Mr. Eric Francia, UA&P alumnus and President & Chief Executive Officer of AC Energy, delivered the commencement address at the 26th UA&P Graduation Rites streamed live via Facebook on August 14, 2021.
First of all, let me wish our dear graduates a big congratulations. A milestone like this typically deserves a commencement exercise in a grand venue like PICC, but this time around we would just have to settle with our respective PCs. That notwithstanding—the virtual nature of this event—we should make this special, and for starters I happily chose to deliver this message via live streaming despite the risk of technical glitches. So, yes, this is not a recording, and please bear with me in case of internet issues. I’m currently in Tagaytay using prepaid wi-fi, but I have a backup…just in case.
When I was preparing for what key message I might share with you today, I thought it would be important to first understand what is on your mind and how you are feeling, especially amidst this unprecedented and challenging situation…. I was very pleased to receive a significant response to the survey, which we held in July, with well over half of the batch responding. So I am pleased to share the results of this so we can listen to the voice of the graduates. I wish to begin by highlighting the three key insights that I learned from your responses. First, there is this strong sentiment of jubilation and relief with graduation as a key milestone, and almost all of you are excited to start this new phase in life. Second, there is, however, some degree of anxiety about the future and the pressure to be productive, with around three-fourths of you in agreement or in strong agreement with those feelings and beliefs. And third, the extent of agreement, while still reasonably high, significantly dropped when it comes to clarity of career, purpose in life, and preparedness for the real world.
The next slide shows you that it is also very evident in the key words or concepts that best describe what is on your mind. This image is particularly quite telling, with the bigger words reflecting most mentions among your replies. Top of mind clearly is your job and other issues related to career, master’s degree, life, and family. There is also a predominant positive sentiment related to this special occasion called graduation – that of excitement, gratefulness, and hope. Of course, there are also key concerns that were highlighted, particularly the anxiety, the pressure, what’s going to happen next – the uncertainty, and to top it all off, there is the pandemic as a continuing backdrop.
In the next slide, you will see that in terms of your top-of-mind issue which is jobs, the good news is that a little over half of you have already a job in waiting. Congratulations! It is not easy given the situation. For the other half, don’t worry. You are not alone, and people are generally confident of getting one. I also appreciate the very thoughtful questions that you asked in the survey – hundreds of them. Many of your questions are the very same questions that I had when I was in your shoes more than 20 years ago, almost 30, I think, and had wished that somebody could have shed light on. I would have loved to address many of these questions in a very thoughtful and nuanced manner today, and I would also have loved to tell my own story and share my meaningful experiences to all of you. Unfortunately, we do not have enough time this morning, and I’m sure that everyone is looking forward to get into that virtual stage and get their respective virtual diplomas, but fortunately the good news is that Zoom provides a very convenient platform for us to address those burning questions of yours. I would therefore love to spend a couple of hours with you not now but on September 4 at 2:00 pm for an interactive dialogue. And I am delighted to personally invite you, all of you, to a virtual fireside chat on Saturday, September 4 in the afternoon. To make it more fun, we will be giving away exciting raffle prizes during the session but remember presence is required.
In the meantime, allow me to touch on for the rest of this message this morning one of the more fundamental questions in your mind which is “Where do I go from here?” and “How do I navigate these uncertainties?” First of all, let me say that it is important to ask and reflect on these questions. You will likely not have all the answers, and if you think you have the answer, that answer will likely change over time. It is normal and okay not to have the answers, and it is part of our life’s journey to discover these answers along the way and even ask more questions. Secondly, I would say that I’m also reasonably confident that UA&P, our alma mater, has equipped each one of you with the fundamentals to help you navigate your life and your career. It has certainly worked well for me, and our liberal arts foundation would have equipped us with the foundational skills, the intellectual curiosity – asking the right questions, comprehension, logic, reasoning skills, effective communications – the ability to clearly articulate our insights and their implications. If you have not mastered these liberal arts skills, then you should ask for a refund. I might have a trouble with the board for that, but that is a joke. Thirdly, I would like to share ‘the’ advice. After all, every graduation speech should ideally impart some sound advice, and my advice: You should instill and leverage three key attributes: vision, passion, action. These are the attributes I have embraced in my personal and professional life. It has certainly helped me navigate the real world, and I am sure it will help you too.
Vision is about being aspirational, dreaming big. Elon Musk, the popular CEO of Tesla and Space X, our real world Tony Stark a.k.a. Iron Man, very well described an appropriate way or an ideal way to aspire, and I quote, “the first step is to establish that something is possible then probability will occur,” unquote. Visioning is also about thinking long-term, determining a destination, and allowing you to have that direction, but, as I said, the vision that you initially conceived is likely going to change over time and this is normal. Your vision and your long-term direction will likely change along your journey. There will be twists and turns, bumps on the road, new opportunities, and many, many surprises. The key is to be able to adapt and be agile, to evolve and reinvent oneself.
Passion. Passion is about putting your heart in what you do and being able to inspire the people around you for that common cause. Renowned author John Maxwell makes the clear link between vision and passion, and I quote, “a great leader’s courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position.” He further maintains that “people buy into the leader before they buy into the vision,” unquote. Passion typically emanates from a strong sense of purpose – the stronger and loftier the purpose, the stronger the passion. This however can be a double-edged sword. This sermon is a part of this speech: One typical issue with a young generation is that the sense of purpose is sometimes too lofty and ideal that people easily get dispassionate, disappointed with what they regard as not-so-meaningful work, and so the interest and passion are easily lost, and one moves on to try to do another thing and another and another. My advice: Try your best to find the silver lining – see the world as the glass half full. Your work will likely be a small part of a big thing, like a cog in a machine, and that is not a bad thing, for without the cog, the machine could break down. No matter how menial you think your work is, there is likely that greater good. Embrace what you do, love what you do, search for the silver lining, and ignite that passion and energy in whatever you do.
Action. At the risk of stating the obvious, vision and passion are nothing in the absence of action. With that being said, I still see a lot of people with big ideas and full of passion but lacking in actual orientation. Oftentimes people and organizations fall into the so-called analysis paralysis trap. Also oftentimes, people are hesitant to take action and take risks for fear of failure. Gearing for action oftentimes also means taking risks, and that is a good thing, even if it means failing from time to time. This is how you build character, how you build grit, and this is how you create opportunities. Richard Branson, another successful CEO of the Virgin Group, put it very well, and I quote, “the luckiest people in business are those that are prepared to take the greatest risks. We can all create our own luck by taking the necessary risks to open the door to change, progression and success.”
Vision, passion, action. I hope that you engrain all of these three in your minds, in your heart, and in your will.
In closing, I very much look forward to our fireside chat and I will be more than happy to share the many experiences and stories of vision, passion, and action; and address the many burning questions that you have. I will make sure that our Zoom line has the unlimited time option. But in the meantime, do enjoy your time with family and loved ones. Take advantage of the lockdown – this is a unique opportunity that we have amidst this adversity. And on the pandemic, as the saying goes, this too shall pass. Do keep a positive mindset, and please get your jabs soon, and be prepared for a strong revival of these social and economic activities globally and in our country. We have seen this in the roaring twenties a century ago—at least our great grandparents saw that—and I won’t be surprised if we had another roaring twenties around the corner. There is so much to be thankful and hopeful for and so much to look forward to, especially for all of you who are entering this exciting new phase in this amazing journey called life. Dragons, spread your wings, soar high, and flourish. Again, a big, big congratulations to all the graduates and all the proud parents. Keep well and safe. Thank you and good day to everyone. God bless.
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Banner photo by nappy from Pexels.
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