RISE OVER

RUN
Amanda Jessica Susulin May 19, 2013 at 12:19am
"I hope UP never becomes strong enough to break you." - Sir Jireh Espinosa, DPSM,
UP Manila
This is long, but I assure you, it will be WORTH READING.
1st sem AY '12-'13
Math 1 class naming mga 2nd year PTs.
There are teachers who really make a huge impact on their students' lives. My PT
batchmates and I have been blessed by having such a teacher for Math 1, kaya
naman ishe-share ko sa inyo yung mga sinabi niya sa amin nung last class na namin
bago matapos ang sem. Last math teacher na rin kasi namin siya since wala na
kaming math subject for the rest of our undergrad days. Alam ng naging students
niya kung gaano siya ka-awesome!!
*Note: (...) - indicates parts na maingay ang background kaya may short parts na
hindi na nailagay.
SIR JIREH ESPINOSA:
""Hindi kayo nagpunta sa UP dahil madali sa UP. Alam niyo pagdating niyo palang
dito na mahirap siya. Pero yung fact na nandito pa kayo, ibig sabihin kaya niyo.
You can do it. You have to hold on to that. No matter how difficult it gets. No matter
how challenging. No matter what adversity it takes. Hold on to that faith, na it is
possible, na kaya niyo. Nandito na kayo, that's all you need to know. It's not going to
be easy. You might fail a subject here and there. So did I. And here I stand, 'di ba?
Kaya niyo rin yun.
This is not impossible. UP is a school, is a place, that can be found downright cruel at
times. Parang gustung gusto niyang ibagsak ka. Na binubugbog ka na at
gumagapang ka na at lahat, sinisipa ka pa rin and yet all I could ask from you, kahit
ano mangyari, never stay down. (...) Just never stay down.
Alam ko nabanggit ko na sa inyo ito. The greatest lesson, guys, that I have ever
learned from mathematics is something so simple. I did not discover it until later on.
It's a message hidden in the slope of the line. Alam niyo ba yung slope of the line?
RISE OVER RUN.
Such precious precious words, such simple simple words. Rise over run. Parang
napakasimple but if you repeat it to yourself over and over again, you will find that
everything you need to know and everything you need to carry with you is hidden in
those words. (...)

No matter how difficult it gets, rise over run. When you fall, rise over run. When the
rest of the world tells you it's impossible, rise over run. When they tell you it cannot
be done, when you kiss the dust, rise over run.
Rise over run means we never quit. It means na UP tayo, na hindi tayo susuko.
Rise over run means if you must die, you die fighting.
Kung meron kayong matututunan sa akin, kung yun lang ang matututunan niyo sa
akin ngayong sem na 'to, masaya na 'ko. Tibay ng loob lang ang kailangan dito.
Never ever quit. Never ever lose yourself. (...)
I hope you find a dream worth fighting for and I hope you find the courage to fight for
that dream wherever it takes you.
I hope UP never becomes strong enough to break you. I hope you hold on to the
strength to keep on fighting no matter what happens.
All I want for you, at the end of this message, is to be able to walk out that door, look
me in the eye and say, 'Sir, I gave it my best.'
I do not know whether or not you did, kayo lang ang nakakaalam nun. Sana ang
sagot ay oo but I hope I can send you out today as fighters. Fighters for the rest of
your college life and beyond. Once a fighter, always a fighter. Sana pag-graduate
niyo dito, you bring something, you take something from this experience that
changes you. Take something in your head and in your heart (...).
Mahirap siya. You will feel like quitting very often. (...) Pero I can promise you, take it
from someone who's been there, I can promise you when you get to the end
ipagmamalaki niyo lahat ng sugat na natanggap niyo dito at sasabihin niyo, 'UP ako!
Sa UP ko ko ito nakuha!" And you will tell them it was worth it. Believe me, it will be.
Yun lang. It's been an amazing honor to have taught you and it's my honor to be your
last, well, in fact your last math teacher ever. Sana marami kayong natutunan sa akin
(....) Thank you very, very much."
Sir Ji, THANK YOU for being an inspiration to all of us! You truly are a blessing to us!