This is the season for recognition

The past month continuing to this month of August has been the season of recognition of academic achievements, commencement exercises and graduation ceremonies. educational institutions all over the country have been holding virtual commencement ceremonies for the batch of 2021 graduates.

In the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman School of Business (VSB), where I am the Dean, the graduates of the school, together with the rest of the UP graduates, had their viral and virtual graduation last July 25. To the graduates, I extend my congratulations.

I also posted my graduation message to the VSB graduates in the college’s Facebook (https://www. facebook.com/vsbcbaofficial ). My message to the graduates is quite simple: Now that you have graduated, pursue your future that should address your personal interest as well as the concerns of the various persons and communities that are a part of or close to you. Slightly modifying this message, I am sharing below this relevant reminder to all graduates of batch 2021.

It has been a hectic full academic year of facing the learning and social challenges of the pandemic. But you’ve made it, you’ve done it. You are now claiming your well-earned diploma of completion of your chosen academic program.

It is time to celebrate with your family and loved ones for this momentous occasion. It is very nice to be able to declare now that “I am a graduate and alumni of the University of the Philippines.” Cherish all of these. You truly deserve these, after all those years earning your undergraduate or graduate degree, a significant portion of which was during the unparalleled Covid-19 pandemic with the resulting challenging remote learning and disrupted school extra-curricular activities.

As you move forward to your journey of the future, please do not hesitate to look back at your beloved alma mater, which has been the core of your learning and development the past years. Your dean, professors, and administrative staff will always be available to connect with you whenever you feel the need for assistance and mentorship.

What’s next? Pursuing your future. A future that consists of what your career track will be, whether this will be in the corporate, professional, entrepreneurial, government, or other advocacies or interests. Your future that, I am sure, will include your desire of giving back to the persons who have been significant to what you are now. Your future that will make your alma mater proud with the milestones that you will be achieving. Your future that will have you doing your role in your country’s development and progress. Having been nurtured by your loved ones and school over the past years, you have imbued the spirit of giving back to your benefactors. It is very clear that the completion of your chosen course is just the start of more challenges that you will have to face moving forward. I am quite sure that most, if not all of you, will be up to the challenge.

As you move forward to your journey of the future, please do not hesitate to look back at your beloved alma mater, which has been the core of your learning and development the past years. Your dean, professors, and administrative staff will always be available to connect with you whenever you feel the need for assistance and mentorship. Though we will not be engaging anymore as student-teacher, our interaction will move to the next level of alumni of our College and citizens of our community. Our engagement will shift from an inclusive school environment to a setting where we will be collaborating for your personal success, as well as the greater good of our community and country.

Congratulations to the Batch 2021 graduates. Onwards to your bright future!

Joel L. Tan-torres is the Dean of the University of the Philippines Virata School of Business. Previously, he was the Commissioner of the Bureau of Internal Revenue, the chairman of the Professional Regulatory Board of Accountancy and partner of Reyes Tacandong & Co. and the Sycip Gorres and Velayo & Co. He is a Certified Public Accountant who garnered No. 1 in the CPA Board Examination of May 1979.

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