Brief History of the FCT Rosalinda C. Javier Outstanding Student Awards Program
Toronto-Canada
July 21, 2020
The tatlong butihing guro were Aida D'Orazio, FCT director and PR lady, Rosalinda C. Javier (RIP), then FCT President and a retired Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board teacher, and Tony A. San Juan, FCT lifetime member and a teacher then at the Toronto District School Board(TDSB).
The OSA program is envisioned "to encourage the pursuit of excellence in all levels and areas of learning among Filipino Canadian youth, with appropriate recognition and award." Specifically, the project is purposefully designed to encourage and challenge students to achieve academic success and to develop their potentials to become productive members of society.
The honourees of the annual competitive search are selected by members of a judging panel who are leading members of the FilCan community in Ontario. Awardees are adjudged based on a structured evaluation rubrics and weighed in against the established four main criteria of 1) Academic Grades Average- 50% 2) Extracurricular Activities-12.5% 3) Community Involvement- 12.5%, and 4) Personal Interview Performance- 25%.
The first and original members of OSA were A. Elago-D'Orazio (Chair), Rosalinda Javier(Co-Chair), Victor Agaton, Jodelyn Huang, Tony A. San Juan, Luchi Sevilla, and Herman Viloria who all served from 2005 until 2014; then from 2015-2017 Mary Ann S. San Juan became the Chairperson and in 2017 up to the present, Tony A. San Juan, heads the OSA Committee as Chairman. Currently, the committee is composed of Wendy Arena(FCT Director), Jodelyn Huang(TCDSB Community Relations Officer), Steve Pagao( PCCT President), Mary Ann Salcedo San Juan, Co-Chair(FCT President & CEO), Fermer Santos( Agincourt Collegiate Institute-TDSB Vice-Principal), Rose Tijam(PPCO President) and Tony A. San Juan, Chair(OCT-Retired).
With the full support of the FCT Board of Directors and Executive Officers, the Centre's first recognition event was held in November 2005 at the Rizal Hall of the former FCT Building on 597 Parliament Street, Cabbagetown, Toronto with 7 elementary and two secondary school honourees. To date, since the award program's inception in 2015, the FCT through its OSA -Outstanding Student Awards Committee has selected and awarded a total of 120 honourees, broken down as follows: elementary category-57; high school level - 47; and post-secondary tier-16. FCT only started awarding top post-secondary graduates in 2012. Honourees are presented with coveted Trophies or Plaques of Recognition and cash prizes solicited from generous and notable leaders, professionals, families and businesses in the Filipino Canadian community.
Distinctively, out of the 120 awardees, there were 4 who were consistently awarded both in their Grades 8 & 12 categories( J. Bouckley, B. Chavez, K. Chavez and M. Sotto); three brothers and a sister received honours in their G.8 & G.12( Bouckley siblings); 2 pairs of brothers and sisters( Nagallo & Samocino) and two pairs of sisters( De Castro & Gonzales) received accolades. In 2016 and 2017 there were no awardees as FCT put on hold the OSA Program, due to the focus and attention given to the engagements involved in the sale of the old FCT Parliament Street -building and the attendant transfer and transition challenges in the newly-purchased Scarborough site.
Known presently as the "Rosalinda C. Javier Outstanding Students Awards-RCJ-OSA", the rigid competition was named in honour of the late President & CEO of the Filipino Centre Toronto. The yearly search is continuously on track and the Awards Committee is fully determined at inspiring students of Filipino descent to aspire and study rightfully in order to accomplish good things and win academic distinctions that their parents, siblings and loved ones will be proud of. More than half of the previous awardees are currently pursuing high school & university studies and/or working successfully as professionals in their respective careers and disciplines.
The Filipino Centre Toronto, formed in 1999, is a registered not-for-profit, community -based and volunteer-run entity purposefully operating to work, serve, and engage members of the Filipino Canadian communities in Ontario especially in the Greater Toronto Area(GTA). FCT is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and has developed and pursued meaningful programs and productive projects of providing sustainable services and assistance to target beneficiaries particularly our fellow kababayans. ( TSJ).