Speeches / MY SPEECH ON MY ADDRESS OF GRATITUDE FOR OUR GRAD CEREMONY [4]

This is the first draft of my address of thanks. I was just tasked to express gratitude to the people who helped us in college. I used the popular phrase students know which is the "ROAD TO PICC". PICC is the venue of our grad ceremony.

***DRAFT
(Insert Greetings)

Where do college graduates go ba talaga, Tita Whitney?
(it's a popular tagline among teenagers from a Filipino romantic film. I changed the "broken hearts" to "college graduates".

Some of might visit Sagada, or Baguio, or even Rome. But before we head off to our own destinations, allow me to thank the people who helped us in our journey.

Let me start by thanking the people who provided me the "car" and paid the gasoline so I could drive my way to PICC. These two are the most important people in my life. Five years ago, I am pretty sure I saw tears in my father's eyes when he found out I had a boyfriend at the age of 15. He asked me what I wanted to do with my life. He even warned me about boys. Lo and behold, in just a matter of days, fate intervened which made me realize: Tama si Mama at Papa. Kinse anyos pa lang ako? Anong alam ko sa pag ibig? (Translation: MY PARENTS ARE RIGHT. I was JUST 15YRS OLD. WHAT EXACTLY DO I KNOW ABOUT LOVE?) From that day I told myself, the next time I will make my father cry, it's not because of my disobedience. It's because he's proud of me. Oh, how I wish my father is crying at this very moment. Because only then I could say: mission accomplished!

Even if I didn't make it to speak before you, my parents will still be proud of me for making it this far - just like all the parents gathered here today. Thank you po for believing in us. Thank you po for supporting us. And of course, thank you po for the love and almost 3,000 days na baon. We assure you we are not a waste of money. Thank you Kuya Michael and Mico, and all the family members and relatives of my batchmates.

Thank you friends, classmates from CA4, batchmates from Institute of Communication and from other programs. Thank you for coming along with the joyrides, and sometimes for competing in the race against one another. Without you, this ride may not be fun and worthwhile.

Also, I thank the people who caused our "traffic" sometimes. They are our teachers. At first, it seems like they make things difficult for us. But as they block our driveway, they make sure they are helping in the construction of our asphalted roads and cemented bridges. Rest assured we will never burn those bridges, ma'am and sir. Without our Icomm Gurus, to whom I am truly grateful, and other professional courses mentors, we will never reach this far. And of course, to our instructors and professors from general education courses who show us there are no "major" & "minor" subjects. We are exceptionally blessed to be your students. We will go out in the real world and make our own names in our chosen fields. And on that day you will proudly say, "Estudyante ko yan".

(That's my student) I remember my professor in first year who kept on reminding us, "Hindi pa kayo True Blooded Letranites. Wala pa kayong napapatunayan sa Letran kaya wala pa kayong dugong Letranista." I don't know if she despises freshmen students. During our stay in the colegio, we may have brought trophies and plaques from distinctive award-giving bodies, but I still wonder if this makes a true blooded Letranite. Even up to the minute I received this medal, I questioned myself. Yes, I am a proud Letranite. But even if the road to PICC is done, we still have to continuously serve God not on account that it's a Theology requirement. We still have countrymen to help not because it's an NSTP project. And we still have to go back here in Letran 10 to 20 years after, and give back something to our beloved alma mater. I think that's the challenge - that even outside the walls of Intramuros, the blood of a Knight flow in our veins. So thank you Letran for challenging us to become better persons than who we were 4 years ago. Ang cheesy man pakinggan but Letran, you are the gasoline of our cars. No, it's not because you are overpriced. But because you help our engines work. You fueled us up to find our deeper purpose, to be responsive and to be competitive.

Thank you also to the employees of Letran, to the janitors and guards (heheh) who I considered as our traffic enforcers. It's amazing how most of the female students religiously bring flat shoes every day. This only proves that our security guards are doing their job properly. let's be thankful for we were trained to always abide by the rules.

To the Letran Alumni Association, in behalf of my co-scholars, thank you for accepting us and aiding us financially. You fixed our cars when we were "broke". Who would have thought I could now be a member of this association?

Thank you, Universe. Thank you, Lord God for providing the map and blessing our "trip".
I truly believe I am not the best student of this batch. I just have the highest average. I worked hard to maintain my grades not for this award, but for the tuition fee discount every semester (hahah). Most of you deserve this spot more than me - those who drive better than me. Nevertheless, thank you batch mates for allowing me to speak in behalf of you, and maybe for paying a partial of my tuition fee (heheh). We will only graduate today, yet we will never stop being students. Let's still continue the drive - the drive to learn each day of our lives. So wherever you, college graduates, go talaga, lets meet each other in the highways of real world. PICC is not the finish line, it's our starting point. Just don't forget to take a U-turn one day and go back for our Alumni Homecoming. And if one day you get lost along the way, do not forget you always have the map. Congratulations graduating class of 2015.

Arriba Letran!