The salutatory address that follows was delivered by Juan Miguel B. de Leon, graduate of Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education, during the 27th UA&P Graduation Rites held at the PICC on August 21, 2022.
On behalf of my fellow graduates, I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to our journey as students and as individuals. We are grateful to the Management Committee and all the Operations Committees of each School for their counsel and prayers. The academic units and the Center for Student Affairs gave us countless opportunities to avail of a holistic education. Despite the difficulties of online learning, we appreciate our teachers who sowed wise insights and ideas in our hearts and minds. Our moderators helped us make difficult decisions and instilled love for our SIGs (special interest groups). Our mentors gave us so much time, wisdom, and, above all, friendship. We extend all our heartfelt thanks to our parents and relatives who carried our burdens with us.
We cannot forget our security personnel who tried to remember all our names and faces and who never failed to greet us with a smile. The University is kept beautiful through the hard work of the AFM (Assets and Facilities Management Group), especially the Service Masters personnel.
Finally, we are eternally grateful to God for giving us so much more than we deserve. He made all of this possible today.
There are no words to express how honored I am to be standing here before you to deliver the salutatory speech on behalf of my batch. Considering what we had to go through in the past two and a half years, we are truly fortunate to be able to celebrate our achievements at the PICC. Allow me to acknowledge and congratulate Batch 2020 and 2021 because—although we cannot celebrate together—your journey and the fruits of your labor are equally important. While our batch did not get a full face-to-face college experience either, the struggles were real and plentiful.
Today, I would like to focus on the countless things we should be grateful for. A good example is how the USG (University Student Government) and its committees found ways to transfer big events to Facebook Live to engage with the student body. Student leaders stepped up or stepped down to keep their organizations alive. The Arts were made relevant thanks to the arts-oriented SIGs who conducted online performances. We also saw how the academic SIGs kept the sense of community alive. It’s difficult to think about how we succeeded in keeping things fresh and impactful, but we managed to create a vibrant org life and promoted unitas in spite of the obstacles.
I am truly amazed by the grit exemplified by some of my fellow graduates who were able to excel in their academics and student activities despite financial challenges. Their creativity in keeping up with classes while dealing with limited mobile data is an achievement all on its own. Unitas was best lived when both faculty and students found diverse ways to raise funds for those who needed financial assistance. Life may have been more challenging to those who struggled with personal issues. However, UA&P instilled in us the desire to be of service to others and to use every means available, including the online setup, to help make them feel less vulnerable. Let us be thankful for these God-given opportunities.
This time, as we graduate, we find ourselves in another uneasy situation yet again. The questions running across our minds might have to do with job opportunities here or abroad, or post-graduate studies, among many others. In the face of infinite possibilities and options, I would like to quote Waymond Wong from the recent movie Everything Everywhere All At Once. He said: “When I choose to see the good side of things, I’m not being naive. It is strategic and necessary. It’s how I’ve learned to survive through everything.” I believe that we can carry out the main character’s advice by seeing the good in everything.
Fr. Carlos Ayxela, in his book God’s Tenderness: Reflections on His Mercy, says the same thing. This Opus Dei priest wrote about a spirit of gratitude, which means appreciating what is good. He said that we must “savor” the good.
Since I am now employed as a preschool teacher, I can better appreciate Fr. Ayxela’s words. Being around children allows me to reflect on how important it is to be childlike: it reminds us to recognize the good in others. I can see more clearly the power of grace as I learn to be more patient, more persevering, more cheerful, and more childlike.
It is not easy to teach energetic, exuberant preschoolers, but I can see the positive changes these experiences have made on me. For example, I have seen children who just laugh when they fall on the mud or scrape their knees. They do not make a fuss but simply get up and run around again. I savor these good moments because they teach me how to deal with life’s complexities. I am grateful for all the lessons I have learned.
Let me end by saying that we should constantly give thanks to God as we enter yet another phase in our young adult life. Not everyone is as fortunate as we are. Once again, thank you to all who made this phase of our journey both fruitful and meaningful. To my fellow graduates, congratulations! We did it!#
Banner photo by Sasin Tipchai from Pixabay.
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