“SEEKER and chaser of time.”
This was the title of the valedictory address delivered by Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications summa cum laude graduate Charles Gabriel V. Gelotin
Gelotin said he fears breaking the rules and laws set by school authorities and community leaders, losing his mom's Tupperware, missing the 11:59 PM deadline, checking the semestral grades, and having no permit during the examination week and of losing time.
"I learned how to value time at a very young age. I saw how precious time is —that every time wasted is an opportunity missed. I have always chased time in my elementary days, waking up at five in the morning to catch jeepneys bound for an hour-long trip to school,” he said.
He added that he has always blamed time for arriving late because his name will enlist on the blackboard of "latecomers.”
“I have pulled countless all-nighters and slept past midnight to finish projects and write reports. I have always blamed time for being so short that I could not even have enough sleep to start a new day,” he shared.
In college, he has always tried his best to shorten the time, to finish his degree at the fastest possible duration so he could start working and earn money.
There were also instances when he had to blame time for being so slow and for making him endure four long years of endless battles.
But Gelotin stressed that standing before his fellow graduates, he realized that time was not his enemy and should not be blamed.
“If we see deeper into things, time was a driving force, a factor that made us who we are,” he stressed.
Time gave him a reason to wake up early and be punctual in school; It made him passionate about submitting excellent projects and reports. Time has equipped him with the knowledge and skills to prepare for the things ahead.
"But at this very moment, I no longer worry about time, but I embrace time where I harness it, manage it wisely, and use it to my advantage,” he stressed.
In addition, he noted that time positively changed several aspects of his life, saying, “I saw how time changed 4Ps: Perspective, Path, People, and Passion."
He thanked his mother, who stood by him and his siblings both as a father and mother in their household.
She single-handedly raised her four children who, by Divine Providence, are all academic achievers and excellent in their respective crafts. Mama was there since Day 1, Gelotin said.
“She placed my first medal on my neck, and tonight, she also shares this triumphant moment with me years after placing countless awards on my shoulder,” he quipped.
He also lauded his sister, a second placer of the Licensure Examination for Civil Engineers held at IloIlo City last November 2021 and his brother, an incoming college sophomore also taking up engineering.
To his fellow graduates whom he regarded as seekers and chasers of time like him, his advice was, “let time freely flow and do its magic and miracles”
UNO-R held its 76th Commencement Exercises at the University Amphitheater on June 19, 2022, where 885 graduates from the College of Accountancy, Business and Computer studies; College of Allied Medical Health Sciences; Arts and Sciences; Criminal Justice Education; Engineering and Education received their diplomas.
Aside from Gelotin, ten others graduated summa cum laude, 24 magna cum laude, 52 cum laude, and three with academic distinction.