By Paula Piedad
BS Child Development and Education
Cum laude
Honorable Victor Sotto, Mayor of Pasig and our guest speaker; Dr. Winston Padojinog, our University president; members of the Board of Trustees and Management Committee; deans and program directors of the University’s schools; faculty members and staff; beloved parents and friends; and to all of my fellow graduating batch mates, welcome to the 25th UA&P Graduation Rites!
Inhale. January 2016. I opened the UA&P website to view my entrance exam result. My excitement quickly turned into worry: Paula Piedad…Waitlisted. “Just pray,” I told myself. Exhale.
Breathe in. Summer of 2016, I was called in for interviews. I cautiously stepped into two offices—first of the Admissions head, and then of the program director of Child Development and Education. Little did I know that their generosity to accept me would change my life. Breathe out.
Another deep breath. August 2016. There we all were, the smallest entry batch, at the beginning of our college journey. I was homeschooled prior to college, so it was no surprise that on the first few days of school I was asked, “Do you have friends?” or “Are you having a hard time adjusting?” To be honest, my biggest adjustment was having to change out of my pambahay clothes. For some of you, adjusting was more difficult: commuting every day at 5:00 am to make it in time for class, saving some of your lunch money to buy readings, and staying late in school because internet connection was better there. Each of you made many sacrifices and helped one another make it through freshman year.
In the following years, as UA&P immersed us in its liberal education, we learned to pursue excellence and to work hard on our personal development. We would hear the line “extraordinary in the ordinary,” but its full meaning was only understood when we were nurtured and mentored by our professors. Through their example and authenticity, they have taught us that education is far greater than simply imparting knowledge to others. Education is service. A service that is always directed toward the good of others. With all of this imprinted in our hearts, we joined varsities, orgs, and pursued other academic affairs. Each of us was inspired to give even when we thought we could not give anymore. Then, we finally understood that “extraordinariness in the ordinary” meant to live a life of excellence, service, and love in every moment we are placed in. We did not realize it, but we were already living it out.
Four eventful years have passed. Batch 2020, we have gone through almost everything one can imagine: storms, earthquakes, a volcanic eruption, distance learning, and painful losses of two of our precious friends, Aea and Tracy, who will always be in our hearts. It has been a series of inhales—to take steps out of our comfort zones—and exhales, feeling relief after a major exam, pitch, or org event. But I would like to draw our attention to the moments between the inhales and the exhales. Those moments of uncertainty when we held on to our purpose just as much as we held on to each other for strength. Those moments where resiliency became our best self-care and brought us to this very day. Those moments when our professors checked up on us to ask if we were doing okay. Those moments where we found peace sitting in Stella O, consoled by the presence of God. From the day we entered UA&P, we took one big inhale. Now, as we graduate, we can exhale knowing that our lives have been changed for the better.
Today, let us celebrate how much we have been served by UA&P: how the gardeners made the CAS garden a beautiful place to converse and talk about everything literally under the sun; how the ates in Red Brew and the other food stalls smiled and laughed with us during lunch; how our professors bonded with us outside the classroom during Unitas Games; how our PEERs and upperclassmen readily became our guides and friends, even BFFs; and how that little university on Pearl Drive became our home for four of the most formative years of our lives.
As we enter the world of work in the midst of a pandemic and a struggling economy, I am confident that we will give honor to this home by carrying out the values it has instilled in us. Hold fast! UA&P has prepared us to rise above the challenges we face in this crucial time. May we not underestimate the power of our vocation, and remember that the true essence of our profession is service. We are given the chance to continue to find a purpose beyond ourselves, to place ourselves in humble service to people beyond the University. In solidarity, in UNITAS. This is just the beginning. Inhale. Exhale.#
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