Commencement Speech Marh 2003

TERNATE NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
TERNATE, CAVITE
2003 GRADUATION ADDRESS
By : Danny Villaruel Leonera

Thank you Claire, Mrs. Clarisa Dualan, distinguished members of the board, Mr. Generoso S. Corpuz, members of the Tenate National High School administration, Faculty, Proud parents, and class of 2003.

I would like to begin by acknowledging those of you especially the students, who made it possible for me to speak here today. This honor you have bestowed upon me is one of the highlights of my career. This gift you have given me has truly touched my heart, and so I thank you from the bottom of it. Perhaps thanks would be more gracious than mere acknowledgement but, I’m not all sure how it would be to say thank you for the stressful opportunity of speaking at the graduation ceremony of one own niece Ronel, cousin Noel, grandson Michael and all of you dear graduates. The pride and the inevitable sadness in saying goodbye to childhood are deeply felt by all, not by you only, but by the teachers and by the parents as well. This is an important moment.

While I am on the subject of giving thanks, I want each of you to think for a minute about what it took for you to get here. Who do you have an obligation to thank ? Think about it. Who helped you get here, a few yards away from a diploma, and minutes away from the end of your high school career ? Do me a favor, CLOSE YOUR EYES and think , who do you need to thank.

Some of you are thinking right now about a higher power, whose divine intervention has paved your way. Some of you are thinking about family. You may not know exactly where they are in this enormous facility, but they are here, and they picked you out of the crowd from the moment you came in. Their eyes are not on me right now, their eyes have always been on you, and now you can almost feel their pride and warmth on your skin. Some of you are thinking about an administrator or someone in guidance, who helped you when you needed it most. Some of you are thinking about a teacher, maybe the one who opened your mind, maybe the one who challenged you, encouraged you, believed in you, or taught you more than you anticipated. Some of you are thinking about those friends whose support, advise, and help running up your parent’s phone bill helped you become a better person.

Who ever you are thinking about, make sure you fulfil your obligation of saying thank you. (Now you can open your eyes). To say thank you, don’t give that dry, informal thank you that everyone says. Or thank you people say to be polite, or to get an extra graduation gift. Give them the thanks you owe them. Look them in the eye and tell them exactly what you are thankful for. Your sincere thanks may bring tears, but those tearful moments make for the world’s greatest hugs.

Class of 2003 will you promise to say thank you and fulfil your first obligation ?

After you give thanks, you must fulfil your second obligation. In a few minutes from now, you will turn your tassels and officially end your senior year. After that, you freshmen will begin to fulfil your second obligation. Yes, that’s right, I called you freshmen. After today that is what you will be.
Most of you will be freshmen in college, some of you will be a fresh face at a fresh new job, and some of you will have fresh new hair cuts as you join the armed services. So, no matter what, you will be a freshman tomorrow.

As you start your fresh new lives, you owe one simple thing. Climb to the top of the mountain again. Rise to the top. This diploma you are about to receive, doesn’t represent a bunch of credits, it represents your ability to succeed. This diploma represents the fact that you are all proven winners. This diploma says you have the ability to achieve anything you set your mind to.

Everyone who helped you get here expects and believes that you will succeed in life. All we ask is that you believe it too. All we ask is that you leave here today and give 110% to your dreams and achieve them.

Class of 2003, Your destiny is greatness, will you promise to try and fulfil your obligation to succeed ? Remember, your graduation is not an end, but just a beginning of the rest your journey on this planet. We hold these commencement exercises therefore , to say goodbye to you and to wish you well on your journey.

As you leave the portals of the proud institution, we say goodbye to you. Your devoted parents who showered you with love and personal sacrifices in the last 15 or 16 years of your life, and your teachers who guided your way in the past four years, say goodbye to you, as you now get on a new caravan of dreams- - dreams of a successful career, a family, and hopefully, a role in nation-building.

It has been exactly 27 years now kwandu a gradwa yo na high school. Very memorable kel di motru graduation. Di pwedi yo habla alegri y malungkut. Alegri dahil we are one ! Nuway Valedictorian, nuway din Salutatorian maski honorable mention. We had all given then recognition as outstanding students of Batch ’76. Malungkut, kasi we are mourning dahil 3 diya bago di motru graduation ya muri una na di motru mestra. Todu motru ta yura habang ta kanta motru kel di motru graduation song Bridge Over Troubled Water. Mismu agora na mi piensa no yo guest speaker, mi feeling ay di gradwa rin yo companieru dis tedi. You must be proud of kasi todu dis tedi mestra ay taki na harapang dis tedi hanggang na dis tedi pusleru dia aqui na iskwela , and they are very pleased with your accomplishments and very proud of you young men and women, whom I will call the ¨Centennial Graduates¨.

I am very happy to see some very familiar faces in the faculty and among the parents out there, some of whom were my old classmates, 27 years ago. Kumusta kayong lahat diyan sa likod. I have been informed, by the way, that Mr. Corpuz after 27 years, remains the best History teacher you have anywhere !

Dear Graduates, as your own sun rises in the east, mine has now passed the point of higth noon, and in the gathering of dusk, I see you within the perspective of time. There are landmarks in my own career and my own life which I would like very much to share with you, in the hope of inspiring you on your journey. In the process, I will be invoking the names of some great people who have profoundly influenced my life.

My parents, first of all, who built me to excel where I am now. I remember my mother told me. ¨Anak, tayo ay hindi mayaman. Wala akong maipamamana sa iyo kundi ang aking talino at pinag-aralan.
Ang tunay na kayamanan ng isang tao ay wala sa laki ng kanyang kabuhayan, wala sa dami ng pera sa bangko, wala sa ganda ng mukha o laki at ganda ng bahay at bakuran. Ang tunay na kayamanan ay nasa karunungan at pinagaralan, at sa magandang kalooban¨.

These words of wisdom inspired and carried me trough the rest of my life. After high school, I was fortunate to attend a college only by supporting my own self because my parents could not have been able to afford it, by any stretch of the imagination. I felt like I was the poorest boy in the class, which I probably was. I only had two pairs of khaki pants and two pairs of white shirts, which I alternated washing every night. My sister know this very well and will fondly remember it.

In my group, I was the only one who feels so sorry. When my rich classmates were out having good time with their friends, I was in my own room alone, earning my spending money by typing my clients term papers. When I graduated, I had higher grades than any of my rich classmates, who had all the luxuries and conveniences in life. Today, they respect me and look up to me !

The point of this story is Poverty : Poverty is no excuse, and being poor is no hindrance to success, as long as you have the tenacity to survive and determination to succeed. Think ! Think like an eagle and you will fly like an eagle. When stumbling blocks are thrown your way, use them as stepping stones. When dark clouds hide the day, look for the silver lining that leads to a bright and sunny sky. Armed with an invincible weapon that is your solid dedication and hard work can take you !

I want you to understand then, that there is nothing nobler, stronger, healthier, and more helpful in life than a good remembrance, particularly a remembrance from our childhood. when we still lived in our parents house. You often hear people speak about upbringing and education, but I feel that a beautiful, holy memory preserved from the early childhood can be the most important single thing in our development. And if a person succeeds, in the course of his life, in collecting many such memories, he will be saved for the rest of his life. And even if we have only one such memory, it is possible that it will be enough to save us some day.

Graduates, I challenge you to prepare for the new global economy are many and formidable, but for those who can prepare for it by pursuing the right careers and having right frame of mind, the rewards will be great. My personal advise to you is to choose careers that will give you the opportunity to learn to use computers, browse the Internet, learn about other cultures and maybe even familiarize yourselves with foreign languages. Seize every opportunity at your disposal to go abroad, even for a brief study of work assignment. The next century is the Information Age. In order to survive and get ahead, you must be conversant with the modern tools of information technology, such as computers and telecommunications. Some ot these you can learn in school. Some you can learn on your own, and apply the principles to whatever profession or field of endeavor you might choose to pursue.

My parting message to you, my dear graduates is this : Whatever career you decide to pursue, and whatever faith leads you, be the best that you can possibly be. Let shine in you - - in your hearts, in your words and in your actions – the best image of the Filipino and the best image of the Ternatenos that you can possibly present – without arrogance and without apology, but with dignity and pride ! I THANK YOU VERY MUCH, GODSPEEDS ! GRADUATES, CONGRATULATIONS !