WORDS OF GRATITUDE

To our honoured guest/ to the workaholic and dynamic Schools

District Supervisor/ Dr. Maribel C. Cacayan ma’am./ Efficacious
and equally intelligent principal of this school/ Madam Fevelyn J.
Acupan,/ active and brilliant school heads of Benito Soliven North
District,/ dedicated and competent teachers,/ ever supportive
Barangay and PTA Officials,/ fellow completers,/ parents,/
friends,/ visitors /a pleasant and warm morning to one and all.///
I wish to express to each and everyone of you/ my deepest and
honest gratitude/ for the support you gave me to be able to study./
I feel grateful that God and life put people like you in my path./
Wonderful people who supported me unconditionally/ to move
forward and fulfil my dream of graduation.///

Now/ that I have fulfilled another dream of mine,/ I wish to share

with you my triumph and joy/ that I feel realizing/ that my
effort, /my dedication,/ my persistence,/ my constancy/ and not
being defeated by any obstacle made this possible.///

Our journey in our Junior High School life/ was like a roller
coaster ride /– not because we had our fair share of ups and
downs/ but because of the plot twists we experienced /all
throughout these years./ Who among you here tried having failing
marks in exams?/ Who has had days of community service due to
extensive number of tardiness?/ Who has gone crying due to
projects?/ Who has thought of giving up?/ Who wanted to
succeed?///

You see,/ we have faced innumerable challenges and surpassed all

of them/ because of our will to succeed./ We may have thought of
giving up at the middle of the stormy days,/ but our dreams were
bigger than our problems./ We say ayoko na/ but our action
does laban pa./ You see,/ what’s good with us Filipinos/ is our
resiliency./ We can easily recover from any mishaps/: we stand up
after tumbling into hardships/ bringing with us new lessons we’ve
learned./ We stand up through challenges stronger than before./
Why is that so?/ Because/ we see failures as our building blocks/
towards forming a better version of ourselves.///

For one,/ I’ve also had my fair share of hardships and struggles./
Pressure /– that is my greatest enemy/ but it also played an
important role in building myself./ I get low scores too/ and even
sometimes spend the night crying/ because I do not know how to
balance my responsibilities anymore/ then end up failing the
people who believed in me.///

Fellow completers,/ I am openly expressing myself/ because/ I

want you to realize/ that anything that happened to us in the
previous years,/ even the smallest of things,/ has contributed a lot
to our humanity./ I want you to accept your flaws/ because/ that
made you who you are today.///

As we have come to end of our Junior High School journey,/ let us

not forget to acknowledge the values of gratitude we’ve
inculcated/ and humility coupled with our faith in our Almighty
Creator./ This paves the way for us to reach this point in our life/
and achieve these fruits of our labor./ So many people had a hand
in our success./ Let us all thank them/ and give them a round of
applause:///

To our classmates for giving us treasure-worthy experiences,/ for

all the uphill battles we’ve overcome together,/ for the efforts each
has exerted/ for the betterment of the class,/ and for all the
merriment,/ indulgence,/ and trips that made us take a break
from the stressful process of education;/ to our friends for
flashing a genuine smile on our faces/ and for not letting us do or
face situations alone,/ for backing us up every time;/ to our
parents for selflessly giving us the support we need,/ financially
and emotionally;/ to our teachers and advisers who inspire us a
lot/ as they themselves continue to demonstrate integrity/ in what
they do and for being so extra/ in making this graduation
ceremony as perfect as it can be,/ for extending beyond their
working hours/ just to prepare everything ,/ and personally/ I
would like to thank them all/ for bestowing upon me their trust
and confidence,/ for believing in my capabilities even when I
doubt myself;/ to the Maluno Integrated School teachers/ for
keeping our environment conducive for learning,/ for molding us
into better citizens of our country/ and for instilling in our hearts
and minds/ the values of excellence,/ integrity,/ loyalty,/
discipline,/ and service;/ and most especially to our Creator,/
regardless of our religions,/ for His guidance,/ understanding, and
love./ Without Him, /we would have not been able to reach this
point of our lives.///

More importantly,/ I would like to express my deepest and

sincerest gratitude to my family/ for not pushing me too hard,/ for
their encouragement,/ and for being sensitive and understanding
of what I feel;/ to my mother who knows me so well,/ for standing
by my side and defending me in times of need;/ to my father who
reminds me to rest/ whenever I am bombarded with tasks/ and
for patiently listening to my whines/ especially when we are stuck
in a heavy rains;/ to my brother/ for knowing so well the best way
to comfort me;/ and to my relatives who never fail to wipe away
any bad vibes in my system.///

To my family and relatives,/ thank you so much for the laughter,/

tears,/ comfort, /patience, /care, /and love./ I cannot express any
further/ how thankful I am/ to have you as my example in
everything./ Above all,/ I would like to thank God/ for guiding me
all throughout everything,/ for hearing and answering my
prayers,/ and most especially,/ for blessing me with superb people/
who continue to provide me the guidance to do what is just and
right./ Despite all the challenges,/ there are a lot to thank for./
Personally and sincerely,/ thank you all for being part of this
wonderful and meaningful journey.///

Fellow completers,/ let us not forget the struggles we faced /and

the important lessons in life we learned/ during our education
process /no matter how dark and hurtful the past was./ Let us
bear in mind/ that these are our foundation/ in building a sturdier
version of ourselves.///

This graduation ceremony is a great manifestation of the hard

work,/ sweat,/ and tears we’ve invested in our education./ Let us
congratulate each other/ for overcoming those challenges/ and for
being able to reach this far./ Let us not worry ourselves for
failing/ because/ it is through our failures that we learn better.
/Failing means having a time to breathe,/ having a time to rethink
things, /having a space to grow./ It serves as a redirection in our
lives.///

Everyone fails but not all who fail is a failure/ for failures are only
for those who did not have the courage to stand up after they fall./
We will fail… but, we will never give up./ Let this be our mantra
for the rest of our challenging lives. /Do not be afraid of failing,/
as long as you keep learning,/ you keep winning!///

Congratulations everyone!/ Thank you very much and good

morning!/ May the speed force be with us all!///