Valedictory Address

        I can't believe I haven't updated this blog in over a year. The year 2021 passed by without me ever posting one entry. It was a blur, to be honest. I barely remember much of what happened. A year of staying at home because of the pandemic, having classes online, daily household chores becoming a routine, every day bled into the next. Here we are now, more than halfway through 2022. Quick update, I graduated with honors and the class valedictorian. I figured I can at least share the address I made, for content, for now that I am at loss for words. 

So here it is:

        MTIM board of directors, faculty and staff, esteemed guests, parents, and graduates, good morning. When I was given the honor to speak in front of you to deliver this class’s valedictory address, I panicked inwardly. I watched countless videos on YouTube of great speeches delivered on graduation day, in the hopes that I will be inspired, that I will be moved to write something that is awe-inspiring and profound. But I found myself feeling like a fraud. There is an inner voice inside me asking me, who are you to bestow words of wisdom?  Are you wise? Have you proven anything in your life? Are you even deserving?

I had to silence that voice that is paralyzing me. And so, I went down memory lane to where my journey in MTIM began. So I can speak to you today, facing you as I am, speaking from my heart. Looking back, I feel a tinge of pride as I stand here now. It was not a straight path from point A to B. And yet here I am, I made it. That in itself, silences the self-doubt in me. You see, I went back to school after years of hiatus for many reasons. One of which is I made mistakes in my life that I wanted to rectify. I wanted a fresh start. I wanted a second chance in life. 

I remember my enthusiasm in the first year, excited to participate in school events and learn as much as I could. But then, life caught on. What ensued was years of financial difficulty for my family. Having lost our home in Marawi, we were at the mercy of landlords willing to tolerate a Muslim tenant in Iligan. I remember that in between classes, I would visit apartments and boarding houses because our current landlord at that time wanted us out by the end of the month. It was all a blur to me. I barely remember joining any extracurricular. How could I, when after classes I had to go straight to the wet market to buy something I could cook for my family? I would get late for my morning class because I had babysitting duties for my niece. Only first-born daughters would know the burden of domestic chores we carry on our backs. We play the role of a good daughter, and a second mom to our younger siblings.

The initial drive to make my stay in MTIM a redeeming arc in the story of my life was waning. It is easy to be inspired momentarily. But to keep the passion alive, one needs more than inspiration. And this my friends, is the most valuable lesson I learned in MTIM. To go through life, one needs BIG, FAT, SHAMELESS hope for yourself. You have to truly believe in yourself, to look in the mirror and see someone unremarkable today yet see with your heart’s eye, that that unremarkable person can someday become great. Be proud of your dream, whatever that dream is. That to me is becoming a CPA, first, to honor my parents who both aspired to be CPAs themselves and yet obstacles prevented them from achieving such a dream. I want them to be proud of me. Second, to prove myself that I can make something of myself. I want to be proud of myself.

Lance Armstrong said, “If you ever get a second chance in life for something, you’ve got to go all the way.” And that exactly is how I took this chance given to me. To push through all setbacks, take my time to heal, and aim to better myself every step of the way. All through the four years I have been in MTIM, through tedious days, I romanticize my life. Four years ago, I saw this exact moment in my life, I as the main character, suffering all through the hardship and emerging triumphant in the end. Silly as it may seem, but frankly, that is how one survives, by the power of what they call “HUGOT”. 

While we are grateful for the chances that are bestowed upon us, may we all also find time to pat ourselves on the back for the times we have achieved milestones. I believe that even the small victories have to be celebrated so we can recognize that we have come a long way from where we started. Because sometimes we forget that we are actually making some progress. On that note, I would like to give a shout-out to my groupmates during our Consultancy Management when we were recognized to have the best paper. The panelists could not believe that undergraduate students can make such a complicated feasibility study. They had to google, thinking they will find a study that we plagiarized. But no, that was all through the original ideas coming from my teammates Justin Martha Langilao, Ranima Basari, Reina Charity Genon, and Charity Pearl Valendez. Congratulations to us. Not even a pandemic can stop us from producing excellent papers. 

In MTIM, I also learned to embrace the cliché of the line “No man is an island.” Truly, we cannot go through life alone. At the end of the day, we need the support of our family and friends. In MTIM, I found life-long friends. Justine Martha Langilao, dzai, you know you are a little sister to me. Your kindness and openness of heart and mind is a rarity these days. And of course, to my darling friends, whom I lovingly call the germs, Betchev Hingpit, Lorie Joy Bongcawil, and Jun Calo. There were many days when I do not want to go to class, for I was sleepless, tired, and anxious. And the only reason I come to class is to laugh with you. Perhaps, had I not found friends, I would skip many school days for those reasons. Thank you mga dzai, you filled my last 4 years with joy and a lot of giggles.

To my mom, who led our family alone when she was widowed, to my siblings and my sisters-in law, thank you for your support and for not giving up on me no matter how many times I have taken missteps and wrong turns. To my father in heaven, Pang, I made promises for you on your deathbed, and today I have made one come true. I will still make every last one come true. A special thank you, I am sending to my aunt in Saudi Arabia, who has been like a second mom to me, whose gift of a diamond ring I am wearing now, thank you for hyping me up all the time. There were days when I was feeling so lost, and you were there telling me, pkababababayaan akn ska,or I love you very much. And that is all I need to feel whole again. And I can carry on again. At the end of the day, isn’t that the only thing we all need to be able to face life challenges? To know that we are loved, accepted, and celebrated for who we are, by our friends and family. So we can have the courage to try again, to seize the chance to start again.

Moreover, I am grateful to my alma mater, MTIM, for the second chance in life that you have given me. I promise you, by the will of God Almighty, of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, I will make you proud come board exams. The batch 2021 will make you proud. 

Lastly, I address you MTIM batch 2021, as your ate of the batch, I say, take care of yourself well, especially your mental health. You can only give as much as you have within you. Do not let your cup go empty. It is easy to talk about goals and dreams on a happy day like this, but what we don't talke about is those days when we fail. Life will give you many problems along the way, you will fall, several times. Please do not get tired. You can never lose if you never quit. And always, always believe in second chances. Congratulations future CPAs! Thank you so much, ladies and gentlemen.