Messages

June 16, 2022 – Good afternoon, everyone or in PRO-FRIENDS, great morning.

May I ask our parents to please give a warm round of applause to our Grade 10 Edwardians. But also, if I may ask one small thing. If I could also ask you to applaud for our teachers and faculties and staff of St. Edward for mounting this beautiful face to face graduation. Alam po ninyo or maybe many of you don’t know, but our faculty and staff had to hurdle many challenges for ousting you a face to face graduation so let’s really thank them for all their efforts and we’re super happy to see all of you here again

And to all Edwardians, Hello.

Hello everyone. So as you cross this very special milestone, we thought we leave you with 3 important things. For the people who work with me, they know I can’t remember more than 3 items. And I wanted to share with you on this very special day, some things that I wish or we wish as your parents that some people would’ve told us when we were in grade 10 although noong panahon natin wala pang Grade 10 eh no? Parang hanggang 4^th year High School lang tayo.

So what are these 3 things?

The first is how many of you feel like you’re kind of different from everyone else? Raise your hand. If you feel a little different from the person on your right.

The first thing that I want to share with you was God did not make a mistake in making who you are. So, I know that a lot of times in the age of social media there’s a tendency to compare. Diba po? If you catch your kids looking at their phones, looking at Instagram or Facebook, and I really wanted to share with you there’s no point in trying to be the next person. Because when God created you, he was very mindful. He knew why your eyes are like that. He knew why your body type is like that. He knew why your character is like that. So, I want you to repeat after me, if possible, the first thing is there is only one of me and I will make the most of it. Can I hear you repeat it? There is only one of me and I will make the most of it

So, as you cross over to a new section of your life, I want you to remember that please don’t try to be someone that you’re not because god created you for a very special purpose that no one else can do. Noong ginawa ka Niya, the way that you think, no one else is going to think like that. So, if you begin to conform to what society wants, then the full potential of what God needs you to do, hindi natin magagawa.

When I was much younger, I always felt very different. Even up to today, actually. I might enter a room and say “Oh, you’re kind of like that person.” And I’m really glad that I didn’t. Because when I look back at all my experiences, I know that if God created me any other way, I would not be where I am today. So please make the most of who you are. Try to be authentically you and God will do wonders to you. So that’s the first one.

The second is, choose the people in your corner wisely. Choose them well. Because sometimes we think people there are in our corner but they’re not really there to support us. They’re not really there to move forward. This is especially important because for some of you, you may be moving forward from St. Edward. Please remember the values that we taught you here. Please carry with you the values that your parents have painstakingly tried to instill in your hearts. Pag pumasok na po tayo kung saan man tayo mag-aaral, there would be many influences not all of them, good. So please choose carefully who will these people are. What are some things I could give you in choosing the people in your corner? The first one is make sure they are kind and make sure they’re kind, not just kind to you but to everybody without fail. Ako po lagi kong metric kung kind ba sa bodyguards, kung kind ba sa janitors. Because for me, if you cannot be kind to people who cannot do anything for you, then that is not kindness. How else would you choose the people in your corner? Make sure that they are honest. Make sure that they’re not going to try to bring you to places where you should not be. Make sure your friends are supportive in the right ways. And what do I mean by that, ilan po sa kaibigan natin na pag napapariwara na tayo, your friend will tap you and say, I don’t think that’s the way to go. So, if you find yourself in the situation where you’re tempted, and all your friends are just telling you, sige gawin mo pa yan, check the people in your corner. And lastly, when you find these people, make sure they share the same values that you have. The same values that were taught to you in St. Edward – Faith, Integrity, Stewardship, and Hardwork.

Lastly, and this is the, what I would like to really leave you with: there will be many definitions of success throughout your life. Even today, for many of us, I’m probably the same age as your parents. There are many ways that the world measure success. And even in our age, it gets very tempting. It gets very tempting to measure success by the number of positions you hold, sa totoo lang that doesn’t matter. It will be very tempting to measure success by what you have, the number of properties you owned, the number of cars that you own. In the end, that matters very little. It will be easy to measure success by what you see on social media. Be very wary of that. It’s very easy to take a photo. But what is true success? True success is going home at night knowing that you’ve made a difference in someone else’s life. There are many labels attached to where I am today.  But I can tell you, when I face the mirror, the only thing that makes me happy is doing that. That my life made a difference not just for me or my family, but that my life made a difference in the lives of other.

As you turn a new chapter, I hope that you do not forget. That whatever we have today, you were so incredibly blessed. You graduated from, and you will hear it later from DepEd, you graduated from one of the best performing schools in our province. Palakpakan naman po natin ang St. Edward. You have parents who were here, who would do anything for you. Are we not willing to do everything for our children? Yes of course, Many children do not have parents like the ones you have. We are imperfect but we love you like crazy and we are willing to do everything for you. So please remember, how utterly blessed you are. And that 99% of our population, probably cannot say the same. So, you graduate today leaving an impact. You stand on the shoulders of giants. So, when you make it in the world when you measure success, measure success as being authentically you and living out the authentic purpose that God created you for. That is the only thing that you need to have. And so today, we hope that’s what you will carry on your heart – a burning passion to really discover who you are what God created you for and we are so excited our dear Edwardians to see all the great things that this country will see through you.

And as a last tribute, I want to ask our dear students. Okay lang po ba that we give a standing ovation to our deserving parents. Palakpakan naman po natin ang ating mga magulang. To our dear parents, thank you so much. Thank you for being such for being such a great example to our Edwardians and for being fantastic partners in raising this batch of Edwardians. Maraming maraming salamat po sa tiwala ninyo sa ating lumalaking institusyon and St. Edward is only here today because of your trust, because of your support and because of the love that you have for our Edwardians but also for our school. Maraming salamat po and equal congratulations to all of you.

Have a blessed day.

To Ms. Isabel Cuevas-Santos, President of St. Edward School, Dr. Doris DJ Estalilla, Schools Division Superintendent of the Division of General Trias City, Dr. John T. Cabalo, our principal, our beloved teachers, our dear parents, esteemed guests, and batch 2022, good day.

It has been seven years since I delivered my own graduation speech for batch 2015 and I am humbled and grateful to have been invited to deliver another one again, this time for batch 2022.

Although I can’t be with you right now physically due to an equally important matter, know that I am very proud of your batch for persevering for your studies despite the adverse and difficult effects of the pandemic.

Back in high school, I would describe myself to be the kind of student who was an achievement-seeker.

I graduated as the batch valedictorian, I became the CSG president in 2013-2014, the Estoile school paper’s managing editor, I also competed in school press conferences, quiz bees, and swimming competitions.

So now, many of you might be wondering, with all the accomplishments that I mentioned, where am I now or what I am doing since I finished my studies.

Sad to say but, I am NOT successful. Not yet, at the very least.

In fact, right after graduating in college, I wasn’t even sure what I wanted to do in life. All I know is that I need to work to earn for a living. And that’s what I did. I applied for so many jobs from different industries and for different positions. I was so confident that I would easily land any job with all the accomplishments that I have.

At least 30 companies after, I only received five email replies, of which four of them either says “we acknowledge the receipt of your application” but never really updated me afterwards or the famous line “we regret to inform you but you have not been selected for this position”.

Of course, my ambitious and naïve self got discouraged. I started doubting my capabilities and thought “what’s the point”? But nonetheless, I still have that one email where I got invited for an interview. So after crying and feeling hopeless, I still prepared and tried. During that job interview as I wait for my turn, I noticed that the other applicants look so much smarter than me, many already have previous work experiences, and I looked the youngest. I thought, this is the only shot that I have so might as well give my best.

I answered the exam and job interview to the best of my knowledge, with all honesty and sincerity. I was asked what I think was my edge from my co-applicants. And my answer was “despite my lack of work experience compared to them, what I do have is the genuine passion and thirst to learn new things. Not having any expertise at the moment is not a weakness but an advantage, because I am like brand new sponge, ready to absorb and adapt new skills that I will gain from this opportunity”.

Since then, I have been working as a public servant at the Department of Labor and Employment who handles one of its youth employment facilitation programs. I am proud to say that from a clueless fresh grad who hardly found her first job, I am now an instrument to help the at-risk Filipino youth find meaningful paid jobs.

With that, I want you to carry these lessons from my experience:

1. First, accomplishments do not equate success. You may have achievements right now as you graduate, but it is not a guarantee that things will go your way and your expectations. Likewise, if you think you lack achievements compared to your batchmates, that does not mean you won’t go far in life. Success is immeasurable and there is not one metric that applies to all of us.

2. So, do not compare yourselves from others because that will only discourage you. There is someone who is always better than us just like those experienced applicants I met during my job interview. So instead of focusing on what you lack or what you can’t do, divert your energy into improving yourself instead.

3. However, despite working hard, know you will continuously and inevitably fail in life. But this is not to discourage you; I want you to know that this is the reality outside the four corners of your classrooms and that you should learn how to adapt when things get difficult. Failure is something that no one can control, but you can control your emotions and actions towards failure. It’s just like having no control on the number of failed job applications, but what I can control is my emotions and attitude towards it. If I just kept on crying after so many rejections, do you think I will still be the person who I am today?

Learn to accept that you will fail sometimes because this will only make you stronger to face tomorrow. You can pause to rest and reflect but do not stop. The journey towards success is not linear or like a staircase that only goes upward. It is a series of ups and downs that will lead you to your goals in life.

4. Lastly, I know that many of you feels scared, uninspired, or unsure of what to do next. And that’s okay. Even I am still figuring out many things in life. There are still a lot of lessons we need to learn, experiences we need to try, and opportunities we need to take. Go out of your comfort zone. And if there are days when you would feel lost and clueless, just keep on trying, learning, and doing something. You will eventually figure it out.

To the class of 2022, may these lessons I shared help you pave your way towards success. Warmest congratulations on your graduation and best wishes for your future

endeavors!

Thank you.