QUEZON City, Philippines (February 27) – Batch 2017, are ready to turn your tassels?
College graduation – it is one of the most memorable and most emotional situations that one can experience. After four years toiling to get your degree, this is it! It does not matter if you graduate with flying colors or not, what is more important is that you are now graduating.
From this point, you have the freedom to do what’s next – whether to look for a job, to pursue further studies or even both.
Why don’t we pause for a while and take a look back – back to four years ago when you are sweating and nervous because you cannot find the TBA room and you only have a few minutes before your class. Then you bump into another freshman and now there are two of you struggling to look for the room. Not being able to find the room, both of you went to the information room to learn that “TBA” means “to be announced”. You feel dumb for a moment and share a look with your new-found friend, laugh, and a bond is formed.
It may not be that great of a start, but the experience marks the beginning of your college life. College life is all about meeting new people, finding out what you are best in or what your weaknesses are.
College also equals stress. You learn how to manage your time so that you finish all of your school work that share the same deadline. This is even worse when you are in a relationship. You have to juggle everything to ensure that you can still accomplish your course requirements while at the same time, spending quality time with the person you are in relationship with.
There are also the myriad distractions – the movie marathons, social media, internet stuff – then you look up and find out that you’re under a ton of work and have to rush to do things double-time.
During your final year, it seems that more stress is piled upon you than humanly possible. You have to render hours for internship and on-the-job training, look after your graduation application and search for those oh-so-important people whose signatures are needed for your clearance form.
During graduation, every thing feels surreal. You are wearing your graduation gown and cap. This is it. The moment that you and your family is waiting for. Savor this moment of triumph as you now embark on the even harder road of being a young adult.
CONGRATULATIONS BATCH 2017! GOOD LUCK!
(written by Job Catama, edited by Jay Paul Carlos, additional research by Vince Alvin Villarin)