my commencent ispeech!

chos :)

Greetings:  To our dear school’s principal Sr. Marylou T. Superio,O.P., sisters, faculty and staff, guests, to the alumni, to our dear mesmerizing graduates, to your proud parents, ladies and gentlemen Good afternoon. "Bon après-midi" in French / boh-nah-preh-mee-dee/.

It seems like it was just 5 years ago when I was sitting on that same seat, on this same place, wearing also my beloved uniform with my white toga on top and my graduation cap. At that moment I was filled with joy and ofcourse a part of me was sad because I’ll be departing highschool life and this means I’ll get to see my friends a little not too often as I could. But that didn’t stop our friendship. Believe me! Highschool life was one of the best experiences in my life. Really! Not only Holy Rosary gave me a hunk of good lessons and inculcated tons of Christian values which I have carried to up until now. It had been also a venue where I have found real life time friends. I know you feel that too.

So when I was invited to be a guest speaker of this year’s batch of graduates, I felt so overwhelmed. It was a privilege, really! But a part of me also says that. Am I too young to be a guest speaker? I just graduated last year and just recently passed the Nursing Licensure Exam last July 2011. Aside from that I have not yet established other things in my career.  So I pondered.. So I took the opportunity and here I am standing in front of you. And I believe aside from sharing inspirational messages, this is also a very good time to tell you how great our God is. He had been always with me in the pursuit of my nursing career. Without Him, none of this would be even tangible.--

It’s really just nice to be back on my dear alma mater where I shared a part of my life. Thank you so much for inviting me!

I may have been through failures but that didn’t stop me from learning and achieving my dreams. As this year’s commencement exercises theme: “Your gift of learning, our tool for nation building”. Learning is a big part of success. Even though you have graduated in highschool or in college, you still have to learn. As one of my mentors would say, learning is a continued process. It doesn’t stop there. Diba?

So we have to update ourselves with the latest trends and innovations in everyday life. Continue to learn and discover. Cause there’s more to life.

Especially that nowadays, you could easily access the world wide web and be informed.

And remember that learning isn’t only about textbooks or datas. It’s also about life, learning from mistakes and finding ourselves. And also a big part of learning is motivation. You have to be motivated in order to learn. To be motivated, you must become interested. And if you become interested you will actively work on your aspirations which you could relate to your values and goals in life. And by being knowledgeable, this makes us a learned person, and we could be productive and be part of this nation’s progress. We could work hand in hand in nation building.

Yes you have to work hard for your plans in the future but don’t forget to always have time to pamper and reward yourself. And of course pray. Pray even harder.

To tell you frankly, My college life? It was a big headache. It was very stressful that I even thought that I couldn’t make it. But with patience, determination and with a “PRAYERful” life, I made it. My support system was really a big factor of my achievements. So my dear parents do support your children. They will do better because of your guidance, love and support. 

So what to take in college? Dear graduates just follow your heart and ask God for guidance, pursue your passion and do what makes you happy. Also consider the people around you; will it also make them happy?  Cause real happiness shouldn’t only be for our own selves but it should be shared with others. If you want to be a doctor, then go for it. If you want to be a singer, go and live your dreams. I also wanted to be a singer. Well, I could still do it when I’m a nurse. I can sing everywhere I want. I even wanted to be a writer. So I write all of my endless errands over the internet and in my blogs that one habit in my leisure time also makes me happy.

So just be productive and happy. Be in a field where you are at best. Know one’s self. And the first step in knowing one’s self is knowing who we aren’t. So discover that part of yourself that you aren’t aware of and you might just discover the star in you. So my dear graduates just soar high. The sky is not the limit, dreaming is infinite! ---

Nursing life wasn’t that easy. Sleepless nights, overnight written lengthy requirements, case presentations, thick books to read, going to duty without sleep and sometimes you even get reprimanded by your instructor—that was normal. We do it almost every day. I just couldn’t even believe I surpassed that. I’d been to many trials. I remember having an incident report in the time when a loveone die. That was pretty much painful! I break down in cries. Thoughts are crowding out my mind, will I make this? What will I do? I even thought it would wash away my sanity. But with God’s grace and my faith to Him, I did it. Even in passing our hardbound thesis, God tested us. We thought we would not graduate but we did it in time just before the day of graduation. God really never fails. You just have to trust Him.

And thank God I graduated! I may not be on top but I’m a dean’s lister! And he even made me happier when I passed the board exam and now a licensed nurse. That experience was even happier cause our entire batch in Nursing School passed and we gained 100% and that made us the Top1 Nursing School in the country. What an achievement and honor! It just made me feel so proud! All the hardwork and sacrifices really paid off. Thanks to God who had been always there and of course for our supportive parents who stormed us with prayers on those critical days of our nursing career and who were always there to support us. So here we are now, Nurses ready to serve you.

A great person so close to my heart said, “focus and prayers are your weapons”. Praying of course is a big way of communicating to the One who truly loves us the most. Of course by asking God some favors you should also do your part. Yes, I pray and I also do my part, I study. And prayers shouldn’t only be filled with intercessions, pray also because you are grateful for the things God has bequeath upon us, even just the thought of us alive and breathing the air we take right now, thanking him for the gifts of life, especially our family, friends and mentors. Prayer requires more of the heart than the tongue. Pray sincerely with your heart.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my Alma Mater for all the wonderful memories and learnings, to my mentors who are still here—Sir Pas, Mam Miray and to all. Maam Gemma, thanks for the effort to reach me. I appreciate it. To my supportive friends who are here and also to my supportive family, thank you so much! You are all the very reason why this life, my life is beautiful.

So here’s my final message for you graduates,

Perspire to inspire. Keep your dreams alive. To achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.–Gail Devers;

And here comes from Gandhi, and I quote “Live as if your were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. And ofcourse also dream. Aim high!

We only have one life here on earth. So use it wisely.

Kudos graduates! Congratulations to you and your parents and mentors! All the best in your college life and for your future plans and careers. May the good Lord bless you all!

This is Harlie Queen B. Samodio, RN.. a proud ROSARIAN a proud DOMINICAN J