Address of Thanks, Manila Tytana Colleges 38th Commencement Exercises

Commencement Speaker, Hon. Feliciano “Sonny” R. Belmonte, Jr., Metrobank Group Chairman Dr. George S. K. Ty, Chairman of Tytana Board of Trustees Dr. Antonio S. Abacan, Jr., Chair of Tytana Board of Advisers, Dr. Emerlinda R. Roman, President Sergio S. Cao, Members of the Tytana Board of Trustees and Advisers, Directors, College Deans, Administrators, faculty and staff, parents, graduates, guests, ladies and gentlemen, good morning.



At this moment, I will deliver a simple task: to speak on behalf of the entire graduating class in an expression of gratitude; however, it is often the simplest of tasks that prove to be the most difficult to do.



First of all, we thank our school administrators under the dynamic leadership of Dr. Sergio S. Cao, MTC President, for their excellent stewardship that allowed for all of us graduates to reach this point in our academic lives. The decisions and sacrifices you made from the extensive to the minuscule, from the significant to the trivial, have all been towards providing us the quality education that we all have acquired and attained, for these, we are very grateful.



To our professors who have given us their all – molding us to become professionals in our respective fields; and furthermore, to be better citizens for our nation. To our sirs and madams who have devoted countless hours of hard work even at the expense of their own time in order to prepare us for both great challenges and the mundane chores we will be facing in our lives; for your endless support, unwavering patience and caring guidance – we thank you.



We give thanks to our family – who have always been with us through it all. You always had our backs no matter what we got ourselves into. You have put OUR needs before yours – sacrificed unmentionable amounts of time and energy, and still gave us unconditional love. You encouraged us when we doubted ourselves, you comforted us when we experienced defeat, you applauded when we claimed victory, and most especially for being behind us at every moment in between. To our mothers and fathers, aunts and uncles, grandparents, guardians, nieces and nephews, cousins, siblings and in-laws, we love you.



The past years would have been unbearable had it not been for our friends and classmates – the guys and gals who laughed with us and at us, who cried with us and for us, who fought with us and sometimes even opposed us – to the gang who helped us pull through our troubles and pushed us to break through our problems – thanks.



But above all, we thank You, Lord – for giving us the gift of life and love, of knowledge and strength, of empathy and forgiveness, of courage and conviction. Without You, our God, nothing would be possible. But by Your side, impossible is nothing.



To everyone else who touched our lives – all the memories shared and the lessons learned; we take with us as we venture into the new.



I would like to take this opportunity to leave a few thoughts to the graduating batch. If anything, I would like you to hear these ideas and take them with you as we all venture forth into our future careers.



Define your own success so you can find your happiness. Money is an excellent motivator but it should never ever be what defines your success. You will never find true happiness in things. The more money and more earthly things you have,  the more you will seek them, and use those as your standard; and if you make money and things your standards of success, you will never meet it – because no matter how much you make, there will always be someone else who has more. Instead, live your life based on your own terms. Act on what gives you joy, on what gives you fulfillment, act on what brings you a sense of accomplishment – and you will find success every day.



Do not be afraid to make mistakes. Failure is nothing to feel shame for. Never feel helpless when you think you have hit rock bottom – because you could never ask for a more stable foundation that one that is set on bedrock. Do not pass out on opportunities to gain experience; NEW experiences. The biggest regrets come not from the things that went wrong – but from the things you never went to at all.



Find your vocation.  I speak of vocation not as the mere training for a specific craft or becoming a technician as opposed to earning a baccalaureate degree – for a vocation is much more than a job. A vocation, in its very essence, is a calling, towards the occupation that you are suited for: an occupation that goes beyond working for sustaining your basic needs, an occupation that brings you closer to the fulfillment of your purpose. For some of us, we may already have found our calling, but to those of us who haven’t, we should seek it. Seek it as if your life depended on it, because it does – and never give up until you find it. Nurses should look beyond the care that their patients need, but rather provide the kind of nurturance that your patients deserve. Dieticians should look past the numbers and restrictions that your clients’ diets require but rather aim to achieve the nourishment that prolongs the precious gift of life. Psychologists should never settle for knowing what is and what should be in the realm of the human psyche, but instead strive towards the advancement of the understanding of the enormous potential and capacity that we possess. Hospitality has long been regarded as one of the traits that Filipinos are known for – work towards its promotion, not merely rendering service for the compensation you are given. Alongside our generation’s technological leaps and bounds, the responsibility of forging the future rests too on the hands of those who will handle the information of the age. Should you choose to follow a path divergent from one that you have started on four years ago – keep in mind that your choices affect not only yourselves; but also the bigger community that we all are a part of. Find your calling, respond to it, and live in service for your fellow men and our nation.



To the class of 2014, Congratulations! We step out of the halls of Manila Tytana Colleges with our heads held high – bearing the Titans’ pride.



Thank you.



Evan Ryan Samonte Abanico

Class of 2014