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Where Art, Culture, and
Service Meet
by by: Jovenia Soriano Celo, MD
The UP Alumni Association in America (UPAAA) proudly recognizes Venazir Hannah Martinez, recipient of the 2025 UPAAA Distinguished Alumni Award in Art, Culture, and Social Change, for her extraordinary generosity and artistic excellence.
In support of the 2025 UPAAA Giving Tuesdays fundraiser for UP scholarships, Vena donated limited-edition, signed prints of her mural Pandango sa Ilaw. These beautiful prints were presented as tokens of appreciation to two generous donors who each contributed $1,000 or more, helping expand educational opportunities for financially deserving students.
Pandango sa Ilaw was created during an international artist residency in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where Vena was selected to paint a large-scale mural for the Hemispheric Conversations Urban Art Project. This initiative was supported by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and the University of Pittsburgh, highlighting artists whose work fosters dialogue across cultures and communities.
Inspired by the traditional Filipino dance that celebrates light and movement, the mural’s striking scale and luminous imagery demonstrate Vena’s remarkable ability to transform public spaces into meaningful works of art that connect people across borders. Through her artistry
and generosity, Vena exemplifies the spirit of service and excellence that defines UP alumni.
UPAAA extends its sincere gratitude to Vena for sharing her talent in support of education and to our donors whose generosity continues to make scholarships possible.
From Mindanao to Madison: A Story of Leadership and Impact by Ryan Tejero Born in Davao City, Mindanao, Marechiel Santos-Lang is a proud graduate of the University of the Philippines Diliman College of Mass Communication, major in Broadcasting. During her time at UP, she was a scholar of Progressive Broadcasting Corporation during her junior year and became the first scholar of the Loren Legarda Foundation during her senior year. Now based in Madison, Wisconsin, Marechiel is an emerging real estate developer with a diverse background in commercial real estate, marketing, nonprofit leadership, and community development. She recently graduated Salutatorian from the Associates in Commercial Real Estate (ACRE) program, a highly regarded commercial real estate development program led by Marquette University in partnership with Milwaukee School of Engineering and University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. Her team won Best Development Pitch for a housing proposal that has since advanced into a live affordable homeownership development project in partnership with the City of Madison and the Madison Area Community Land Trust. The $2.1 million project, supported by approximately $800,000 in City funding, will create four affordable owner-occupied duplex units in Madison, Wisconsin. Known for her passion for lifelong learning, leadership, and service, Marechiel is committed to promoting Filipino excellence, strengthening communities, and helping create opportunities for future generations both in the United States and the Philippines. |
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The University of the Philippines Alumni Association in America, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in the United States.
Section 501(c)(3) is the portion of the US Internal Revenue Code that allows for federal tax exemption of nonprofit organizations, specifically those that are considered public charities, private foundations or private operating foundations.
