A VALEDICTORY ADDRESS
“Dream….believe… survive… “
A hackneyed phrase probably … Over exposed. Overused. Too much of a cliché. You might be scrutinizing my sanity in bringing it up into such a formal speech as a valedictory address.
That’s the problem with speeches of this nature… the gleam of speculation on the audience’s faces is as tangible as the paper I’m holding. It’s tough being here infront of hundreds of Boy Abundas, Gloria Romeros and Director Dyogi ready to pounce on me if I run short of their expectations.
Maybe I should begin my speech with a lofty latin phrase such as: “AD ASTRA PER ASPERA” but I would have to translate it in English… that meant “To the stars through hardships” Ironic. It brings us back to the more popular phrase of dreaming…believing and surviving.
Distinguished guests, most respected President_______________, Our Principal,_________, Members of the faculty, Dear Parents, Fellow Graduates, Friends, ladies and gentlemen…
First, allow me to express my deepest regret of not being here with you. As most of you have probably known, together with some of our schoolmates I have embarked on one of those missions intended to bring honor to our beloved alma mater. Otherwise, I’d have been here with you, celebrating our last glorious hours together as schoolmates.
GRADUATION DAY. A day of celebration and parting. A moment when bittersweet smiles are but natural. An event when beginnings and endings beautifully blend. An occasion filled with contradictions and conflicting emotions. All these, make graduations cherished and unforgettable. Having overcome a series of examinations, hectic schedules, unpredictable mentors and impossible workloads for FOUR years—that’s approximately 126,230,400 seconds of opportunities for triumphs, headaches and heartaches of all forms to occur. We can’t help but feel the unnatural high as if we’ve just hurdled the Star In A Million, Search For A Star or Star Circle Quest rolled into one !
Yet unlike all other quests, our aim to scale the rung of educational success is in fact tougher. Aside from the time and effort we spend in order to merit our diplomas, we also learned more stuff by serendipity. We pick up significant nuggets of wisdom through our interaction with our peers, teachers, parents and even total strangers.
Unlike those instant search on TV, we don’t rely entirely on the judge’s often subjective decisions…. We make our own.
In fact, we have learned that in this game called life, trying to please everybody is the surest way to failure. In the words of Walter Bagehot: “ the greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.” And more often, in dealing with barriers, it is often better to face them head on than trying to get around the issue. Sometimes, we even have to course the road less traveled or risk the anger of our friends…or displeasure from our teachers and parents to stand for what we believe in.
Of course we don’t profess to be right at all times. That’s why from all corners, we join the ranks of “emotionally athletic people” who get their exercise by jumping to conclusions, running up bills, stretching the truth, lying down on the job, sidestepping responsibilities and pushing their luck. Errare humanum est. (To err is human) But the beauty of being imperfect lies in knowing that there are people who respect and love you nevertheless. Still, we sometimes fall into the trap of making our imperfection an excuse for a sloppy job. Tough luck! And I must say… we have luck on our side because we have the key ingredient: YOUTH! Youth… the armor we use when we want to drive a point… that would suit us perfectly at the same time, the excuse we offer for our blunders. Sometimes we get away with it. Sometimes we don’t.
Let’s face it! The youth of today has greater roles to play than ever in every aspect of our nation and society. This commencement exercise drives an emphatic reminder that it is just the beginning of more arduous struggles. By this time, a number have decided what life they will have after leaving the portals of our alma mater, most of us are uncertain of what course to take in college…or worse yet, by force of circumstance, some of us won’t even have a glimpse of what college life is. But blaming circumstances usually leads to nowhere. More often than not, people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things. They dreamed…. They believed… they survived.
Yet survival in the tough game of life isn’t easy when you are alone. That is why, we would like to take this opportunity to extend our profoundest gratitude to the following who served as our escorts in every step of the way:
To our school administrators for the most significant programs geared towards the development of our personalities;
To our mentors and other members of the faculty of this institution for their academic guidance which sometimes extend beyond their means
To our mutual and not so mutual friends for their encouragement, challenges posed, constructive criticisms and companionship
To very special people in our highschool life who served as our inspiration or frustrations or sometimes a cause for a sudden attack of ADS(attention deficit syndrome)..whatever, they made each day of our high school life colorful and something to look forward to.
And the bulk of our gratitude is of course offered to our parents… our guardians our immediate family members who serve as our stronghold.. our assurance that they will be there even in our dourest moments. They are usually our toughest critics at the same time our most valiant defenders in times of crisis. To our beloved parents and benefactors both of material and non-material things in our lives, we want you to know that your sacrifices have not gone unnoticed. We offer you our diplomas and medals for you deserve them more than we do.
We won’t be where we are now without all of you. Thus, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
In parting, let me quote a passage taken from a poem written anonymously:
This is the rule of life today
As it has ever been
The world bestows its smile on those
Who have the strength to win
Beneath all outward semblances
It looks for merit true
It little cares how much you know
But asks what you can do.
Dreams are our guides… we usually speak of them
But words are not enough…We have to believe in ourselves to fortify our dreams
And to survive? We should have both hopes and beliefs.
BUT this I realize … SURVIVAL is not the ultimate goal…
As responsible graduates, we have to achieve beyond the basic and selfish realm of survival
We need to have people who will give meaning to our struggles
In order to achieve the ultimate goal: A MEANINGFUL LIFE.
So, dear batchmates, let us Dream…Believe….Survive … and LIVE!
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