“Life is like a book. Some chapters are sad, happy and exciting.

But if you never turn a

page, you will never know what the next chapter holds”... the same quote i shared during

the testimonial ceremonies for the midwifery board passers two years ago which continues

to inspire me in a lot of ways like accepting the things I cannot change, acknowledging my

mistakes and learning from them, moving on from failures and striving to be the best that i

can be in every endeavour that I embark on.

A few years ago, before we set foot on the grounds of University of Northern

Philippines, a number of uncertainties were rather bothersome. Definitely, chellenges will

come along, but in which form? How shall we deal with them and how prepared are we for

their impacts? These are some of the questions I personally kept myself guarded against

from start to finish. Otherwise, chasing for our dreams is not at all “a walk in the park” but

an uphill climb.

Reflecting upon the years I have spent at the University, it is interesting to note that a

number of events turned-out unexpectedly, mostly on my favour. Getting elected as the

Governor of the College of Health Sciences Student Organization, a huge task I had not

previously imagined myself doing, joining the Team Medics in achieving its purpose and

earning awards for academic excellence, seem to highlight the four laborious years. As a

BSCHM graduate, I personally feel that there is nothing more fulfilling than successfully

managing a student body and reaching out to clients in emergency situations, a line of

specialization we are highly trained at.

Today, we culminate the arduous years of attending to our academic accountabilities.

Along the process, we realized how significant it is to perform our counterpart to enable a

dynamic learning process. Abiding by the rules seems to always work well on its purpose as

it did in our studies. But there are few times when rules aren’t just enough to guarantee the

most desirable end. As such, many would argue that to err and eventually develop is better

than to play safe and stagnate. As an individual, wd do not only anticipate intellectual

challenges, but one of al sorts. Obviously, there is a long and winding process road up ahead,
and while this calls for a celebration, the message it is sending across is clear, that our

beloved UNP is letting us go and seek for opportunities that will help us achieve our dreams

and aspirations. To proceed with life, not allowing ourselves to be fooled by whimsical

ideologies, but to work on the concrete framework within the timeline of the “real world”.

The real battle, not for awards, recognition, power, fame and honour but for relevant

achievements and good reputation that will eventually define the real essence of our

existence may come anytime soon after receiving our diploma. The challenge looks big and

we can’t be blamed for getting anxious about it. Incidentally, there is no other way to go but

move forward and there seems to be no wiser choice but to push ourselves to the limit until

we get to our destinations. We are glad we had you and we can’t be more than thankful to

know that we will still have you by our side as we push away.

Our quest for knowledge and lifelong skills would be nothing but a wish without our

beloved instructors and administrators who painstakingly pulled us through no matter what

the prize. We would like to believe they do so not because they are duty-bound to carry out

such a task- but the act is rather a manifestation of their genuine concern for us as they

would to their own children. Hypocrisy aside, we knew we cannot please each other all the

time as we came into disagreements both expressed candidly and in silence. Thankfully, we

seem to be all gifted with the ability to adapt to our differences as our working and personal

relations have never gotten affected at all. Our beloved instructors, we cannot thank you

enough, Yes you are paid for your services, but the friendship and respect we have

developed along was not paid for. It’s our priceless possession. College of Health Sciences

will always be a place and family for us to go home to.

As often claimed, teaching is labelled the noblest profession. I have no qualms about

it. But if parenting were a career or a profession, I believe it would be the noblest of them

all. PARENTING means anything that is equated to the most precious gifts on earth- love and

life. Through God our Creator, we owe our lives to our beloved parents. All that is good and

beautiful in us, we have them because of our parents. Unfortunately, parents go through
varying levels of difficulty in carrying out their roles and functions inside the home, including

the need for their children to obtain a good education. It is so sad to note that there are

parents who are MORE THAN WILLING TO SUFFER FROM HEALTH CRISIS JUST TO SUSTAIN

THE EDUCATION OF THEIR CHILDREN. They don’t get paid for a single penny for their

countless sacrifices, neither parents are guaranteed to be compassionately cared for and

attended to by their children when they become too weak and feeble. Despite this

conditions and uncertainties, parents would only care to give the best of everything they

could provide and wish for their children until their last breath. Mom, Dad, Ma, Pa,

Grandma, Grandpa and everybody home, Thank you for your UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.

As we bid goodbye to our beloved instructors, we do the same to our friends. Our

class is a small one and the whole CHS family is not quite big as well. But I hope the unique

expression of a real friendship among us could magnify our size and will last a lifetime. A few

friends from our last batch expressed their fears outright about getting a stable job with our

profession. It’s actually the same feeling I earlier had along with the thought of others

getting a better job than I. Please disregard the inappropriate remarks you earlier heard

from me. I realized that friends are supposed to lift up one another in times of low

moments, neither should friends be threatened by each other in a healthy competition. We

should continue helping one another and let us learn to take pride of the achievements of

our friends and be happy for them.

Finally, the challenge among us, fellow graduates is to take our vow before the name

of our beloved Alma Mater. Whichever direction we opt to follow from here, our second

home, there should only be one voice the resounds among us, that is “to make the UNP

proud and for us to remain her loyal sons and daughters”. Wherever life may lead us to, dare

to be brave, stand your ground, you stay true to your values, be content with what your best

can deliver, take pride and find happiness with your humble achievements. If you do this,

your life story could be likened to a book beautifully written and rich in substance, with full
trust and confidence, we shall proceed to the next page of our lives and start writing for

another meaningful chapter.