HARVARD VERITAS
TFirst of 2 parts
HIS time of the coronavirus has created a lot of confusion for a lot of people, including me. The uncertainty of the situation to our personal and professional life — especially as it’s now been more than a month for most — has now taken a toll emotionally and physically for most. Sometimes, this is a time that self- doubt creeps in where you think of the choices you made in your life and see if this is exactly where you wanted to be.
While I was looking for inspiration on finding my “true north” during this time of reflection, my friend Paul Pajo reminded me of a commencement speech I gave more than seven years ago to thousands of graduates of the University of Southeastern Philippines (USEP) when I was invited to be their commencement speaker. USEP is one of the top five public universities in the Philippines in the city of Davao, the place where my grandparents lived, where my dad and sister were born, and where I spent the first five years of my life.
I summarized my life advice to students in three major lessons:
– First lesson: are the only one that will determine your story.
– Second lesson: be the best in the world at what you do — and maximize options.
– Last lesson: never where you came from.
I realize more than ever, that sometimes instead of looking to others for answers, your friends will remind you that you already know the answers inside of you. I hope that this speech will also help some of you to reflect during these trying times. Here is the transcript of the speech that I gave:
“Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak before the graduates of this institution. Actually, I always wished I had a degree from the Philippines, but after two years at UP (University of the Philippines), I found it too hard and moved to the US. So, forget for all of you who are graduating today, I definitely envy all of you — because you are in the Philippines at the right time and most especially in Mindanao, which can potentially be one of the biggest growth engines of not just the Philippines but of the entire Southeast Asia. As my dad always said to me when I was growing up, Mindanao is ‘the land of promise.’
“Just a little about myself: my family is from Davao, my grandfather built his business here, my dad was born and grew up in Davao and I also spent the first five years of my life here in Davao. Thank you for inviting me, USEP, it feels good to be back home.
“Someone said that no one ever remembers their graduation speaker. You might not remember me or what I will be saying in the next 15 minutes, but I hope you will remember how you felt on your graduation day.
“Regardless, what I want to say, before anything else, is to cherish this day, as this will be in your memories until the day you die. This is a culmination of all your academic work, the all- nighters that you had to do before an exam, and most of all a proud moment for all the people that supported you until today. Graduates, please stand up, look back, and give your applause to the people that helped you get here today, your parents, teachers, family and friends.
“Congratulations to all the graduating students today. I realize that it might be a difficult task to get here, as I heard from the YANO Facebook Group and video ‘ on YouTube, that being a USEP student means that it takes hard work just to pass a subject, let alone have PE under the acacia tree or having to brave both the flood and the long lines. These are all part of the USEP experience. Regardless, you will graduate today from one of the finest institutions in the Philippines, and the best university in Mindanao. But despite the fact that you are in a top school, never forget your values,
(You are YANO — simple, smart, a scholar of the nation). “My speech today consists of a number of stories, all linked to some of the life lessons I wish I knew when I graduated. I know most of you are excited, anxious, hopeful, scared or even sad, or a combination of all of these emotions. But in general, I hope I can impart lessons to you that you can take with you throughout your lifetime.
“First lesson: are the only one that will determine your story.
“Most of the time, your professors, your grades and your diploma are the ones that you think will limit your story. I have something different; no one in the world, besides yourself can limit your dreams.
“When I was 16, I wrote down a list of achievements I wanted to make before 30, a list that I never thought I would achieve: 1) Get a girlfriend; 2) Graduate with honors; 3) Get a graduate degree; 4) Go to Prague, Ibiza and Cancun; 5) Be an astronaut; and 6) Buy a BMW.
“If I followed what my professors and classmates told me when I was 16, I would never have achieved any of these. But what did I do? I did limit myself to what people told me what I was. Here’s an interesting fact, I didn’t even graduate in the top 10 percent of my high school class and I failed one class in college. This was my story, but I didn’t limit myself to how I was perceived when I was growing up. What I knew is that if I put my mind to it, worked hard and most especially never stop focusing on achieving this list, then things would magically happen.
“In the end, 1) I married my high school crush; 2) I graduated top of my college class; 3) I had two graduate degrees instead of one; 4) traveled most of the world; 5. didn’t become an astronaut but worked on satellites; and 6. bought a BMW through my own hard work and never in my wildest dreams — especially marrying my high school prom date and high school crush — did I think I would come close to these things. But if I had listened to everyone who said that these couldn’t be done, then I wouldn’t have tried.”