GRADUATION season has begun. Starting this week, thousands of graduates at various school levels will be walking up the stage to claim their diplomas, medals and certificates.
The occasion will definitely be a source of pride and excitement not only for the graduates themselves but also for their parents, teachers and friends.
This is as it should be. Because for many, graduation brings them a lot closer to their dreams.
I know that it took a lot hard work for all involved to reach this far. Graduating students had to stay up late to prepare for tomorrow’s classes and assigned activities. Many, especially those studying in remote areas, had to travel hours on foot, on slippery and muddy roads, just to go to school. Students had to show up every day, whether they felt like it or not.
Parents sacrificed a lot too – especially financially – to provide what their children needed. Teachers extended the limits of their patience and understanding to help their students cope with what are required of them.
Graduating students, parents and teachers thus deserve to feel great about what they have accomplished so far.
Every single one of them should enjoy the moment. After the ceremonies, they should pose to take selfies and group-fies. Give each other a pat in the back. Give each other a hug and a mwah. They should take time to celebrate. They certainly deserve it.
Graduates can take it easy for a while. But afterwards, they – college graduates specifically - should get ready to take on the real world.
Graduation is not the end. Hindi ito pagtatapos. More appropriately, graduation is a commencement. It is a start of a new phase in the young lives of the graduates.
And as they continue to mature, they will realize that the life ahead will be different from the classrooms and laboratories that they have known during these last few years.
The world out there will be fraught with new and different challenges. The road ahead will not always be smooth. There will be speed bumps. There will be potholes. There will be traffic. Occasionally, their MRTs will not work.
The good news is that, as a general rule, our shools have prepared the young graduates well enough to meet these challenges.
I would like to believe that schools have spiritually, intellectually, and emotionally trained our graduates to set out for their life’s journey. I would like to believe that our schools have drilled into our young graduates the basic values of patriotism and good citizenship.
What advice can I give young graduates in addition to what they have already learned? During my own high school graduation, more than fifty years ago, our commencement speaker talked so long I don’t remember even a word of what he said.
So I would like to keep my advice short and simple. These are not even original but they are words of wisdom from individuals whom I deeply admire. These words helped guide me in my own life’s journey.
The late President Diosdado Macapagal, a poor boy from Lubao, Pampanga, who walked hours daily to school and back, had this motto:
“In everything that you do, always do your best and God will take care of the rest.”
An anonymous writer said similarly: “Pray as if everything depended on God. But work as if everything depended on you.”
Another wrote: “There is no limit to what you can do if you keep believing in God and you keep believing in yourself.”
A dear friend, Buddy Gomez, once told me: “Toting, dapat believe ka sa sarili mo. Kasi kung hindi ka believe sa sarili mo, eh sino ang bi-believe sa iyo.”
So if I may just sum them up: Believe in God. Believe in yourself. Pray Hard. Work Hard.
"My father, the most important influence in my life, told me:"
“Whatever you do, never stop dreaming. Never stop learning.”
To all the graduates: Once again, congratulations. Good luck and God speed.
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