CLOSING (AND GRADUATION) SPEECH
(for our BACCALAUREATE MASS AND PINNING CEREMONIES
held last March 22, 2011 at Jimmy L. Fernandez Center (Stadia), Dagupan City, Pangasinan):
by Keith Giomeer Raposas Petrola
I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to everybody who attended this momentous event, Sir Rosauro Catabay, Dean Maria Teresa Fajardo, our Program Chair Rosario Charisse Venzon, our Over-all RLE Coordinator, Zenaida Bautista, the two women behind us through our last year in College, Eileen Vinluan and Maria Akarasha Onrubia, our Classroom and Clinical Instructors who were with us during our ups and downs, our parents and guardians who were always there at our side and never stopped showing their unwavering support, and most especially, you, my friends, my brothers and sisters, my fellow Seniors.
This has been a very long day for us. As I was constructing this speech, I thought, “Bakit ko pa hahabaan ang Speechko eh, alam ko namang wala namang makikinig, marahil, ang nasa isip na ng mga yun, yung kainan pagkatapos o yungparty-party pagkatapos.” After quite sometime, this made me laugh, Naisip ko, may kasabihan pala na,”Tell me who your friends are, and I’ll tell who you are.”
Kidding aside, as much as I would like to make this speech as brief as possible, I would like to convey and emphasize this one very important message I have in mind, NEVER CEASE TO DREAM AND ALWAYS STRIVE FOR THE BEST.
I know and truly believe that we could survive all the difficulties that we’ll encounter. Like how we’ve survived every toxic duty we’ve had, like we’ve remained bloodily awake and sleepless as we prepare for our upcoming exams and even more nights as we wait for the much dreaded results of these exams. This will only be possible if we’ll just learn to believe into ourselves. If we’ll see to it that we’ll learn from every mistake and shortcoming that we commit in our lives.
Break all the barriers.(Kaya nga No Boundaries and Class Song natin di ba?)Never dwell on the negative comments they throw at you. The catch in life is to remain an optimist even at times when everybody around you is in contrary. If you think it’s the right thing to do, then do it, because it’s certainly what’s right for you. Lastly, don’t even try to please everyone. Doing such is like Mission Impossible. There will always be somebody who’ll be satisfied on what you’re doing.
As much as we all know, this is so not the end of the road for us but rather an end to an act of our lives full of chapters remaining to be unveiled. Like what my favourite song of Lupe Fiasco tells us, The Show Goes On. This is just another beginning of much bigger steps that we’ll take tomorrow. According to Michael Dell of Dell Computers, We are free to choose, and We are free to succeed. It just takes hard work and a dream. Most who finally surpassed this chapter of life never imagine that they’re going to change the world. Yet every one of us will. How we change the world, is all up to us to decide.
I wish us all a great adventure on the road ahead.
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| My picture while delivering the speech. |
Thank you!
