Speech of Gratitude
Peejay Arbado ?:-)>~

To our honorable guest speaker, Ms. Ruchira Mehrotra; our Campus President, Mr. Neil Bernardo; our College Dean, Dr. Rosario Golla; our Program Facilitator, Ms. Analiza Tadena; the members of the faculty; our beloved parents; friends; guests; fellow graduates. Ladies and gentlemen, I greet you all good evening.

It was not long ago when our journey began as college students, where we came to dream of a bright future ahead of us. We took entrance and scholarship exams; college interviews. We thought of what would be the best course to take, where to enroll, who are the people we will meet, what would be the future ahead of us. We all did aspire for the best education in the best way we can have to make our dreams come true.

We entered college life in many different ways. Some are confident and cool, some are afraid and cautious, some are quiet and calm, some are brainy and strange, and some are eager and enthusiastic to face what may lie ahead. We all began to learn that a new chapter in our lives is ready to take place, and it is the biggest challenge we are yet to face, for we know it is the deciding factor of what our future may become.

We all officially started our college life by being asked by one question: Tell me about yourself. In every start of school year in our elementary and high school life, we are all asked by the same question. As time passes by, we restate our answer as we know of ourselves further.

Then, discussions, assignments, reports, activities, projects, and lunch breaks began to take place. We have now begun a life of greater independence and self-awareness. We did become involved to the many lives surrounding us, in and out of the campus. We did enrich ourselves with further planning and goal-setting every day. We study, we learn. We talk, we listen. We explain, we understand. Every day, we take notes so we can look further in the horizon, to beyond what we can see.

Competitions, seminars, and special events added more flavor to our stay. We began to search ourselves and express ourselves in different ways, different aspects, and different perspectives. With enough confidence, we seek the challenges ahead of us and pursued to ourselves that we can do it. We began to search our own greatness, in big and small things that we can do.

Amidst our every struggle, we also began to endure different battles and hardships. We did feel pain, stress, depression, anxiety, grief, frustrations, fear, and anger. We suffered through conflicts and miscommunications. But all of these made us stronger, tougher, and readier for the responsibilities and tasks ahead of us. We began to accept our own imperfections that made us accept others in open arms, and that made a huge difference and stronger bonds.

Through all these years, from the first step we took at the start of this journey to this day, finishing this chapter of our lives, we have so many things to be glad and so many people to be thanked of.

To the administrators of STI College Tanay, for the entrusting us different opportunities that enabled us to develop and be ready for our everyday undertakings, thank you. I am very thankful that you entrusted me with opportunities that helped me become a better individual.

To our professors, thank you for being mentors, advisers, friends, organizers, and parents. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of this family. Thank you for being a family. Thank you for helping us at times of troubles, for bearing with us in times of need, for reminding us in times of doubt, for supporting us in every task we took part. For being a part of our lives, I can proudly say that our professors here are the most remarkable group of people we have ever known, and we will never forget these people wherever we go. For me, they are one of the greatest. So, thank you for being one of the greatest influences to our lives today.
To our beloved parents and families, congratulations for giving your all-out support to us, for the guidance in our decisions, and for clearing our paths so we can be here today. You have done a great job. Thank you for believing in us, and for helping us believe in ourselves. Thank you for everything. Without you, we will never be here, and we will never enjoy this momentous event.

To my scholarship grant benefactors, Former Senator Ramon Magsaysay, Jr. and Governor Jun Ynares, thank you for helping me achieve what I achieved today through your programs. My family and I will never forget your kindness and compassion.

To my batch mates, congratulations! You have done a job well done through all these years. Thank you for all the times we shared and spent together, for the countless moments we created, big or small. It has been an honor to be a part of this batch. Thank you for allowing me to know all of you, even in the shortest time possible, but still, it counts very well. It has been an honor to work with you and to be with you, guys.

And to our Almighty God, who made our journey up to this moment possible and who allowed all of us to be present here, I thank you for these people, who are with me today, that is used by Your powerful presence through the years so I can be what I am today, so we can be who we are at the present. Thank you for Your divine will that all of us be gathered here for this special event. I sincerely ask You that after all of these accolades, may we, Batch 2011, be ready enough as we face the challenges ahead, and may all of us here in the podium serve Your purpose. As our batch depart at the end of this event and continue our individual journeys tomorrow, may You guide us in each and every way.

Now, here we are. Look now on ourselves. After a long way of preparation, you have done it so we can be here, as graduates.

We were strengthened in the past so that we survive today, and may we strive harder for the future. We were trained enough to be ready so that we become tough today, and may we build trust and self-confidence everywhere we go. We learned to become inventive so that we become improved individuals today, and may we imagine what kind of future we want us to have.

Tomorrow, we will be climbing each of our own Mt. Everest. Yes, and it will be now on our own. Once we began climbing up the longest hiking chapter of our lives, the winds will be fiercer and fiercer as we go up. How we will handle these winds will be the greatest challenge for us from now on. There will be triumphs and failures in the way, but still if we dream of getting to the top with faith, hope, and love, we will be far from being defeated and will never back down.

Today, we are graduates. Tomorrow, we are alumni and professionals. Let’s all grab this chance to go further, beyond what we have achieved today.

We can do it, for we can dream it. And we can dream it, for we believe it.

God bless us all. Thank you and good evening.