Commencement Address

Commencement Address

The speech I delivered during the Recognition and Graduation Program of Cadagmayan Norte Elementary School, Sta. Barbara Iloilo, Philippines last March 29, 2010.

(Miss Maria Nora Sison, Principal-In-Charge of the District, Mrs. Jeanet Adorable, Principal I of Tagsing-Buyo Elem. School, Miss Wilna Girao, Officer-In-Charge, Cadagmayan Norte Elem. School, Mrs. Amparo Samontan, PTA President of this school, Hon. Casiano Saludares, Punong Barangay of Cadagmayan Norte, teachers and staff, PTA officers, Brgy. Officials, parents, guests and of course to the reason why we are gathered here today– the outstanding pupils and graduating pupils – Good Morning!)

Looking back in my elementary years, what I consider now as the most meaningful question asked of me was – What do you want to be when you grow up? This question was asked by my grade 1 teacher and now my mother-in-law who is with me today, the doting lola of my 2 year old – Mrs. Angeles Sucaldito Superficial.

I would like to ask the same question to our graduating pupils. I wish to ask each one. What do you want to be when you grow up?

This may seem a tedious task you may say and you may wonder – why I asked each of the graduating pupils. It is because – I believe that the question is very powerful. It seems even prophetic.

I was asked the same question sometime in 1980, that was the year I was in grade one – I was six years old turning 7 by November. I could very well remember that our teacher made each one of us stand and answer the question. When it was my turn to speak – without a doubt in my heart – I answered – I want to be a teacher. My greatest influence was my mother, Mrs. Teresita Sinoro Paguntalan, now retired and was before assigned in Lamagusa Elem. School. My mother would often bring me and my elder sister with her to school especially during the times that we didn't have yaya. The three of us would walk from home, from town plaza to Brgy. Lacadon. The most exciting part of the travel was – crossing the river to reach Lamagusa Elem. School. So, I kind of grew up in school and sometimes my sister and I would play teacher and pupil, and so we both ended up as teachers. But now my sister has changed her career path, majoring in psychology she now works as a staff in a drug and alcohol dependents rehabilitation center in Pototan.

My desire to be an educator was also inspired by my grade one teacher. It happened on the day when she picked me to represent our section to a spelling contest. I belonged to section two, and I was surprised that among her students – she picked me. She believed in me – but that time I failed her. I missed to spell – butterfly. I spelled it with only one T and I was eliminated. But like a butterfly that undergoes metamorphosis, that spelling bee changed me – my confidence grew and I was inspired to be a teacher to teach kids that butterfly is spelled with a double T.

I again witnessed the power of the question “What do you want to be when you grow up” when I went to Japan in 2004. I visited Shimotojo Elementary School in Hyogo. This is shall I say, a remote place in Japan, being very far from the train station. I was surprised to know that their grade six pupils not only knew what they want, but they were already training for what they will want to be in the future. Those who would like to be dressmakers were sewing kimonos and dresses for dolls and they were selling these dolls in the local souvenir shop, those who would like to be historians were writing a book about the history of their own town, those who would like to be farmers were researching on how to grow the biggest squash (karbasa), those who would like to be environmentalists were making posters and campaigns on how to save the earth, those who wanted to be car engineers were designing a tire for Toyota company and when I say designing they really spend time on weekends at the nearest Toyota plant as apprentices. They call this hands-on training. They have this one subject in their curriculum where the pupils are exposed to and trained for the profession they would like to be in the future.

My dear graduating pupils, like these children in Japan, you already know what you want to be when you grow up. Your answer to this is very important. This is your dream – your goal.

However, young as you are, your answer may still change. Do not be afraid to do so. When I reached fourth year high school, I wished to be a journalist. I was editor-in-chief of the school paper then (thanks to Atty. Fevi Fanco!), so, I was inspired to write for newspapers or report in radios or tv. After graduation in high school, my father suggested that I try to take the nursing entrance exam but I couldn’t because I was short of height. Back then, there was a height requirement.

My dear graduating pupils, there may come a time that you will doubt what you want to be or the course that you want is too expensive – indi masarangan ni nanay kag tatay.

I have an answer to that – you will soon be high school students. There is one advice which I have proven to be very, very powerful – more powerful than any cartoon, anime character or computer game hero that you know. By the way who is your superhero?

But trust me, my advice is more powerful – STUDY VERY WELL. READ A LOT OF BOOKS. Getting good grades in high school will open doors of opportunities for you – good schools and scholarships.

In my family, most of us were able to graduate partly because of scholarship. One example is my younger brother who is now a civil engineer. He was able to finish a course prior to his engineering degree because of a DOST scholarship.

Indeed, education will change your life. In the front page of your program it is written: Education Changing Lives (Edukasyon ang solusyon.)

So, my dear graduating pupils, in your high school years, study very well,

Let me end this message with a line taken from your graduation song.

“Like a shooting star, I will go the distance, I will search the world.”

Yes, dear graduating pupils, make your dreams come true – be what you want to be when you grow up – and explore the world!