Years of Struggle, Pain and Victory
A speech delivered last March 29, 2008 by Ira Sheena C. Howard,
Class Valedictorian of the Ateneo de Naga University

Our University President, Fr. Joel E. Tabora of the Society of Jesus, Members of the Board of Trustees, our Academic Vice President, Dr. Rebecca C. Torres, Fr. Wilmer Tria, representative of the late Dona Chito Consuelo Madrigal-Collantes, our honorary doctorate degree awardee, Dr. Dominador P. Peralta Jr., CHED Region V Director, Mr. Remi S. Manchus, President of the Ateneo Alumni Association, Deans, Administrators, faculty, staff, parents, alumni, friends, my fellow graduates, ladies and gentlemen, good evening.

What initially catches people’s attention upon entering the gates of the Ateneo de Naga University is the grandiose Four Pillars which bear a sense of uniqueness that causes passers-by to take a second look. Forever, these pillars shall stand with honor and pride, withstanding earthquakes, typhoons, and floods while the Ateneo flag is carried forward in victory or defeat and the Filipino flag is raised to greet tomorrow’s ordeals.

But what do these hallowed Pillars have to do with us, bold and proud Ateneans?

They inspire us to remain bold and proud. That’s it.

Four years ago, the Four Pillars welcomed us as freshmen students in Ateneo de Naga University. During the years that followed they stood firmly to remind us of the Ateneo vision. For this, they bravely endured numerous natural calamities just so that they could witness our passage today into a new life. I believe that this is the reason that they have remained as steadfast as gallant knights for years.

Eleanor Roosevelt once said that one gains strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which one really stops to look fear in the face. We have been continuously warned about how cruel and harsh realities are outside the gates of Ateneo. Just recently, one of our socio-economic fears came to pass. The then-twenty-two pesos cost of a kilo of rice has escalated to thirty one pesos, another burden that our poor Juan de la Cruz has to carry on his shoulders as he painstakingly works long hours for a salary not even enough to feed his children. But Ateneans, courageous and confident as we are, have already been exposed to these realities a dozen times before. Armed with knowledge and experiences gained from our co- and extra-curricular activities, we have already gained WISDOM, which the first Pillar represents. We have in fact accepted that life isn’t perfect and devised ways to overcome our fears so that we may become better persons.

Indeed, if there is anything that we have learned in our years at Ateneo de Naga University, it is that like the Four Pillars, we should always stand tall and proud. Like the Four Pillars, we should always be as welcoming to others as we can.

Yet will what we do ever really make a difference to this world? Can we really make a difference in this world? I remember the story of the starfish thrower who kept on throwing back each and every starfish he saw lying around the seashore under the heat of the sun. It seemed to be such a senseless act. But, reassuring himself, he said, “The sun is up and the tide is going down.  If I don’t throw them into the sea, they’ll die.” In other words, he may not have saved the whole ocean but he made a big difference to the relatively few starfishes that he threw back to the sea.

It is true.  All of us are created to make a difference.  Yet, how many Filipinos opt to take this challenge?  How many of us have positive inspiring visions guiding us along our path to success?

Perhaps while some of us are contented with the way things are today, others are judiciously searching for miracles that would change the world.  Yet do you recall how we restored hope in our fellow Bicolanos when we served as volunteers in the Tulong Dulong, Gawad Kalinga, or Bahay Atenista projects, not just to be exempted from the COP, but to be of SERVICE to others.  As Toshiro Takami, a Magsaysay awardee for Peace and International Understanding puts it, “Our lives are enriched when we share that little we have, and work to sustain the lives of others.”  SERVICE is what the second pillar stands for.  May we, even after we graduate, not tire of serving others as we did as college students.  Let us not cease to bring hope wherever we go.

I have been spearheading the Hasik Karunungan, an Adult Aetas Literacy Program for nine months now, at Curry, Pili, Camarines Sur. Barely a week after I was introduced as their teacher, I was already tasked to teach them the basics in writing. Standing before a group of adults, I stared at their blank faces, and wondered, “Would they learn something from me?” That was a few months ago. Now, things are different. They already insist on writing their own names. The last time I was there, I could not contain my joy when one of my students, a fifty five year old man, approached me, showed me his notebook, and said confidently, “Ma’am, salamat po ta nakakabasa na po ako. Nakakasurat na po ako.” And for me, these are the most stirring statements that a teacher can be told by his or her students. Hope is alive in this experience! We can make it happen.

Tonight, let us express our gratitude to our first teachers, the teachers who prepared the world for us, the teachers who saw our first smile, heard our first cry, guided our first few steps and wept with us when we fall, the teachers who taught us valuable lessons that neither our formal education nor our extra-curricular experiences could possibly equal. Tonight, let us also say thank you to the teachers, coaches and mentors we have had here in the Ateneo. The teachers, who with their immeasurable dedication to the school and their passion in teaching, have patiently taught us not just the theories or the principles found in the textbooks but also the value of education and the meaning of life. Indeed, we owe everything to them. Tonight, let us also remember our parents – their love and many sacrifices for us - with profound gratitude.  My sister and I come from an imperfect family. We have our share of ups and downs, of pains, difficulties and struggles. But there was never a time when my parents blamed Aiza and me for these. That is how loved and cared for we felt as their children. I am very grateful to them as I know you each are of your own. My fellow graduates, let us then give our dear parents and teachers a round of applause.

Soon, I know there will be different kinds of voices that would call us to different kinds of work.  In the spirit of PIETY, which is what the third pillar represents, I hope we do find it in ourselves to listen to and follow the voice of God, rather than that of society, our ego, or self-interest. Let us recall what Lao Tzu, a famous Chinese philosopher said- “Character is the most important quality.  Intelligence and skills come second in importance. Honesty, which is the core of character, is the key to every company’s success, every team’s victory and every nation’s march to progress.”

With our incessant quest for EXCELLENCE, which is the final pillar, I know that we, Ateneans can be “the first among equals.”Soon, I know there will be pioneers among us who will liberate the “leader” in other people and provide them the opportunity to be transformational leaders as well.

Let us help other people find their way in the dark.  Let us follow what Ninoy Aquino said: that in this age of darkness, we can help spread the light.  We can either be the candle or the mirror which reflects its light.

Someday, we will fan the tiny, inner sparks of possibility we now hold in our hands into flames of achievement.  Someday, we will have a harvest of flowers rather than of thorns.  Someday, we will reflect light in the dark places of this world.  And to achieve this, we, Ateneans, must start today.

As each one of us goes up this stage tonight, let us not rest on our laurels.  Rather, let us allow ourselves to be disturbed by all that is not right in this world.  Let us continuously seek to be the best, explore new possibilities, be unafraid to fail, manage to get up when we fall, and fight no matter what.  When you look at me standing before you today, what you are actually seeing is someone who has been defeated a hundred times before. I cannot forget how I shed tears when I did not pass the interview for the Ateneo Student Leaders’ Assembly. I cannot forget the pangs of pain I felt when I failed to bring home the bacon as the university’s contestant in the regional and national oratorical contests or the time I wasn’t chosen as one of the outstanding scholars of the university. But I did not surrender.  I bear witness to the fact that if you do not give up easily, you can conquer the hardships that life brings.  For after all the difficulties that I have been through, here I am standing tall and proud, in front of you now. I have overcome. So can all of you!

Beneath the various turbulences in our world today, I hope we shall all remain as bold and proud as our Four Pillars by constantly reminding ourselves: WE CAN. After all, OUR HEARTS ARE GOLD. OUR BLOOD IS BLUE. OUR SOULS ARE ATENEAN. There is no way that we cannot conquer the world.

Congratulations to us, Jesuit-trained graduates!!!