LPEP 2K12

(c) LPEP 2K12

Spent the first two days of my DLSU life with these people!

Thank you Kuya Ninoy and Ate Jeanina! LPEP was fuuuun.

From blue to green.

The minute I stepped inside the perimeter of the blue school, I told myself, “Wow, this is where I want to study.” It was like love at first sight. I felt sure at that moment. From receiving an envelope that guaranteed my acceptance up to the time that I’ll proudly wear that blue toga, it all ran on me like how a little girl used to dream about ponies and castles. Since then, my mind was all set. I worked and prayed even harder because that’s how I am when I know that I really want something. But no matter how high the extent of my efforts were, if it isn’t for me, then it will never be. The plan that I had for myself was apparently not the plan that God has for me. It was hard to take it all in at first but it made me realize how important it is to include Him whenever you make plans for yourself. That, I believe, is something that I overlooked. I was too busy imagining what-would-be’s that I didn’t bother to consult Him anymore. With that, I’m glad that God was able help me snap out of it, move on, and focus on Him instead.

So this happened..

The mandatory-ID-picture-cover-up because obviously, my ID pictures always suck.

Can you believe it, He wanted me in DLSU all along - the school where I never had any plan to go to! God really has ways of surprising me all the time. He is getting creative nowadays, I must say!  It’s just funny how things go absolutely the opposite of what you were expecting them to be. Rest assured, I now know that the path I took is now towards a bigger dream that He has in store for me. It may all seem like a mystery right now but I am very clear with the fact that God’s plan for me is pleasing, acceptable, and perfect. ♥

Dr. Esmeraldo P. Ilmedo, Chairman, Board of Trustees. Ms. Raquel M. Ilmedo, Member, Board of Trustees and School Director. Ms. Tanya Therese M. Ilmedo, Member, Board of Trustees. Ms. Melba Joy R. Concordia, Principal. Pastor Benito D. Divierte III, Lead Pastor of Victory Christian Fellowship Muntinlupa. Council of Coordinators. Distinguished members of the faculty, parents, friends, and fellow graduates.

Good evening.

To be an honor student and a daughter to Dr. and Mrs. Ilmedo were two challenging roles I had been living up since my preschool days up to this evening. I must admit, that pressure was the name of the game, but I glorify God, I was able to sustain and be myself despite the many expectations resulting from these two roles.

There is a story of a young, but earnest student who approached his teacher, and asked him, “If I work very hard and diligently, how long will it take for me to find success? The Teacher thought about this, then replied, “Ten years.” 
The student then said, “But what if I work very, very hard and really apply myself to learn fast - How long then?” Replied the Teacher, “Well, twenty years.” “But, if I really, really work at it, how long then?” asked the student. “Thirty years,” replied the Teacher. “But, I do not understand,” said the disappointed student. “At each time that I say I will work harder, you say it will take me longer. Why do you say that?” 
Replied the Teacher, “When you have one eye on the goal, you only have one eye on the path.”

This is perhaps the most common problem among us, students today. We set our eyes on the prize – getting a high score in a test, graduating with honors, or getting in to a prestigious university for college. We are so focused on the prize that we fail to look at how we were able to get there.

Memorizing names of people, places, or things is easy, but inferring values from our lessons is completely different. Being able to deliver a piece in front of an audience just takes a few days of practice, but being able to apply its meaning in life is another challenge. Perhaps for some of us, solving a Math problem or balancing a chemical equation is just a piece of cake, but when faced with real life problems, do we know the formula to their solutions right away?

A magna cum laude once said, “It is easier to graduate with honors than to graduate with honor.” I completely agree with her. The piece of paper that signifies our completion of all the challenges met in high school is not even an inch closer to what’s really in store for us in the real world. For me, to graduate with honor means three things:

First, to graduate with honor means humility.

This is the first value that my parents taught me. They never fail to remind me that everything that I achieve in life is not because of my capabilities alone but these are made possible because of the Lord Jesus Christ who continuously showers me with wisdom and strength.

Second, to graduate with honor means application by heart.

Do the right thing at the right time. This is what my home and school inculcated on me. This is what my research topic has taught me as well. Even if my thesis only covered studies between time management and academic performance, I understood its results in a different perspective. My research study revealed that most students know the right things to do, but lack the ability to apply the principles they believe. However, if everyone will only learn to apply the principles in real life situations, for sure, one will be able to get his desired results and even discover what he is more than capable of doing.

Lastly, to graduate with honor means appreciation.

Although all three are important, this, for me, should be the most valued. Constant appreciation is something that I learned as I grew up from a little girl often seen in her pigtails to a young adult who is about to go to the real world in a few months. When I learned that I had a heart condition and had to undergo open-heart surgery in Grade 5, I was devastated. I ranked third in my class. In that situation, God was my strength and He made me more appreciative and thankful even at bad times. Honestly, this is my secret when it comes to convincing myself into having the right mindset and in having to deal with confusion. Always appreciate. Always give thanks for this is God’s will for me in Christ Jesus. 

This now leads me to a series of thank you’s to those who have helped me become what I am today. To the Lord Almighty, thank You for all the blessings that You have continuously given me. Overwhelming as it may seem, this only shows how amazing You truly are. To my family, thank you for supporting me all the way. All the love and care you have shown just goes to show how blessed I am to have a wonderful family. To my Alma Mater, Jesus the Risen Savior School, and also to my teachers, I wouldn’t be standing here in front of everyone else if it weren’t for you. You molded me into a person who now knows how to stand in her own two feet, head held up high, and proud. Lastly, to my classmates, thank you for all the years that we have spent together. All the good times that we had will forever be cherished as we go to college next year. Being with you all just makes me realize how amazing life really is when you spend it with amazing people as well.

As we prepare to step in to another chapter of our lives, may we always keep in mind the things that we learned in high school – those which helped us become better persons. After all, getting a good education is not something attained from memorizing the information stated in our textbooks. Rather, it is something learned from the life experiences we had through the years. That, I think, is something worth more than things that can be measured by numbers alone. We may have thought of others as our competitors, but actually, all of us serve as the backbone of one another. It was all of you who truly made me the person I am today. In that case, we are all valedictorians then! Truly, classmates, Glory Batch 2011 – 2012, humility, application by heart, and appreciation – these are what it takes to graduate with honor. 

Thank you.

A 30-minute encounter

Yesterday, my classmates and I went to NBP for our Community Service. We were there to visit some of the inmates in the medium security level, have a look at the kind of environment that these people have, and distribute some goodies that we have prepared for them.

When it was time for the interaction, an inmate wearing a pink shirt seated in front of me. According to him, his crime was murder. He was able to do that because of his too much love for her girlfriend, who is now his wife. She chose him over studies that’s why she wasn’t able to finish college at all. Although his stories were very awkward at first, I learned a lot from him. He told me that if I were to pick up a lesson from my NBP visit that day that would be a deep value for education. He reiterated the fact that having a boyfriend at an early point in life will just ruin my priorities. He told me that this was also the same advice that he kept on repeating over and over again with his cousins. I guess he was able to tell me all of these things because of his experiences in life.

As I listened to his continuous rants about life, I realized something. God has blessed each of us with intellect – the ability to identify right from wrong. We don’t really have to experience something first hand in order to change for the better. For me, we were given this ability for us to avoid having regrets. In the inmate’s case, he was only able to realize that when it was already too late.

Coincidence or not, I guess being able to talk to that inmate really had a purpose. With the current stage that I am in, someone who will warn me about reality is important. With that, I consider my 30-minute encounter with him as a really memorable one because I will forever cherish the advices that he was given me. He will forever serve as an inspiration towards a life full of changes and choices.