Journeying Together celebrating Holy Crossian Talents and Skills through Sports,

Music and Arts

To the jury, my school mates, my classmates, friends, ladies and gentlemen, a

pleasant day to all of you.
In all honesty, as I am standing here, I don’t only feel nervous, but I also feel
the nostalgia. I couldn’t remember exactly the last time I stood before a crowd,
most likely I was still a Junior High student then. But it feels good to just be
here and be with you as I share to you some of the things I realized during this
year’s Intramural.
This experience is nostalgic probably because we were deprived to experience
this gathering for over two years due to the pandemic. I don’t know if you feel
the same but as for me, being able to participate in this activity manifests our
resilience after being tested by the unexpected pandemic. Being able to join
this gathering is a testimony that we have conquered one of the hardest
hurdles we ever encountered and now we are ready to bounce back as one
community--- diverse yet united.
It is still fresh to me what our school looked like during those dark years. No
students could be seen inside, no activities were conducted, no banters
between and among the students. It was strangely quiet. On the other hand, I
know that you agree with me on this—us students were forced to isolate
ourselves and we individually looked for ways to survive each day with all the
overwhelming demands of our studies and our personal lives. But look at us
now, standing tall and proud as we all come back to our beloved institution
and finally get to share our journey once again with our friends and mentors.
For the previous two years, we were silenced. Others even forgot what they
were passionate about because of the tremendous fear of sickness and death.
Others continued to hone their craft in the comfort of their own rooms, no
audience, no friends to share it with. The restrictions stopped us from doing
what we love but now it is high time to get back what we have lost and to make
up for the times we felt we were all alone.
As we come together for this much awaited event, we do not only showcase our
talents and skills through sports, music and arts but we come together to
celebrate our diversity. Armed with Holy Cross’ vision of a fully vibrant
community of believers and Christ-centered evangelizers educated in the faith
animated by the passion for truth and engage in building a more humane
world, we are now ready to take on the challenge of celebrating our talents and
skills not just about achieving personal success but also about using our
abilities to make a positive impact on others. I deeply believe that when we
work together and use our talents and skills for the greater good, we can make
a real difference in the world.
While it is true that everyone of us is unique and that we possess individual
skills and abilities that would serve as our advantage over the others, it is also
undeniable that these skills would only become meaningful when it is shared
to others and when it is done to help others become better and also advance on
their own. I think it is high time that we give a deeper reflection to the old and
common statement from John Donne that “No man is an island”. We need
others to help us in our journey through life—through the best and the worst.
We have learned our lesson the hardest way during the pandemic. It was in
those times when we realized how hard it is to be alone. Now that we get back
together, this is a call of unity for us to imbibe the spirit of one community
where there is no bragging and bashing but only celebrating the craft of one
another. Let me just share what I remember from the words of my high school
teacher which she repeatedly said to us. She said “Use your talents and skills
not to step forward but to bring the others in the frontline”. It used to be vague
for me but as I mature being a part of one academic community, I understand
what she meant. We are not here to compete but we are here to celebrate our
individualities and our potentials. We are here to inspire one another to
become the best versions of ourselves.
Let me emphasize that when we come together to celebrate each other's gifts,
we create a sense of community and belonging that can become greatly
impactful. Through sports, music, and arts, we can build relationships and
connections with others who share our passions and interests. We can work
together to achieve common goals and support each other through challenges
and setbacks. And the bonus, we can create memories that will last a lifetime.
Honestly speaking, journeying together isn't just about the fun and exciting
moments. It's also about the hard work and dedication that it takes to develop
and improve our talents and skills. When we journey together, we can push
each other to be better, to work harder, and to strive for excellence. When we
celebrate each other's achievements, big or small, we're celebrating the journey
that brought us to where we are today.
I hope I am making a point here. I would like to encourage each other to keep
going, to keep striving for excellence, and to keep making a difference if not in
the world, at least in the community where we are part of. You all must be
familiar with Helen Killer and her timeless statement “Alone, we can do so
little, together we can do so much”.
We are Holy Crossians. We are gifted with talents and skills. We are members
of one community that welcomes diversity. I am proud to say that we Journey
Together to Celebrate our Talents and Skills through sports, music and arts.
Just as Ryunosuke Satoro said “Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are
an ocean."
Good day and it’ nice to be with you today.