their selection, De la Cruz and Salvador were president and vice president, respectively, of the MMSU Central Student Council (CSC). Salvador was elected, Feb. 4, as new CSC president for AY 2011-2012. Last year, Valerie Mary Anne C. Ablan (BS Accountancy IV), also participated in the annual event. This is the first time two MMSU students were chosen as AYLC delegates.