Distinguished
guests, Ms. Principal, members of the faculty, fellow graduates, ladies and
gentlemen, my friends, I feel deeply honored for having been given this
opportunity to speak before a gathering of intellectuals and men and women of
the academe, our dearest parents, and my fellow graduates.
Today is the day of yet another
great achievement for all of us and a crowning glory of our struggle over a
laborious period of time in search of knowledge, truth and enlightenment.
It isn’t easy to say farewell after
four long years of sweet and unforgettable camaraderie and friendship, but go
we must, for our stay in this institution is over. We may keep these fond
memories that we shared together. But we are grownups now. We must act more maturely
and try to measure up to what our mentors expect of us, the best we can.
Our school has prepared us for
greater and perhaps more difficult adventure in life – that is college
education. After all, it’s every school’s concern and objective not just to
turn out graduates but to ensure that every graduate is well prepared and
equipped with the necessary skill and knowledge to be able to pursue higher
education. Thus, it is the school’s first initiative: to focus on the outcomes
or the quality of education of the would-be graduates must acquire in the
course of their study.
To me, education isn’t all about
academics. It isn’t all about getting high grades either. It is during
education that one must also develop good traits and values everyone needs to
be successful in life. Being a class valedictorian or a salutatorian is not a
passport to success, for knowledge without values is doomed to fail. More often
than not, it’s the individual who have developed good moral characters in their
early years that reap happiness and success late in their lives. Being
genuinely happy is an ultimate success. That’s why our teachers, our second
parents in school, are being tasked to mold us into a better person, better graduates,
for better outcomes.
It is the pride of every education
institution to produce a great number of graduates that would someday become
models of the society. The destiny of any nation, big or small, is determined
by how their leaders give importance to literacy and the quality of education
among its population.
So my fellow graduates, let us all
thrive to excel as we take another journey towards our goals. Let’s pray to God
for our guidance along the way. And of course, we must be grateful to our
parents for their sacrifices.
To our beloved mentors, our grateful
heart now bids goodbye, to our Alma Mater, from whose fountain of wisdom and
virtue we’ve imbibed deeply, a fond farewell. To our friends and classmates who
went along in the search of knowledge, thank you and so long.
We shall go our different ways, but
wherever we are, the memories of our dear St. Emilene Academe will truly spur
us to greater achievements.
To all, a pleasant goodbye and Godspeed.
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