NEWS ARCHIVES
2008 SPUP Commencement Celebration Address of Thanks
Delivered by MARK ANTHONY G. ARTICULO
(MAGNA CUM LAUDE)
BS Public Administration and Legal Management
Date posted: 03.25.2008
Few years back, we found ourselves gazing through a vast horizon, bearing in the chamber of our emotions the eagerness to become the persons that God has planned us to be despite the fears of deviations and frustrations. We seemed to be droplets in the ocean. However, with the strength of mind to achieve our non-negotiable vision for ourselves, we have strived to standout.
Now, this very significant occasion is evident of our triumphs, at long last, after a series of obstacles that challenged our will to go on, WE FINALLY HURDLED IT! And we've managed to do it with joy and confidence.
Our distinguished Guest Speaker, Mr. Victor Valdepeñas.
Our University President, Sister Remy Angela Junio, spc.
Esteemed members of the Administration and Administrative staff.
Respected faculty members of the different schools of the University.
Our beloved parents, relatives, guests.
My fellow graduates.
Ladies and gentlemen.
A blessed and joy-filled evening!
Yes, we finally dashed through the finish line after another long lap in our lives! You witnessed how confidently we marched in, proud to be clad in our academic gowns. You witnessed, too, how each of us went up the stage with delight, to receive a diploma. We have just been conferred the degrees we have worked for, making our hearts be filled with irrefutable elation. We feel blissful and triumphant! Indeed, we also feel thankful! On behalf of the graduating class of 2008, I would like to convey my deepest gratitude chiefly to the Almighty Father! Your unrelenting grace and guidance gave us the willpower to surmount the challenges we've faced through. "LORD, THANK YOU! WE MADE IT BECAUSE OF YOU."
My dear friends, if tonight we feel victorious, if we feel joyful and confident, and if we have the faith and the courage to face the uncertainties and challenges of tomorrow, it is because of the gifts of persons whom God gave us, they who walked with us in our journey. So tonight, we wish to recognize and give due credit to all those who accompanied us and helped us gazed through the road to success.
To our dear parents, you have been the best support- system to us- THANK YOU VERY MUCH! You have been there in every event of our lives, giving us a taste of this profound world. Our thankful hearts saw what you have given through your unconditional love. We have seen how you labored, how you make both ends meet, how you got frustrated in our misgivings, how you survived the heartaches we have brought you. But you stood by our side through thick and thin. You never let us down. You were our support through the crucial moments of our college life. You are simply our anchor through the stormy seas. Again, thank you.
To the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres, we express our genuine appreciation! You taught us to be compassionate, warm and simple. You have nurtured us spiritually making us fortified with faith to achieve our visions in life.
To our University President and administrators, we give you our fervent gratitude for cheerfully giving us the opportunities to discover and develop ourselves. We thank you for imbibing in our hearts and minds the unique Paulinian living! Without doubt, your reward is great!
To our instructors, who have served as our parents here in school, WE OWE A LOT FROM YOU! We thank you for teaching us the significance of hardwork. You've shown us that the lack of resources is not at all an obstruction to persist and accomplish the obligations we have. You have shown us that simple smiles and gestures of concern and comfort are those which are of greater importance than material things in helping us grow and develop our potentials. The knowledge and values you have shared will always be cherished in our minds and hearts. WE WILL NEVER FORGET YOU!
To our friends and classmates, who have served as indispensable ingredients in the concoction of our lives, we thank you for giving us delectable taste in this avenue of our existence. You provided us listening ears when we were pressed with problems. You encouraged us- we laughed together, we smiled together; we held hands together in the most crucial thesis defense- Thank you! YOU ROCKED OUR WORLD! We would like to single out all the best friends out there, who provided us with true bliss and laughter coupled with unblemished support in times of trials. YOU ARE INDEED ONE OF THE JEWELS IN OUR LIVES!
Likewise, we give our sincerest thanks to our competitors, both in organized and unorganized situations. We thank you for helping us bring the best out of our talents, skills and capabilities. Despite our challenged emotions, YOU MADE US SHINE EVEN BRIGHTER! Thank you!
To the office personnel, maintenance and security personnel, we thank you as well. How could have our school life been without you? You've touched our lives through simple yet requisite things!
Certainly, this sensation of thankfulness is also ardently extended to our distinguished guest speaker. Thank you for generously sharing to us the wisdom you have carried throughout your life. Surely, this will serve as our mirror to achieve success, and emulate it to attain fulfillment. Your words of encouragement have indeed motivated us to gaze further not only to uncover the secrets of the expansive horizon we used to wander, but also to go deeper within ourselves ready to share it with the greater citizens of the world!
To my fellow graduates, I say THANK YOU for zealously holding on! Our parents must be very proud of us at this momentous event in our lives! While we put to a close another episode of our being, we open for ourselves boundless opportunities en route for self-worth and self- actualization, so, keep interested! Keep on believing! Be enamored with life for it is beautiful! Live it! Love it!
Fellow graduates, may we continue to give due credit to all those who have imparted their time, efforts and talents to achieve what we have now by pursuing our chosen careers with utmost diligence and enthusiasm, and to participate in building a society that is free from the perils of both physical and mental poverty. LET US MAKE THIS AS OUR PROMISE!
At this juncture, I want to share this anonymous passage that once passed through the templates of my mobile phone: fellow graduates as you pursue your chosen careers later, let this be the challenge, "Carry yourself in such a way that when people of the world are sitting, you will be standing. And when the world is standing, you will stand out. And when the world stands out, you will be outstanding. And when the world dares to be outstanding, you will be the standard!"
To all of you, thank you very much for making this affair in our lives so wonderful! Thank you for being one with us in this celebration of God's gift and abundance!!! Caritas Christi Urget Nos!
Khop khun kap! Terima kasi! Xie xie ta ja!