Thursday, May 1, 2008

Congratulations Batch 2008 of the University of the Philippines!

From a corner I saw my friends glowing. I’d never seen them so radiant.

It was clear that something important was going on; it was to be their final day as UP undergraduates. I remember that it was JP Asong who told me that UP then was like a distant dream, something that was too far to be reached. Like him, many of my friends share the same sentiment: that of utter shock. After four years or more, they’re ready (hopefully) to take on new challenges in life. What those will be is a question that they themselves must answer in due time.

I’d like to say congratulations to the UP Centennial Batch of 2008!

Their diploma is a testament to God’s faithfulness. I’m certain that they couldn’t have done it on their own. Every quiz, test, experiment, paper, and report they had to submit couldn’t have been submitted had it not been for God who willed it to happen. It was God who saw them through during their times of failure and disappointments. It was God who provided for all their needs. To God be the glory indeed.

***

I’d like to personally congratulate the following people. I’m afraid the list is not exhaustive, and, at the very onset, I’d like to say sorry to those I’ve missed out.

First off, to my friends in the Dormitories Christian Fellowship:

Paul Velasco. Hotel, Restaurant, and Institution Management. His room used to be one of my favorite hang-out places. I often disturbed him when he did his powerpoints. One time, when he failed in one critical subject during our first year, he felt that he wasn’t going to graduate with his batch. But God has been very faithful—Paul was just right on time.

Iris Duhaylungsod. Education, Teaching in the Early Grades. I’m told Es gave the speech during her College’s graduation; she has the highest General Weighted Average (GWA). I’m always blessed because whenever I remind Es of her accomplishments thus far—her national taekwondo championship, her grades, her being crowned Miss General Santos when she was in high school—she would always be quick to give God the glory.

Rapunzel Tomacder. Comparative Literature. Being one of the most emotional creatures I’ve seen in this planet, I’ve witnessed Razel during her times of happiness and sadness. She writes extremely well. She also recommends the best books to read. I remember this one time when we memorized a poem together. By God’s grace, she has emerged as one of the top students in her class, and is set to teach in the Department of English and Comparative Literature. Wooohooo Ma’am Razeru!

Lavinia De Velez. Chemical Engineering. As our ate in the fellowship, I usually seek for her advice when I have questions. I’ve always been amazed at Ate Vinz’s faithfulness to God’s word. God has gifted her with insight in leading the dorm fellowship. She has been a source of blessing, not just to me, but to the rest of us, younger ones.

John Dasmarinas. Industrial Engineering. He’s almost like my brother. God has finally led him to the end of the road that is college. After his second year, he applied for a Leave of Absence because he felt that he didn’t want to pursue engineering but veterinary medicine instead. However God, being true to His word, helped him through his uncertainty. I can tell that he’s very happy with his IE degree and is set to work in May!

Sarah Balbuena. Education. She calls me her favorite person in DCF. We’ve had a great time together in the Missions Trip in Antique. She laughs like nobody does. I’ve been blessed by her closeness to Christ—I can tell by her words and actions—and her love for the Savior and the brethren.

Hazel Sobrepena. Business Administration. It was at the end of our first year when we were praying if we were going to shift courses or not. She wanted to go to Business Ad and Accountancy; I wanted to go to Molecular Bio. We prayed hard for it, and God, gracious as He is, allowed us to shift. So much has happened after that; I'm sure Hazel learned a lot from God's classroom.

***

To my friends in the Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Society (MMBS), congratulations! This year’s batch is a record-breaker: 3 summas, and 17 out of 19 students with honors. I was beaming when I learned all about it.

However, I’d like to especially mention these people:

Andrea Salvador. Biji Leyson. Glaiza Tan. The summa-cum-laude ladies who have—take note—very active social lives outside of their laboratories. I’m just so proud of them, especially when they were called one by one to the stage.

Schubert Malbas. I met him in Kalayaan; he was corny then—still is now. He’s taking time off working at the stock exchange, applying his knowledge on cloning to the Dow Jones.

Jade Lasiste. Clearly a celebrated writer, Jade is also my editor for Scientia, the College’s magazine. She’s very strong-willed and strongly-opinionated. Say anything rash about her friends, and you may not see the light of dawn again.

Joshua Yabut. One of the most gracious persons I’ve met. He’s very humble, kind, and unassuming. As the org’s president, I’ve never heard him utter an invective or show irritation at anyone or to anything.

Roxanne Ramirez. She’s very straight-to-the-point, never wasting any syllable at sheer nonsense. I hope she works in the lab where I’m currently involved in because, come on, she’ll do well.

***

I'd also like to congratulate my other good friends I've met in UP:

Brylle Baluyot. Economics. I got absolutely giddy when I heard that Brylle was going to graduate summa. He's clearly one of those people who never flaunt their brains out. I was dormmates with him for years, and he's always been kind and gentle and acommodating.

Olive Dyoco. Tourism. We had great laughs during our class together in Comm 3, even in our Kalay days. I remember interviewing Atom Araullo (the Milo kid-turned-host) with her, and it was the most hilarious, unforgetttable interview I've ever conducted. She's a wonderful groupmate, never losing any idea or hope that, yes, things will work out.

***

Sa mga kaibigan kong next year na gagradweyt, pag-pray natin na makakapag-march tayo, friends!

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1 Comments:

Anonymous Olive said...

aww.. thanks lance! :) bakit ngayon ko lang nabasa 'to. anyway, better late than never nga diba? bigla ko tuloy naalala ang interview na yun, it was unforgettable indeed! i miss those days.. and i miss u too.. :)

Thu Jul 30, 10:11:00 PM GMT+8  

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