Message From The College Graduate

Sa nakalipas ng apat na taon, naging panahon   ng Koreanovel, ng F4, ng reality shows, ng Starstruck, ng Pinoy Big   Brother, ng American Idol,.. naging panahon ni Erap, panahon ni   Gloria… ng EDSA 2 and 3, ng coup d’etat… naging panahon ni Manny   Pacquiao… nangyari ang stampede sa Ultra, ng landslide sa Leyte… ng   pabago-bagong cellphones, ng pc games, ng friendster… at ngayon,   makalipas ang 4 na taon, malugod kong masasabing panahon naman natin.

Four years have pased since we first stepped in the grounds of San   Sebastian. After a series of entrance examinations in different colleges   and universities, we finally found a place to hone our scholastic   lives. I can still remember our freshman days we are new in venturing   into adulthood as we just emerged from high school. Do you remember our   Night Camp? We! were divided into planets and were later on united into   one planet SSC-R. And it officially welcomed us to the toughness of   college life.

Four years of hardwork, perseverance, and patience… difficult   subjects, strict professors… who would forget the sleepless nights we   encountered due to thesis and defense? Who would forget our first work   experiences as practicumers? Who would forget the anxiety and tension   when the list for the candidates of graduation is yet to be posted?   College is college.

And to etch in our hearts the blood, sweat, and tears we exhausted, my   dear friends, our batch is called SAGA. In Norway, saga means an epic of   heoes. In San Sebastian, it is a story, our story. Because all of us   are heroes and our never-ending legend continues. Our time to shine has   come and it starts now.

Today, as we thank God for all the graces we b! estowed, we should take   time to thank the OAR administrators, the deans, the members of the   faculty and the entire Sebastinian community for making us feel the   atmosphere of being in a family. Fathers, sirs, ma’ams… thank you.

We should also take time to thank our classmates and friends who became   more of siblings to us. For all the tears and laughters… I’m sure we   will miss each other.

And most especially, let us take time to thank our PARENTS who   gave us and continuously give us unconditional and selfless love… for   sending us to a great school… for the gift of education… for   ensuring a bright future ahead of us.

Now my dear friends, our journey in college is about to end, but   our journey in real life has just began. But we should not be afraid,   for we, as Sebastinian graduates, coming from a steadfast Catholic   Christian institution, are fully equipped with the t! hings we need to   survive. The needs that will be bestowed upon us later on shall   symbolize our degrees, our passport to success. It will allow us to   foray and force ahead the dreams that we have inside.

Friends, the glory that we have now took years to mount and it can   never be undone. Magpabago-bago man ang panahon, no one can take away   our banter as certified graduates.

To my dear batchmates, congratulations, good luck and God Bless!   For in this moment our destinly has been fulfilled.. our missions   accomplished!

LOUIE RHYS MANGANAAN, Political Science