Ms. Theavy Srey (Cambodia, MS Food Science) from the IDRC-supported Upland Agriculture Development Fellowships Project leads the newly elected officers as its President. The other officers are: Ms. Tran Nhat Lam Duyen (Vietnam, MS in Agricultural Economics), Vice President; Mr. Mateus De Jesus Gomes (Timor Leste, PhD in Agricultural Education), Secretary; Ms. Saranya Sawangphop (Thailand, MS in Entomology), Vice Secretary; Ms. Chanhmany Souphannavong (Lao PDR, MS in Animal Science), Treasurer; Ms. Myat Moe Hlaing (Myanmar, PhD in Botany), Auditor; and Ms. Maria Anabelle D. Gerona (Filipino, PhD in Development Communication), Coordinator.
Meanwhile, the following were elected as country representatives:
| 1. | Mr. Sophal Var | Cambodia | MS in Agronomy |
| 2. | Ms. Maria Anabelle D. Gerona | Philippines | PhD in Development Communication |
| 3. | Mr. Veokham Vilaysane | Lao PDR | MS in Agricultural Engineering |
| 4. | Ms. Myint Thu Thu Aung | Myanmar | MS in Agricultural Economics |
| 5. | Ms. Alisa Sahahirun | Thailand | PhD in Extension Education |
| 6. | Mr. Carlito De Araujo Mali Code | Timor Leste | PhD in Animal Science |
| 7. | Mr. Le Phuong Nam | Vietnam | MS in Agricultural Economics |
Dr. Gil C. Saguiguit, Jr., SEARCA Director, in a message read by Dr. Maria Cristeta N. Cuaresma, SEARCA Program Head for Graduate Scholarship said that the SEARCA scholars are part of the Center’s valuable pool of human resources that can support SEARCA’s development agenda in the various Southeast Asian countries, and in the region, as a whole.
“We fully understand that pursuing higher learning at the University may be difficult apart from your families back home but rest assured that you could always find family in the company of other SEARCA scholars and our staff as well,” he added.
After the induction ceremony, the SSA officers and country representatives were awarded certificates of appreciation by Dr. Cuaresma, who also serves as the association adviser. Also present during the said induction ceremony was Dr. Willie P. Abasolo, Graduate School Secretary of UPLB.
As of date, there are a total of 65 SEARCA scholars based in UPLB, with 45 pursuing their Master’s degree and 20 their PhD.