Kaizen

Catherine Beatrize Salazar received two of the six awards given on March 5 during the 29th Equatorial Rites held online – the Leadership and Service Award and the Most Outstanding Student Award. She is a candidate for Master of Science in Industrial Economics under the 6-Year Integrated University Program (6YP), a trailblazing initiative of UA&P where graduates of Grade 10 can earn their senior high school diploma, bachelor’s degree, and master’s degree in just six years. When asked why she chose to take 6YP, Catherine said, “I can graduate with a master’s degree in a short time, and I wanted to learn from one of the best schools in economics.”

Below is the student address Catherine delivered during the 29th Equatorial Rites.

 

 

Batchmates, friends, family, faculty members, and our esteemed guests, welcome. It is my distinct pleasure and true honor to have the opportunity to address you today.

Before I started my first year in the University, I had already decided that I would focus on my academics. My scholarship was the only reason I was granted the opportunity to study in such a prestigious institution, and I knew better than to risk it. Later on, I further rationalized this plan by telling myself that there may be no other opportunities like this for someone like me – someone who was not struggling in academics but was not the best either; someone who got excused from class every once in a while in high school because she competed in small contests but not as frequently as those who were excused almost every week; someone who’s known to be responsible but did not have enough charisma to lead. In short, I was an ordinary student. Some might argue I was more than that, but I believed I was someone who’s not memorable enough.

So, in my first year in the University, I was so certain that I will keep to myself. However, there seemed to be other things in store for me. I found myself getting elected as a block representative in 16YP. When I was faced with the question of whether or not to accept the responsibility, I unknowingly agreed but I was still too shocked to voice my concerns—Can I really handle and balance my academics with this responsibility, along with making sure that 30 or so blockmates of mine are adjusting well? When I opened up to a trusted friend about my fears, she reminded me that my self-doubt was not justified by the fact that people believed in me and that they trusted that I could step up to the position. Why was I doubting myself when other people believed otherwise? Despite seeing her point, I couldn’t help but have fears of disappointing and failing my blockmates. Besides that, I wanted to do the best that I could to serve and help my blockmates.

Soon enough, I found myself slowly coming out of my comfortable little bubble. Despite my worries and tons of self-doubt, I found myself inclined toward doing more than what I was initially used to. I joined more organizations, took up various leadership positions, headed a batch project, participated and won in both University-level and international competitions, became an officer in the student government, all the while maintaining my scholarship and being a President’s Lister.

After four years in the University, here I am, an officer in our student government. I have come such a long way from someone who doubted her capabilities. Admittedly, my self-doubt and worries for not being good enough are still there. However, it has been significantly easier to carry out my responsibilities to the student body, especially during these difficult times. Whenever I doubt myself, whenever I feel tired and burnt out, I remember that I want to be here to serve the student body, to help students adjust, to make their lives somewhat easier and more comfortable, and last but not the least, to listen and make them understand that someone is here for them despite physical constraints.

Looking back, I realize that I wouldn’t have gone out and accomplished all of those things without the push and motivation from those around me. My friends usually bantered that I have a way with words and that I can sway the other to do what I say. However, they fail to see how big their impact is with their simple words of motivation or their less-than subtle pushes. I believe that a large part of who I have become and what I have done was because of them and I realize that I also wanted to be that kind of person for other people. I wanted to give people the push they needed to be the best version of themselves, to be someone who went above and beyond, to continue to strive for excellence in everything that they do. This is where I realized my why. I wanted for others to see their potential, that there’s still much room for growth within themselves.

And they have, they do. Every single person in our batch has continued to grow and develop. I see my friends, my blockmates, my batchmates doing so much. It’s such a pleasant feeling to witness how some of them have grown to become someone more comfortable in taking different opportunities. It’s also incredibly humbling to see that despite everything we have achieved, we also do not shy away from our mistakes and struggles. That—we have realized after three or four years—it’s all right if we become tired mentally or physically, if we fail exams, if we do not pass a tryout, if we lose in a competition. We understand that this is part of our journey toward our self-development and we will laugh about it sooner or later.

Speaking in front of all of you today, I am so proud of what we have achieved so far in our stay in the University. I am very certain that our path toward self-development does not end here. It will extend further – once we have graduated, once we start hunting for our first jobs, once we have experienced our first midlife crisis, and so on.

I conclude my address with a Japanese concept that I have stumbled upon in my first year in the University and have been living vicariously since then: kaizen, the philosophy of continuous improvement in both personal and professional lives. It literally means changing for the better. What follows and who it is for are entirely up to you. But I hope you never forget that there is someone other than yourself that would be here to help you in that process. Let’s be better with and for ourselves and others. With that being said, I, Catherine Beatrize Salazar, would like to thank you for acknowledging me as your Most Outstanding Student for this Equatorial Rites. May all of you have a great day!#

 

Banner photo by Ylanite Koppens from Pexels.

*All group photos were taken prior to the pandemic.