Reverend Father Joel Tabora of the Society of Jesus, our university President, Mr. Gregorio Re Abonal, our Principal, dearest Jesuits, members of the administration, faculty and staff, our ever loving parents, guests, fellow graduates, friends, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon!

Speaking to you today is an enormous task for I do not speak only for myself, but for my batch mates as well. And while goodbye is inevitable how do I say it for all of us without missing out on any of the emotions we are feeling at this moment?

We are sad and happy at the same time. Sad because we are leaving what has been our second home for these past four years. Happy because we passed the hurdle of high school life and are now graduating. We are excited but afraid. We are excited about the new life that awaits us, but we are also afraid because we are not sure about what is before us. We are proud yet humbled at the same time. We are proud because we are Ateneans, but we are humbled by the trust given to us by that name.

May 28, 2007 is still very vivid in my mind. It was the first time my brother and I, together with other students, became officially Ateneans. I saw familiar faces but majority were strangers. I felt mixed emotions and a lot of questions rushed through my mind: Will I have new friends? Will I have an embarrassing experience that day and will people laugh at me? We were all so unsure of ourselves and of what will happen that day. We were but little children hesitant to take a step away from our mother or big brother or whoever it was who brought us to school that first day.

In our four years of stay in this institution, a lot of things have happened. We met new people who eventually became our friends. We shared ideas and helped one another. We laughed and we cried. We played and we worked. We studied relentlessly, but there were times when we just got so tired and frustrated some gave up.“ Tama na yan or Pwede na” they would say.  Some plodded on and did the best they could. They did not give up on “Magis.”

Our lives were like soap operas—with all the petty dramas: Friends breaking up or having a misunderstanding then getting together again; Tears over lost books or lost cell phones or some hurting messages on face book. And like all the previous batches, we also experienced agonizing pains and tortures. We spent sleepless nights making projects and researches. We held practices for a particular project despite major examinations the following day. We were relentlessly exposed to the sun when we had our drills. All these we endured. We complained and we griped, but we endured. And now, all those hardships do not matter anymore for here we are the graduating class of 2011!

Our Batch can also boast of some “Firsts.”  We did not experience the joys of Pistaym when we were in first year, but we had the SoFresh Night, Sophomores and Freshmen Night—our own version of Junior and Senior’s Prom. The dull stage that we had before is now transformed into a bigger and better one—with all the curtains and lights which lead to a change in a Pistaym event. The Comedy Skit has been replaced by the more high brow Dramatic Excerpts. Our usual school time which used to end at 3:40 PM has been extended until 4:20 PM., increasing the hours for Chinese classes. We now have Chinese classes three times a week giving us more opportunities to learn the Chinese culture. Dai lao shi, Zhuang lao shi, wo men ai ni men.(Teacher Dai, Teacher Zhuang, we love you.)

Despite our misbehaviours—our noise, our inability to keep away from off-limit areas and our disregard for the cleanliness of the school— I would like to believe that all the experiences we had in school have helped us grow and mature into better persons. I would like to believe that the seed of goodness has been planted in us and will grow and blossom in the years to come. I would like to believe that when the time comes, we will choose what is good and what is right. What is for the good of others and not for ourselves alone.

And as I think of what we have become, of what we are now, and the vision of what we can be, I remember a teacher quoting Sir Isaac Newton, “If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants.”

We have stood on shoulders of giants and we thank them.

Thank you, our beloved parents. You worked selflessly and you gave us your unconditional love and support.   THANK YOU AND WE LOVE YOU!

Thank you dear classmates and friends. We were together through thick and thin. You were always there.

Thank you, our teachers. You never ceased to believe in us and you led us a step closer to our dreams. You had to wake up early in the morning like we do, exerted time and effort in making the Syllabus Lesson Plan and you gave the best you could in imparting knowledge to us.

To the administrators of the Ateneo and the rest of the staff, our deepest thanks.  Thank you, Ateneo de Naga University, our Alma Mater, Thank you!

Everything does not end here. Although we can say that we are Ateneo’s finished project, we are still to face a dozen of challenges in the near future. No matter what school we enter in college, let us try our very best to live the Ateneo culture: Magis, Primum Regnum Dei and Men and Women for others. These ideals and values learned throughout our stay here will guide us in becoming the kind of person we want to be. Never think that we are already good. Instead, remember that the road ahead is not smooth and easy. Let us make the giants in our lives proud of what we are and of what we will become.

Thank you all and a pleasant afternoon.