Dr. Remedios T. Habacon, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, TUMCS, Inc., Mrs. Maria Florentina E. De Leon, president, TUMCSI, Ms. Lizabeth Rebekah P. Perez, Head Preschool Department, Mrs. Mae Geraldine Ocampo, Principal Elementary Department, Rev. Annaliza Cabangan, TUMC Administrative Pastor, Ms. Angeline D. Cayetano, Principal High School Department, Dr. Carlito S. Puno, our Honorable Commencement Speaker, Guests, Faculty and Staff, Parents and fellow graduates, good evening.
With the victory attained by all of us here tonight, with the smile etched on each of our faces, we, our parents and our teachers are what truly illumine this place. The four years of hardship and trials that we spent are nothing compared to the bliss that we feel at the moment. Yes, it’s been four years since we started teasing and annoying one another only to find ourselves later sharing to each other pieces of paper, pens and even answers to assignments. It has been a fast- paced high school life, a space shuttle ride which marked another milestone in our teenage lives.
I dream of becoming a clever architect as I am a person who loves to plan before I plunge myself into any action. I am a person who lives in the future, a person who always looks forward to as many possibilities as I can, a person who works for the upcoming promises. Had I been given the opportunity to create a new blueprint of my life, I would have certainly grabbed the offer and could have come up with something marvelous for my basis would be the years I lived which I considered have been the splendid outcome of the magnificent plan of my life’s architect, God.
Through my family and my very own parents, God showed me what unconditional love means. Through the sacrifices of my parents I was made to understand the value of labor and industry and I understood these ideas even more as I chose to spend my years of high school in this institution which served as my second home for four years and which taught us all the idea “servant leadership.” Matthew 20: 26 – 28 says, “not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many”. The Son of Man, Jesus Christ did an overwhelming sacrifice and it did not result in vain, for His life became a ransom for our sins. Jesus demonstrated humility and generosity, a convincing example of a servant leader.
We TUMCSIans are known to be dedicated and determined. Once we set a goal we see to it that we achieve it. Hence, we have always been recognized winners, champions in competitions we joined in. We usually earn the judges’ nods, get the gold medals and gain the audience’s attention. And modesty aside, I was one of those. Parents, teachers and guests, we made you proud because of those. However, behind those gold medals, those recognition, were our numerous nights deprived of sleep, moments of seemed to be endless union with our laptops, plentiful cups of coffee and others that would make us awake only to finish a paper for a congress, to comply with our academic requirements and to bring those slices of bacon home. As students setting priorities became an integral part of our daily activities. We learned to choose between things that matter most and those which do not. Our accomplishment is not just a result of gains and productivity but a by-product of losing and exchanging comfort for duties and responsibilities to fulfill. I myself experienced walking alone on my way home because my friends left me behind as I needed to accomplish school works. I exchanged the comfort of cushion to sleeping on a makeshift bed just to fulfill my duty as one of the school’s representative in a regional competition. I traded off my free time and happy hours and used them to increase my proficiency not for myself alone but also for my team mates’ benefit. If I were to narrate all my and our sacrifices one by one, an hour would not be enough. Thus, I conclude at this point. Yes, fellow graduates we sacrificed. However, I think the greater had been the sacrifices of our very own parents who have been demonstrating before us the idea of servant leadership as they unceasingly guide us and work for our needs and wants. Our dear parents endeavored for our education. They painstakingly molded us into what God wanted us to be. Thus, I think they knew the meaning of sacrifice and servant leadership far better than we do. The next whom I consider living testimonies of sacrifice and servant leadership are our teachers and coaches who did not only lead us but acted as servants as they willingly fulfill their responsibilities. They shared to us their food, provided us more than what the school required of them, slept on the floor and made adjustments on their personal schedules only to assist us as we prepare for a competition. Our dear teachers meticulously instructed us on the complexities of things surrounding us and life as a whole. They did not just teach us academics but above all, humbly assisted our parents in preparing us for what lies ahead. And these are primarily the reasons behind our every victory, our becoming competitive and productive individuals. Our so-called sacrifices are nothing compared to theirs. And tonight, we all reap the fruit of all our servant leaders’ sacrifices.
Batchmates, I believe that we ourselves have been servant leaders in our own little ways. We might have not done it the way Jesus, our parents or our teachers did but the mere fact that we demonstrated humility, industry, open-mindedness and confidence as we dealt with others while we led our groupmates in a performance task, that had been a good start. These values have been instilled in us and would give us a strong foundation as we ourselves practice servant leadership as our life in college commences.
There is no such thing as perfect, only God is. Thus, we know that all the disappointments, failures, regrets and challenges we underwent took place because we are not perfect. We felt despair when we failed a test. We were disheartened when we did not win in a contest. We sulked when we were reprimanded. We thought we would never overcome the difficulties of studying and the agony was prolonged as we waited for the results of the deliberation. We almost lost faith and even wished to live a life different from what we already have. However, as we trod high school life together we learned not to fear, never. Fear brings about failure and will dampen the birth of a servant leader in us. Jesus triumphantly modeled servant leadership because he never feared dying on the cross. I’m not saying that we need to die in the same manner Jesus did. What I’m saying is that let us remove from our vocabulary the word fear. Aristotle said, “fear is an impediment to courageous action.” I myself failed at some points of my student life. Nonetheless, I am here standing and speaking before you tonight because I never let failure bring me down. I never stopped as I failed. Instead, I used every bit of it to work on my disadvantages, to improve what I already have, to take intrepid actions. Seeing you all here Batchmates make me conclude that you could have done the same, you conquered fear for, had we all been afraid of failure, we would have not reached this spot. What we have attained, I believe, is the sweetest fruit of the invaluable attributes that we demonstrated as servant leaders.
“No man is an island.” It’s true. Alone, I would have not been able to make it. Thus, I’m acknowledging the people who did their share in making me and us all, achievers.
I’ll be missing all the moments we had, the rough plays, the sharing of baon, the unlimited chats online as we helped each other come up with presentable outputs of what we have learned. To my friends here, a huge and a meaningful THANK YOU. You made my four years in TUMCSI remarkable that I could not hide a smile every time I recall the moments. Minutes from now all of these will be memories, a kind which I wish to bring wherever I go. Thank you. May we not forget our friendship even when we part ways.
In behalf of all the Seniors, a heartfelt gratitude for your priceless efforts in guiding us and imparting us the experiences and lessons you had in life. For all the teachers here, I am grateful to be one of your students. I have learned a lot from all of you, the discipline you have instilled in us will forever be a part of our being. You have been very compassionate, considerate and truly fulfilled your duty as second parents to us all. Thank you for your never ending patience. You played a role which I don’t think I’d trade for anything else in my life and all of the graduates here. Thank you.
I would have not been here without this couple who said I am a blessing from God. In return, I say and I’m certain, they are the best gift and blessing that I ever received from the Father of all. To my loving parents, Thank you so much. The remaining time for my speech would not be enough if I mention each of the things that you have done for me. However, I assure both of you that you have done your best in rearing me and my sibling. You provided me more than what I actually needed. Your overflowing love and support enabled me to endure life’s challenges and eventually survive them. I appreciate every bit of your labor especially your efforts of finding money to financially sustain my education. I can’t give you back the money now, not yet. Instead, I’m offering you all of my medals and the honor and prestige that go with them tonight because it’s you who are really worth of all the recognition. Thank you Mama and Papa.
Further, I thank my Alma Mater, the Taytay United Methodist Christian School, Inc. for all the lessons, academics and non-academics that she let me and us learn. The discipline this institution offers might have made us appear nerds and boring before others, yes. However, it is this discipline that set our distinction from all others. TUMCSIans before us have been successful individuals in all aspects of human endeavors and we all will follow the path. Thank you TUMCSI.
Above all, I thank the Almighty God for making these all possible. He has given me everything including those which I never asked of. This and my, our future fellow graduates solely depends on Him. All of us, we are blessed to be part of this commencement exercises through the power of our omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent God. Thank you, Lord.
I end this address with this quote by Nelson Mandela, who himself was a servant leader: “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.” Yes, this thought has been demonstrated and proven true by our parents, teachers and all other significant people in our lives. And I believe that will also be applied by us as we pursue our ambitions outside TUMCSI.
We’ll part ways, yes and we’re heading different directions but let us not forget that God created us to lead and to serve and that our existence would not be meaningful without sharing what God has given us to others. One servant leader says, “a meaningful life is a life lived for others, a life that has importance is a life committed to serve God, other people, our society and our family.”
As future servant leaders let us not cease trusting God, the architect of all lives on Earth, for his plans are brilliantly made. Let us pursue the blueprint that God had prepared for us. Let us be rocks, a foundation of future leaders who will truly serve and not dominate the community. 1 Peter 5:3 emphasizes that a servant leader is not domineering over those in his charge, but a good example to his flock. Let us all be examples of a servant leader who models modesty, industry, confidence and open-mindedness. That way, we give glory to God who deserves all the praises. God Bless us all!
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