Commencement Address at the Junior College Commencement Ceremony 2026
This speech was delivered by Commencement Speaker Josemari R. Lorenzo Valdez during the 9th Junior College Commencement Ceremony held at the Sonata Ballroom, Westin Manila on July 25, 2026.
To the President of UA&P, the members of the Board of Trustees, the faculty, staff, parents, distinguished guests, and most importantly, the graduates—congratulations.
Today is a day of achievement. A day of celebration. A day that marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. And as you stand at this crossroads, many people will ask you familiar questions: “What university do you plan to attend?” “What course will you take?” “What career do you want to pursue?” These are good questions. But I would argue they are not the most important ones. The more important question is this: What kind of person do you want to become?
Because the next four or five years will not just shape your career. They will shape your character. And character, perhaps more than ever before, matters. Let me explain why.
We often hear about the importance of competence. Competence is the ability to consistently perform a task or role effectively. It is the combination of knowledge, skills, and behaviors that allow us to achieve results. Character, on the other hand, is something different. Character is the moral strength to choose what is right, even when it is difficult. Both are important. Because character without competence is a waste of good men. Competence without character can create dangerous men. But character with competence can change the world.
Today, as artificial intelligence rapidly transforms our society, this distinction becomes even more important. McKinsey estimates that more than half of today’s tasks will be impacted by AI. In the past, competence was often defined by what you knew or what you could do. Today, information is increasingly available to everyone. Tomorrow, AI may be able to perform many of the tasks we once considered uniquely human.
So competence is becoming less about what you know and more about how you use what you know and what you choose to use it for. And that is where character comes in. So today, I’d like to share three ideas that may help guide you as you enter this next chapter of your life.
First: invest in your identity, not your image. We live in a world that is increasingly obsessed with image. Social media encourages us to carefully curate how we appear to others. Likes, views, and followers can sometimes become measures of self-worth. But image is not identity. Image is how people see you. Identity is who you really are. So how do you build identity? By doing new things. And by doing hard things.
Doing new things helps you discover what genuinely interests you. It exposes you to possibilities you never knew existed. Doing hard things helps you discover something even more important—whether you are merely interested in something or truly committed to it. I’ve learned that when you do interesting things, you meet interesting people. And when you meet interesting people, interesting opportunities often follow. But it is through hard things that you discover your true potential. The process of stretching beyond your comfort zone is one of life’s greatest adventures. Because that is where you create what I call core memories. Core memories are pivotal experiences that shape your character, your worldview, and your values. These are the moments that leave a permanent mark on who you become.
I remember in 2009 I was 19 years old, a student of UA&P – when one of the most devastating typhoons that ever hit the Philippines Typhoon Ondoy or Tropical Storm Ketsana struck. This typhoon has caused approximately P11B in economic damages, affecting a million families, injuring more than 500, and claiming the lives of over 400 people.
As a member of the student council then, I co-led with the university center of student affairs the collection and distribution of donations and relief goods across metro manila, Marikina, and Rizal. I remember volunteering at the Philippine Red Cross, riding a 6x6 army truck to flood stricken areas to distribute goods and give trauma counseling to children and families affected by the flood.
UA&P then became a hub for the city of pasig for donations, students, alumni and neighbors all used the school facilities as a distribution center. They were not necessarily comfortable experiences, but they were transformative experiences.
It was in this experience where I saw how the UA&P community often wrongly perceived as out of touch was actually passionate and united in serving others in this time of crisis. It was this experience that inspired me to found the outreach, advocacy, and leadership student organization Catalyst of UA&P, now on its 17th year with over thousands of members and beneficiaries.
As I founded this organization, I vividly remember my mentor telling me during an outreach activity. He said: “When people participate in outreach activities, there are actually two beneficiaries. One is the person receiving the gift who benefits from the material use of the gift. The other is the person giving, who gains a deeper understanding of life and its realities.” I’ve never forgotten that lesson.
It was in this moment that it was made clear to me: the moments that change us are not the moments when we receive something. They are the moments when we give. So whenever life presents you with an opportunity to create a core memory—to serve, to lead, to sacrifice, to build, to take a risk—step up. Those moments will shape your identity. And if you focus on building your identity, your image will take care of itself.
Second: broaden your perspectives, but deepen your ideals. As you grow older, your world will become bigger. You will meet people from different backgrounds. You will encounter different ideas. You will experience success and failure. And through it all, I encourage you to broaden your perspective, but deepen your ideals.
To broaden your perspective means learning from others. Listen to their stories. Understand their struggles. Appreciate experiences different from your own. The wider your perspective becomes, the more wisdom you gain. To deepen your ideals, means identifying the values you hold most dear. What principles will guide your decisions? What ideals are worth standing for? What kind of leader do you want to become?
Lee Kuan Yew recognized as the father of modern Singapore once said: “You start off with idealism, you should end up in maturity with a great deal of sophistication giving a gloss to that idealism. But what usually happens is a great deal of erosion by the soft and baneful influences of power, leaving nothing of the idealism behind and only the professionalism of political leadership without idealism’s leavening values” (Lee Kuan Yew, Speech at a conference on youth and leadership 1967)
I believe there is great wisdom in that statement. As you grow in experience and influence, do not abandon your ideals. Refine them. Strengthen them. Ground them in reality. But never lose them. The world does not simply need smarter people. It needs people who are smart enough to remain true to their values. To the graduating class—now is the perfect time to invest in your idealism. Idealism is needed to have a leavening effect on the world.
Finally: create quality relationships. Your achievements will matter. Your skills will matter. But the people you journey through life with will matter even more. There is a saying: “The people who sit beside you in class today may become the people who stand beside you for life.”
Some of the friendships you build during these years may become lifelong friendships. Some may become future business partners. Some may become mentors. And some may become the people who help you through life’s most difficult moments. Never underestimate the importance of genuine relationships. Invest in people. Be a good friend. Be someone others can trust. Because at the end of the day, success is far more meaningful when shared with others.
Graduates, today you celebrate an important milestone. But this is not your destination. It is only the beginning of the next chapter. The next few years will open new doors. Some opportunities will excite you. Some challenges will test you. Some failures will humble you. And some experiences will transform you. Embrace all of them. Build your identity. Protect your ideals. Cherish your relationships.
And remember: your degree may open doors. But your character will determine what happens when you walk through them. To the parents, congratulations and thank you for your sacrifices and unwavering support. To the faculty and administration, thank you for shaping these young minds.
And to the graduates—congratulations! We are counting on you. We are rooting for you. Take life one day at a time. Continue building both your competence and your character. Because when competence and character come together, extraordinary things become possible.
Thank you, and God bless you all.