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12th Graduates’ Forum For Class 2010 Scholars
Response From Graduates
Delivered by
MR. MARK ANTHONY C. TOLENTINO, Cum Laude
BS Applied Math: Computational Science
Ateneo de Manila University
It all started with a dream. It was more than four or five years ago, during the last year of high school, when most of us here were dreaming to enter a good college or a university where we could learn in our desired fields. I, in particular, was dreaming of entering the Ateneo, studying there and graduating from there. But, probably the same with most of my co-scholars here, this was nothing but a dream. Ateneo was just a dream. It was impossible for me or my family to afford almost 70,000 pesos of tuition and fees every semester. Even with a 50% or 75% discount, it would still be impossible. But I kept on dreaming. We held onto our dreams.
 
Mark Anthony C. Tolentino,
BS Applied Math: Computational Science (cum laude) from the Ateneo De Manila University
delivering the response on behalf of the Class 2010 scholars.
The fact that we are all gathered here today, my fellow scholars, is testament to that. One way or another, our dreams came true. I am sure that everyone will agree with me if I say that our dreams became reality because of the Metrobank Foundation – not just a foundation, but a family that has recognized our excellence and has invested for our improvement. We cannot thank them enough for our most valued gift of a scholarship.
The scholarship was a great blessing. I was always happy to know that I could study in a good university for free and I was constantly thankful for that. Because of it, I became more driven and motivated to do well. It was not even a matter anymore of meeting grade requirements. In part, it was about showing and proving that I was deserving of the scholarship. But more importantly, it was about me making the most of such a wonderful opportunity. I would not waste it nor let it pass. So I always worked hard and strived to be better. The scholarship was a blessing and a source of motivation and inspiration.
But more than the financial assistance and inspiration, being a scholar brought a feeling of comfort and hope not just to me but also to my family. With the scholarship, we were finally able to see from a new perspective – a perspective of hope, a looking forward to a brighter and happier future.
Books were supposed to be bought during the first week of the term. Photocopies and print-outs as thick as an Encyclopedia Brittanica book were needed by next meeting. Payments for field trips and laboratory tours should be given as soon as possible so as to avoid hassle. Add to these were other required materials that should already be purchased. And during my second and third year, being the secretary and president of an organization involved inevitable spending of money for the implementation of organization’s activities. In addition, the personal expenses I had for food and transportation had given their own respective weights as problems. All of these trickle down to the problem of sustaining my collegiate education. I could remember one time when my mother actually told me that I should not have enrolled at an expensive university. But does this only happen in a school such as La Salle? I believe that this is a problem for all college students.
And today, as graduates from our respective universities and colleges, we hope that that future of hope and happiness is finally beginning to unfold in our lives. As we move on, we bring with us all that we have learned, from academics, extra-curricular activities, our simple interaction with our friends and teachers, from sleepless nights, panic before exams and “hell weeks,” from immersion, from four or five great years of a wonderful journey called college.
And for all of these, we thank the Metrobank Foundation. But what do we say and do to express our gratitude to the people who have made so many things possible for us? It is in search of an answer to this question that I remember another speech from a fellow Ateneo scholar, Kim Bunag. Kim is the valedictorian of our batch. A month ago, he delivered a speech in front of all the benefactors of Ateneo scholars. I found myself completely agreeing with him when he said that all we could really say to express our gratitude to our beloved benefactors is, “Maraming salamat po at gagalingan ko pa.”
There is nothing really special about that statement because in one way or another, we have already said or written that to our benefactors. But it does perfectly express our gratitude – by sincere words that do not end with just words but with a promise to do more and be more. The promise of “gagalingan ko pa,” I think, beautifully captures the fulfillment of the vision of the Metrobank Foundation for us – to continue and uphold its tradition of excellence.
But it is now that we are already graduates that we are asked, more than ever, to involve in the promise of “gagalingan ko pa” not just ourselves but also others. Let us not stop with our own excellence; it is our turn now to help others be excellent. We inherit from the Metrobank Foundation a rich tradition of excellence that we are all proud of. But at the same time, let us not forget that we also inherit from the wonderful people in the foundation a rich tradition of helping, giving, and sharing with others.
Graduation is not just about new chances for ourselves to improve; it is also about new chances to help others. One of my most memorable teachers in the Ateneo is Mr. Bobby Guevara of the Theology Department. He was my teacher last semester in a course that tackled Theology of Liberation. The course tackled social justice, social responsibility and the preferential option for the poor, to name a few. Basically, the course was about being for and being with other people. Sir Bobby Guev, as we fondly call him, in his farewell statement to the class at the end of the semester, told us “Humayo kayo at magkalat ng liwanag.” So my fellow scholars, wherever we go and whatever we choose to do with our careers and lives, let us not forget to always try to be a light for others the same way that the Metrobank Foundation became a light in ours.
Graduation marks the end of many things. It signals the beginning of the new and the unknown. Yet so many things – the tradition of excellence instilled in us by the Metrobank Foundation, our desire and will to be persons for and with others, our relationship with the Lord – all of them, despite graduation, will continue on.
And as we move along, in behalf of all my fellow scholars, I want to tell the members of our Metrobank Foundation family, “Maraming maraming salamat po. Gagalingan pa namin para sa aming sarili, para sa aming pamilya at para maging liwanag sa iba.”
The Metrobank Foundation is the corporate social responsibly arm of the Metrobank Group of Companies. Over the last 28 years, it has promoted a culture of excellence among Filipinos through its various programs notably the Search for Outstanding Teachers, the Metrobank Art and Design Excellence, The Outstanding Philippine Soldier, Country's Outstanding Policemen in Service, the Metrobank Math Challenge, and College Scholarship Program. The Foundation also has a grants program that assists NGOs and government in the fields of education, healthcare, and the arts. Metrobank Foundation celebrates Filipino excellence and presents wellsprings of hope in the future of our nation. |
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