The valedictory address that follows was delivered by Francine Monina P. Mariazeta, graduate of Master of Arts in Communication Major in Integrated Marketing Communication, during the 27th UA&P Graduation Rites held at the PICC on August 21, 2022.
Our guest speaker, Honorable Congressman Roman Romulo; members of the Board of Trustees; Dr. Winston Padojinog, our University President; members of the Management and Operations Committees of the different schools; college deans; program directors; members of the UA&P faculty and staff; parents, guests, and of course, the graduating class of 2022—I am honored to be able to greet all of you in person a good afternoon!
This day has been a long time in the making, and I am beyond ecstatic to be celebrating it with all of you. Time has allowed us to finally get together once again.
Time has always been thought of as linear. For example, taking trips down memory lane, measuring the span of the galaxy in lightyears, and moving only in one direction, that is, forward. But with everything that has happened, especially since the last time we were together, time has started becoming more fluid with the years and the memories blending into each other, making it difficult to remember our lives back in the UA&P campus. Some of the things I do remember is that I was just a junior who used to have full bangs; would stay in late for ROC shows, PMT events, or IMC pitches; was addicted to Zhakim’s fried chicken; and hogging USC tables with my very large college barkada. That, honestly, felt like a lifetime ago.
Each and every one of us has our own blurred vision of what used to be—maybe you were a sophomore who had your last varsity training in PSB without realizing it; or maybe you were a junior preparing for your org’s major production, not knowing it was going to be canceled the day after; maybe you were just trying to get by during midterms, not realizing that would have been the last time you would stay all-night in the new library at ALB; maybe you were never even able to step foot on campus because you enrolled for your post-graduate in an online set-up.
But the one thing that all of us do share is that it’s been two and a half years. Two and a half years since we last roamed the halls of our university; two and a half years since we last had McDo night-outs with our orgmates after a successful event; two and a half years since we last did a bleep test until our lungs couldn’t take it anymore.
Two and a half may seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but look around you: this hall is filled today with over 400 former college sophomores, juniors, and 46YPs who wanted nothing but to get through the last few years of university, and professionals who wanted to seek for deeper knowledge for their careers. Today, we are back—seeing each other again or even for the first time—suddenly we are seniors or super seniors wearing togas and caps instead of backpacks and org IDs. Look how much we’ve changed; look how much we’ve grown. That’s two and a half years of our lives that we lost and will never get back.
So, you may be wondering, “What now?” But I believe the better question to ask is “So what?”
So what if we’ve lost those two and a half years? Two and a half is insignificant when we compare it to the many years we have to navigate the real world outside of the walls of the university. It is insignificant to the number of lives we can change along the way, may it be at home, at work, or in our community, and is merely a fraction of the impact that we can make with our chosen path in this ever-changing world.
What we have lost is nothing compared to what we are yet to gain, and we have the UA&P community to thank for that. This great institution allowed us to create friendships and relationships that will last a lifetime. It has instilled in us lessons and values that we will bring with us for the rest of our lives. It has taught us to go above and beyond, not just in blazing our own trails but in going beyond ourselves and serving a bigger purpose—two and a half times and a thousand more than what we initially thought we could ever be.
We may never get back those years that we lost, but we can always go beyond what they could have been. We were taught in our liberal arts classes that the purest form of love is the total giving of oneself to the other and going beyond what you receive. When we leave the doors of this hall, we will begin to give this love back to the people around us; to our work, whatever field we may end up in; to the wider community, through our chosen causes that we believe can make a difference; and of course, most importantly, to the Supreme Being. Without Him, we will not be here today. It is this love that will help us regain and even transcend the boundaries of the years we have lost and turn them into something much more valuable and meaningful. We must use our talents and gifts to improve the organizations and communities that we are and will be a part of, and better the lives of those around us by cultivating the common good. It is our purpose as graduates of this institution to make the ordinary even more extraordinary.
As the world opens up again and as we enter the next chapter of our lives, we are uncertain of what lies ahead of us now more than ever. We do not know if we will be able to meet the expectations set by our families and future colleagues. We are not sure if our chosen careers and the degrees bestowed upon us today will be our path to success. We saw in the pandemic how quickly life can be taken away from us, and we don’t know when it can happen again. Amidst all these uncertainties, one thing is for sure: UA&P has prepared us by bringing out the richness that lies within, full of grace, goodness, and love that will help us make an impact despite the challenges we have yet to face.
So, may the past two and half years of extraordinary circumstances be our launchpad to become extraordinary people who will give back to the world in our own extraordinary ways. May we continue to live a life of excellence and Unitas in the service of and for the love of others in the way that the greatest university along Pearl Drive has taught us to do. No matter how scary uncertainties may be, may we have the courage to fail, to learn, and to grow wherever our paths may lead us so we can make our mark in our own little corner of the world. Let us remain steadfast in being insanely truthful, fiercely strategic, obsessively creative, and of course, passionately human in everything that we do (special shoutout to you, SCM! Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for everything).
But most importantly, I encourage you, my fellow graduates, that with everything that UA&P has given us, may we give back more than what we have lost. Always in all ways, two and a half times more and beyond.
So, cheers to us, Dragons! We did it. It may have felt like a lifetime, but we did it. No words can express how happy I am that we can share this joyous moment together. May this memory never leave us for the rest of our lives, no matter how fluid time may become.
I extend my heartfelt congratulations to each and every one of you, Batch 2022, as well as to the families present here today. And on behalf of all the graduates, thank you, UA&P, for welcoming us back when we were freshmen, for allowing us to be together again for the last time as seniors, and for all the in-betweens—you are truly one of a kind.
Thank you and good afternoon.
Banner photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash.
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