ATENEO DE DAVAO UNIVERSITY GRADUATION DAY SPEECH
Martinez Sports Complex
May 27, 2024
by: Chris Anthony G. Limen, MD, MPM-HSD
I was going through our yearbook, The Keys, batch 2002, and in a blink of an eye, I was slowly brought to time when I was still very much into The Lion King, The Land Before time, Power Rangers, Voltes 5 and eventually into Harry Potter shortly before I graduated in this same Sports Complex.
Rev. Fr. Karel S. San Juan, of the Society of Jesus, our University President, beloved principal and my Grade 4 Subject teacher, Mrs. Annierose V. Villarba, esteemed Administrators and faculty, dear parents, guardians, Batch 2024, honored guests, good morning.
One day, when I had lots of spare time in my hands, I decided to watch random movie clips. There was one that really caught my attention. I am sorry, but cannot remember the title. Anyway, I watched a boy who is so interested to study because he dreams one day, of becoming the President of India.
In one of the scenes, the boy is so engrossed watching the TV while the President is giving an address to the people. And what caught my attention were the President’s tips on becoming successful in life. He states and I quote: Destiny can be changed through action… and success greatly depends on five (5) things:
- Clear goal in life
- Good education
- Hard work
- Perseverance, and
- Gratitude
Sad to say, I was not able to finish the clip because my Mom needed me to do something. But it was okay because I think, what I heard from the President in that movie were enough.
When I graduated from grade school, I was so sure of the course I would take in college. I was not one of those students who, in Kinder, wanted to be a robot or Red Power Ranger. I always wanted to be a medical doctor. Yes, a medical doctor, not a dentist nor a veterinarian. I had my goals already so as early as a child in the Kindergarten. I had a clear goal in mind. I did not waiver nor did I have second thoughts about fulfilling my dream. I was determined to be a doctor. I kept telling myself, “I want to be of service to God by helping the community especially the marginalized sector of our society. And truly, this is what I have been doing for nine years now. I brought my medical skills and talents to the hinterlands of Davao Oriental. There I was put to the test. It taught me to be strong and decisive. I had taken a sal’lay, a makeshift “cable car” made of rattan that was shaped like a big basket that run across a zipline. I had to cross several rivers and scaled at least two mountains to reach the people who for the first time in their life have seen a real medical doctor.
I was there when the typhoon Kabayan, the Shear Line and the Low-Pressure Area (LPA) inundated the lands with water ten feet high, when the coconut trees were felled and when the people were feeling that they were wallowing in the sludge brought about by the mixture of flash flood and viscous mud. And I thank God that I was there to provide the people with the much-needed primary healthcare needs.
My dear graduates, if you are bent on making your dreams come true, have a clear goal in mind. As early as Junior High, if you still have no clear goal, make sure that you set it up before you choose which strand you will enroll in when you move up to the senior high school level because this will greatly matter when you make a decision on what to take as a course in College. This decision you make is not only about college life. What you are deciding upon here is about your future, your LIFE. If you graduate from a course that you chose because your friends are also enrolled in that course, you will have such a bad time in life. No one simply chooses a course out of whimsical desire. Your future needs to be well planned. So, while in high school, draw up a clear plan.
If you are still wondering how to go about making that clear plan, it is simple. Let me share you a short story. When I was in high school, my English teacher who was also a guidance counselor taught me to visualize. Yes, I encourage you to try visualize the future as early as NOW. Visualization helps you set your GOAL. If you have a goal in life, this goal will help you pave the path that will take you to your dream. Please, let us all be sensible enough to THINK, imagine and dream big. Make use of our brain, it is our central processing unit. But sad to say, it is the most unused part of the body. Only a small portion is used each day. Our high school teacher jokingly told us: “You have to use your brain because when you die, and someone decides to sell your brain, it will fetch a very high price, not because it is the brain of an Atenean, but because it is slightly used.” So, let us all use our brain to create clear goals in life.
When I take the cab, at times, the driver and I would engage in some small talk. Then the driver would ask me, “Doctor diay ka sir? Asa diay ka nag high school sir?”, then I say: “sa Ateneo.” Almost always, the driver would say, “Maayo gyud and edukasyon sa Atenyo no?” I just look at him and smile. He would continue: “Standard gyud kayo.” Then I asked him: “Nganong makasulti man ka nga standard ang Ateneo?” Most of their replies would be: “Mahal man gud kaayo, pero, bahala na, kung pwede lang, diha jud nako paeskwelahon akong mga anak. Makadungog mi usahay sa mga batang atenyans, mag istorya diri sa taxi, grabe, bright jud kayo.” One driver told me, “Ang among silingan nga bata, grade one pa gani, makabasa na man og ininglis, koreksyonan pa gyud ang pag pronounce sa iyang mama.” This made me pause and think. Here they are, they want to send their children to Ateneo, but find impossible to pay for the good education that they tell me. Some have the money to spend for the Good Education, but their children could not be admitted because they did not make it to the cut-off score. This made me feel bad. But what made me feel worse than bad, is seeing students who can afford, who have the intelligence and support from parents, but do not seem to care for the Good Education that others have a deep longing for. Instead of studying, some spend more hours on Facebook, flooding other people’s walls with senseless emo rants and love quotes every minute for the next hour. At times, posting socially unacceptable photos and status updates, every single minute, taking pictures of their food and posting them on Instagram. Others love to post their dancing, artistic and pranking skills on Tiktok, while some go out and act like little gang stars while smoking, talking loud, swearing while playing Mobile legends, with their so called friends, who trash talk their opponents. Of course, I truly hope and pray that you are not the ones I am referring to in this speech. I am very sure that you are the diligent and responsible students who have conscience. I am certain, too, that you are Christ-centered, compassionate, committed and competent. That is why we honor you here today.
When I was in the grade school, I was one of those whom you may consider as the not so intelligent and wise student. I was not in the honors’ class like many of you here. But, I was smart enough to realize that good education was very important, although the realization came a bit late, but it came. In the Junior High, I became more serious with my studies, graduated with my batch mates, and modesty aside, was even a departmental awardee for the Filipino subject area. See, nothing is too late. We will still be able to make up for the missed opportunities in life. Good education will get you to a good life if you know how to make use of it, if you couple it with a dream.
But mind you, dear graduates, even if we have good education, and a dream, if we do not give time to work hard, we have no right to expect that life will be good to us. Our good education may be a given, but if we do not wake up and give our dream a boost, if we do not take the first step to reach our goal, again, we have no right to expect anything good from life. I did not become a doctor without hard work. I had to battle the daily life challenges. I had to look for a good benefactor to help me reach my goal, to study at the Davao Medical School Foundation. Maybe, you are fortunate enough to have your parents or relatives or benefactors to support your studies. All I am saying is, study hard. Take notes of the discussion. Do your assignments and other school requirements. Do not be so dependent on control S and Control V, copy-paste other people’s work and claim them as your own. Do not let Chat GPT answer your tests and write your essays and letters. Instead, write them yourself and learn from what your teachers teach. Let us submit papers that we earnestly and honestly did ourselves. That is hard work for students.
And lastly, as we travel life’s road, just like on Facebook, we meet lots of haters or even posers. In life, we have gadgets, haters, “friends”, who try their very best to stop us from achieving our goal. They are the stumbling blocks that hinder us from moving forward, from achieving our goals. Well, those blocks are normal occurrence in our life. they will never be absent from our lives. The more we work hard to get to the top, the more they try so hard to pull us down and stop us from becoming successful. Instead, use these stumbling blocks as stepping stones to reach your dream. We just need to Persevere, to persist in anything undertaken; maintain a purpose in spite of the difficulties we meet each day, do continue steadfastly. We should not give in to temptations, to the promise of a wonderful experience promised by scheming people around us. If we fall, stand up and move ahead. Let us not get stuck in the rut. Let us not waste the time and effort— the hard work we put in to finish our studies, let us remember that we have a clear goal in mind.
The road ahead may not be a smooth path to take. Along the way, we might encounter hardships; we may give in to pressure. BUT remember to be focused. Let us be focused on our dream. success may not easily be achieved, but with a clear goal in mind, with hard work, with the good education that our parents and or benefactors have afforded us, and with perseverance, nothing will ever stop us from achieving success. Congratulations to you, our dear graduates. Keep up the good work. Remember, nothing is ever too late. Have a goal and work on it. You can still make it to the top. And lastly, always be grateful. Thank your parents, teachers and friends for their love and support. Take note, other parents or friends may not know how to show that they are loving, supportive and affectionate, but I tell you, they are. Di lang siguro sila sanay. Again, congratulations to the graduates. Have a wonderful day!
To the university president, grade school headmaster , school administrators , parents, teachers ,guardians , students and guests good morning … I am so happy to have been given this chance to do the task I am assigned this morning … but before that to the graduating class an advance congratulations … I am very proud of what you have accomplished so far .. I have seen your growth from how your were in grade 5.. and now you are about to graduate … on that note may I ask who among you were my pupils last year in grade 5? I wonder if you still recall the story about a former pupil I had … I would have shared this story either in the beginning of the 2nd quarter or the 3rd quarter right before we have the 1st lesson for that quarter … it was about my student who in the first quarter had difficulty in class that he had to be part of remediation class or tutorial as we knew it back then … do you remember this story? Topics were hard but he worked harder
From the struggling student I once knew to the accomplished medical professional and community leader he is today, Dr. Limen’s journey is truly inspirational. As a former student in my 3rd grade class, he faced challenges early on, requiring extra tutoring and remediation. But through sheer determination and hard work, he turned things around, landing on the honor roll by the end of that school year.
That tenacity and drive only continued to grow. Dr. Limen graduated at the top of his class, earning a magna cum laude distinction in college. He then went on to become a standout medical intern, earning accolades as the best in his departments of internal medicine, pediatrics, and surgery.
But Dr. Limen’s achievements extend far beyond the clinic. He is a tireless advocate for public health, earning prestigious awards from the Municipal Health Office of Caraga for his work on reproductive health, anti-drug initiatives, and tobacco-free environments. Most impressively, he was recognized as the top performer in the region for COVID-19 vaccination efforts.
Beyond his medical work, Dr. Limen is deeply committed to the environment. He serves on the boards of the Nabunturan Native Tree Enthusiasts and the Society of Native Tree Advocates, putting his passion for conservation into action.
Through it all, he has remained a true man for others, using his gifts and talents to better his community. From the quiet and simple boy to our esteemed guest of honor . It is my pride and joy to welcome Dr. Chris Anthony Limen, our distinguished graduation speaker. Let’s give him a warm round of applause!
