Graduation Speech
Graduation Speech
by Christine Faye S. Ordas
AB Broadcasting
Batch 2015 Summa Cum Laude
Roosevelt College System
Our beloved President, Mr. Romeo P. Dela Paz; members of the Board of Trustees of Roosevelt College System; administrators, deans and faculty; parents; fellow graduates; ladies and gentlemen, good evening to all of you.
Graduation night is a mixture of emotions for each one of us. I’m sure tonight we are happy and elated that, finally, we are here in this moment. We are wearing our togas, and our parents are beaming with pride. But also tonight we are sad, because we will be leaving the institution that has nurtured and taught us for many years. We are parting ways with people that became our mentors and students that became our friends. Indeed, graduation night is bittersweet. We may think that tonight is an ending, but this is not the case. Tonight, after we receive our diplomas and toss our caps in the air (where I hope nobody gets hurt), we will start a new chapter in our lives.
Tomorrow we will cease to be students. Tomorrow we will go to different directions that will provide us experiences and make our life become full circle.
I’ve learned many things during my stay in our Alma Mater, and I will cherish and apply this knowledge when I go out there in the world of deadlines and board meetings. But I’m also learning things now that I have finished college, and tonight, I will share with you, my fellow graduates, three of the many ways to be champions in life, which I hope will help you live the life you will remember.
One: Be grateful. Be grateful for your blessings that come in all forms. Be grateful that you are here because that means you met the requirements and passed the grueling task of completing a feasibility study, a thesis or a capstone. Be grateful for the people in your life who inspire and care for you. Be grateful for your professors and mentors who not only gave you wisdom and knowledge, but also passing grades and sometimes food. Be grateful for friends who support you even when your plans sound crazy and who lovingly makes fun of your embarrassing photos. Be grateful for your triumphs and successes. Be grateful for the heartaches that make you stronger. Be grateful for the trials that let you down, because through them, you get in touch with the earth and in touch with yourself, and you ultimately remember your worth and purpose. Be grateful for the experiences that shaped who you are today. Be grateful for good books and movies and music. Be grateful for every day: for every sunrise that promises a good day, and for sunsets that promise a good tomorrow.
We should most importantly be grateful to our parents and guardians who supported us all the way, who worked hard to send us to college and provided for our needs. If there are champions in life, it is our parents. They have been guiding us all our lives and never did they doubt our abilities. When we fall and scrape our knees, they are there to pick us up and tend to our wounds; when we fly and reach for the stars, they are there to hold our hands and soar with us. Our dear parents, there are not enough words to describe our gratitude and love for you. We love you till this lifetime ends, and if we ever live again, we will love you just the same.
Two: Be open to change. The scariest and saddest thing in the world is not about having a slow internet connection, or Zac Efron getting married, or One Direction breaking up for good. These are trivial things. Instead, the scariest and saddest thing in the world is becoming that person who does not have the desire to change; because this means that life does not inspire you anymore. My fellow graduates, do not be afraid to change. Change for the better. Discover who you are and who you want to be. Work hard to be the best version of yourself. Life should not be static; you should not be static, so don’t be afraid to change.
Three: Be excited. Be excited about life and about the future. Be excited for new adventures and experiences. Be excited because after tonight, you will have the bigger chance to strive for your aspirations. Do not be afraid of what lies ahead, but instead be eager to discover where the next step will lead you. Be spontaneous: let life surprise you and embrace these surprises. Be passionate and follow your heart.
Tonight is the 50th Commencement Exercises of Roosevelt College System Tertiary Education Division. We are the 50th batch of graduates; and I would like to think that we are also the golden batch. We should uphold this title. We should be golden: we should strive for excellence and always put our best foot forward. We should become the persons our family would be proud of, persons our Alma Mater would remember and commend, and persons our own selves would love and celebrate.
After tonight, we will embark on a new journey. We will go out there and meet new people, see new places, drink more coffee, meet deadlines, get rejected, make mistakes, learn, grow up, grow old, fall in love, get lost and find ourselves again. Life will be ten times harder – this is the sad reality. But it is up to us to rise up to these challenges and be champions. When life gives you lemons, don’t just make lemonade; make lemon meringue pies!
Be grateful; be open to change; be excited. Listen to your heart. Keep your head up. Be humble and compassionate. Have faith. Never give up; never stop dreaming; and never lose hope.
Congratulations, my fellow graduates! Stay gold, and welcome to the world!
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a woeful & chaotic diary since 071409
Graduation Speech
Graduation Speech
by Christine Faye S. Ordas
AB Broadcasting
Batch 2015 Summa Cum Laude
Roosevelt College System
Our beloved President, Mr. Romeo P. Dela Paz; members of the Board of Trustees of Roosevelt College System; administrators, deans and faculty; parents; fellow graduates; ladies and gentlemen, good evening to all of you.
Graduation night is a mixture of emotions for each one of us. I’m sure tonight we are happy and elated that, finally, we are here in this moment. We are wearing our togas, and our parents are beaming with pride. But also tonight we are sad, because we will be leaving the institution that has nurtured and taught us for many years. We are parting ways with people that became our mentors and students that became our friends. Indeed, graduation night is bittersweet. We may think that tonight is an ending, but this is not the case. Tonight, after we receive our diplomas and toss our caps in the air (where I hope nobody gets hurt), we will start a new chapter in our lives.
Tomorrow we will cease to be students. Tomorrow we will go to different directions that will provide us experiences and make our life become full circle.
I’ve learned many things during my stay in our Alma Mater, and I will cherish and apply this knowledge when I go out there in the world of deadlines and board meetings. But I’m also learning things now that I have finished college, and tonight, I will share with you, my fellow graduates, three of the many ways to be champions in life, which I hope will help you live the life you will remember.
One: Be grateful. Be grateful for your blessings that come in all forms. Be grateful that you are here because that means you met the requirements and passed the grueling task of completing a feasibility study, a thesis or a capstone. Be grateful for the people in your life who inspire and care for you. Be grateful for your professors and mentors who not only gave you wisdom and knowledge, but also passing grades and sometimes food. Be grateful for friends who support you even when your plans sound crazy and who lovingly makes fun of your embarrassing photos. Be grateful for your triumphs and successes. Be grateful for the heartaches that make you stronger. Be grateful for the trials that let you down, because through them, you get in touch with the earth and in touch with yourself, and you ultimately remember your worth and purpose. Be grateful for the experiences that shaped who you are today. Be grateful for good books and movies and music. Be grateful for every day: for every sunrise that promises a good day, and for sunsets that promise a good tomorrow.
We should most importantly be grateful to our parents and guardians who supported us all the way, who worked hard to send us to college and provided for our needs. If there are champions in life, it is our parents. They have been guiding us all our lives and never did they doubt our abilities. When we fall and scrape our knees, they are there to pick us up and tend to our wounds; when we fly and reach for the stars, they are there to hold our hands and soar with us. Our dear parents, there are not enough words to describe our gratitude and love for you. We love you till this lifetime ends, and if we ever live again, we will love you just the same.
Two: Be open to change. The scariest and saddest thing in the world is not about having a slow internet connection, or Zac Efron getting married, or One Direction breaking up for good. These are trivial things. Instead, the scariest and saddest thing in the world is becoming that person who does not have the desire to change; because this means that life does not inspire you anymore. My fellow graduates, do not be afraid to change. Change for the better. Discover who you are and who you want to be. Work hard to be the best version of yourself. Life should not be static; you should not be static, so don’t be afraid to change.
Three: Be excited. Be excited about life and about the future. Be excited for new adventures and experiences. Be excited because after tonight, you will have the bigger chance to strive for your aspirations. Do not be afraid of what lies ahead, but instead be eager to discover where the next step will lead you. Be spontaneous: let life surprise you and embrace these surprises. Be passionate and follow your heart.
Tonight is the 50th Commencement Exercises of Roosevelt College System Tertiary Education Division. We are the 50th batch of graduates; and I would like to think that we are also the golden batch. We should uphold this title. We should be golden: we should strive for excellence and always put our best foot forward. We should become the persons our family would be proud of, persons our Alma Mater would remember and commend, and persons our own selves would love and celebrate.
After tonight, we will embark on a new journey. We will go out there and meet new people, see new places, drink more coffee, meet deadlines, get rejected, make mistakes, learn, grow up, grow old, fall in love, get lost and find ourselves again. Life will be ten times harder – this is the sad reality. But it is up to us to rise up to these challenges and be champions. When life gives you lemons, don’t just make lemonade; make lemon meringue pies!
Be grateful; be open to change; be excited. Listen to your heart. Keep your head up. Be humble and compassionate. Have faith. Never give up; never stop dreaming; and never lose hope.
Congratulations, my fellow graduates! Stay gold, and welcome to the world!
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a woeful & chaotic diary since 071409
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Already several months had passed, and I am missing
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry more and more each fleeting day. There are just some things in life that we can never forget – especially that something that had given us knowledge, skills, strong relationships and a second home. I am glad that everything in the magical world is now at peace, since Voldemort (yes, I can now say his name; no need to be afraid) had died. I had secretly admired Tom Marvolo Riddle (Voldemort’s birth name) though, because of his intelligence, passion and love for magic. Wasn’t he very clever to think of and conjure his seven
Horcruxes to preserve his life, or form a clan of
Death Eaters who were very loyal to him and would give up their lives just for him to succeed? Not everybody can acquire that much loyalty from people these days. I do not, however, admire him for the way he had carried out all of his plans. He had a good agenda, his means just weren’t morally right. But he still is one of the darkest wizards of all time… and let’s leave it that way.
Oh, for all those who are baffled of what I’m saying here and who the heck I am, my name is
Christine Faye Ordas, and I am an alumnus of Hogwarts. I came from the bronze-and-blue-clad house of the smart ass witch Rowena Ravenclaw and her dictum
“Wit beyond measure is a man’s greatest treasure.” And yes, I know the wonderful Luna Lovegood (she’s such a darling) and Harry Potter’s first crush Cho Chang. I had just left Hogwarts last May. Right now I am trying to pursue a career in magical researches, literature and writing. It’s my dream to inscribe intellectual books, publish and sell them in
Flourish and Blotts for the future Hogwarts students’ use. I am also planning to credibly write for the
Daily Prophet, the magical world’s primary news bulletin. And of course, I will be very much honored to contribute to Mr. Xenophilius Lovegood’s
Quibbler (hence, my interest in magical researches). I have always found the Lovegoods a fascinating family, and I bet working with and for them will be very exciting. Or maybe, in Merlin’s beard’s time, I can write legends and bedtime stories like the famous – and wickedly brilliant – Beedle the Bard.
And that’s how my life goes these days. I am utterly missing my old school, my friends, the Great Hall, the bronze eagle knocker just outside the Ravenclaw common room, Professor Flitwick (the head of our house), Hogsmeade, the Quidditch matches (although I didn’t actually play for the house), the moving portraits, the castle ghosts, the pumpkins on Halloween, the giant pine trees on Christmas, Rubeus Hagrid’s (Hogwarts’ gamekeeper) tea and treacle fudge – even the crabby Argus Filch (Hogwarts’ caretaker) I miss. Maybe I can visit the school grounds sometimes and see how the magical world’s been doing since Voldemort died (I’ve been spending my months in the muggle world, you see). I’ve heard everybody’s been moving on and starting all over again; the ministry is back on work under Kingsley Shacklebolt; and Harry Potter’s scar haven’t been disturbing him since.
All is well, indeed.
And because of that, we should celebrate and drink firewhisky! Oh, I still don’t drink firewhisky; I can take butterbeer or tea or pumpkin juice – just not firewhisky, please.
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