Gala night for engineers and geoscientists

by Ethel Clemente-Fernandez

On December 2nd, the Filipino Members Chapter-Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba (FMC) organized it’s first formal holiday gala held at Homewood Suites. The mild winter weather, untypical of Winnipeg, welcomed members who all came in their glamorous best for some good holiday cheer.

Guests were treated to a red carpet walk leading to a photo session reminiscent of Hollywood’s glam events.

The hosts, Wil Constantino and Bless Ramos, brought the house down with their funny but witty antics.

I had the honour to welcome the guests and thank the volunteers for their hard work for putting up an event of this scale. Jonathan Epp, president of Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba, delivered a positive and jovial message to the chapter membership.

The event also featured a mix of talents from chapter members – from playing musical instruments to singing and dancing – proving that engineers are not only good in math but they also excel in live performances.

Four scholarship recipients were selected based on merits and were announced and awarded that night. They each received $500 plus $250 upon registration as engineering interns.

One of the highlights of the night was the recognition of this year’s new professional engineers and engineering interns. National Bank presented them with a simple token to celebrate this achievement.

To further spread the holiday cheer, various awards were presented such as the “Couple of the Night,” “Lady & Gentleman of the Night,” and “Online Registration Early Birds,” as well as several raffle draws, where prizes included Winnipeg Jets tickets.

Towards the end of the program and to open the dance floor, Nancy Santoyo cleverly came up with a game that got everyone on their feet, to dance the night away. It was indeed a great night of holiday cheer and celebration.

Ethel Clemente-Fernandez is a professional engineer registered in the province of Manitoba. She is an active member of the Filipino Members Chapter - Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Manitoba (FMC-APEGM). www.fmc-egm.ca.