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| Keziah AGRIPO GRADUATES! |
High School will be a part in your life that you'll experience theIt is where I felt most broken ... that I had experienced the triumph of overcoming the impossiblebestGREATEST things in Life
It is where I felt most alone ... that I had Learned to value the people that loved me dearly
It is where I felt most disappointed at myself ... that I sought that greater part in me to do MORE!
It is where I accepted that Sacrifice is the greatest kind of love that we can ever learn to give to others ...
and with this I want you to read the first and last speech in high school that I have given to my fellow graduates!
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| VALEDICTORY ADDRESS |
It is quite uncanny to look back on how I made my silent wish. It's not just surreal but it is so real. Until now I still grasp on the idea of how I made it possible. Everybody has wishes and I'm sure that all of you had your fair share of silent wishes. Do you know what makes wishes come true? It is not a genie or a fairy god mother. It is you. When you have the faith of knowing that you are meant for great things, act on it. I have faith that maybe in some ways I could also touch people's lives. That everything done with love always leads to a wish come true.
But in making different wishes we find ourselves facing different kinds of struggles. Struggles, that When seen as challenges Become a path to a better you. Back when i was in first year I once wished to transfer schools and move out because I simply could not take the sadness that came with my separation from my family. I am quite Certain that you also had your share of sufferings, failing to be an honor student, committing mistakes that resulted to big regrets, losing your best friends. You know those times that we experienced downfalls, and do not get me wrong Because this happened to all of us, those were the moments that we were challenged the hardest. However, it is true that there are wasted chances as there will always be opportunities to prove yourself again. Should you stick to the fight When you are hardest hit, it is When things seem worst that you Should not Quit. It is When you face the hardest things in life with will and hard work, that you learn the most.
Either you must not quit on your dreams, Because a person is capable of wishing a person capable of believing. A lot of people push us to Become better every day simply Because there is an unexplained magic in believing. My dad, Ian, has always been my number one challenger, Because he believes in a lot of things, he believes that great things happen and I salute him for it.
In my journey in high school there were a lot of things that I had to let go, and accept risk. I had to let go of the physical comfort of my family, I had to accept the environment that I was in and the responsibilities that came with it. I had to risk my time and my effort for my wishes.
Why keep myself busy? Because I fell in love. I found a purpose for my actions Because of these and everything just seemed to fall in place. I found passion in serving others with a willing heart, I found love in sharing my happiness to others, I found God in the people that I inspired and helped. I love all of you and for that I am more than willing to be an instrument for you to realized that it does not pay to work hard but it pays only wise to work with a heart of a warrior. Just Fuel your wish with that love and you can make colors fly.
You can make it happen, as you would recall all our batch picture in the field where we formed a bird's eye view of TEAM lettering. It could not possibly have happened if not everybody cooperated, we love our batch and it gave us a reason to stay in our spots despite the heat, the time, and the uncertainty that it would look great. We thank Xavier for instilling it into our minds that essence of being a TEAM, and indeed through action that we have made it possible. During exams when we had it in us to help tutor our batch mates, During basketball games when we had supported our players, and as we have helped each other adjust and survive the changes that were made in our high school life. It was difficult to move into another campus, it was a different arena for us, but this difference actually proved how united our batch is as we survived the whole year through with great pride. We have made our silent wish as a batch of warriors come true. We have made history!
I was just this silent girl 4 years ago then I end up being the girl thrown in a somersault for the cheer dance competition for the batch. I did not even know how to do a split before and then just last year I became the limbo rock queen During our family day. I was just a mere member of a club 3 years ago and now I am the vice-chairperson of the student council XUHS. I just had one family when i ENTERED high school and now I end up leaving with 2 more. LCLC my family that transformed me into a person for others and taught me the true meaning of selflessness. My class that taught me how to see more as an unbreakable bond of true friendship and love became the very people I relied on everyday for the 4 years of my life.
It was always a dilemma on Which comes first, studies or involvement, friends or responsibilities, family or friends. Decisions like these do not always mean a 50:50, because I was able to make it 100:100, you just have to believe in it and strive for it. We all had to weigh things down. However, one of the greatest perks about friendship is When you pick the right friends you know that they'll always understand. Same goes with our families, who by THEIR own actions have Shown us unconditional love
In high school we experienced a lot of challenges in pursuit of our wishes. Because we became wounded along our journey we had to risk and sacrifice. Because of this I Learned that there is actually more meaning in love if you have allowed pain to push you to grow. I get wounded too, I bare a lot of scars but what came with these scars are experiences that could never have happened if I had not allowed myself to go out of my comfort zone. High school is indeed a growing experience, one that will be lived over and over again as we live out our life by what we have Learned from it.
The greatest fulfillment is seeing yourself be formed by your experiences. I am confident saying that I believe all of you are also products of your own life experience. Experiences made real by the people who seize to always believe and support our every endeavors, our loved ones, our teachers, our friends. Ian to my Daddy, Mommy Ruth, to my brothers, to my papa bear, sir Sam, to sister Cheenee, to Ma'am Ces, to all the teachers that touched my life, to my classmates and to the entire community XUHS, no amount of words can suffice of how grateful I am to all of you ...
After a while you realized that your tears weigh the burden of pain for an unfathomable happiness; after a while you realized that wasting your time in something, is the best thing you can do for someone you love; After a while you see that even in the darkest of times there will be individuals who will remind you to see the light and give you a warm embrace. After a while you learn that letting go is the inevitable sacrifice you have to make after four years worth of memories. After a while you hear that laugh in a terrible Faint cry of yearning Because you know that even though high school is ending, you were able to love and experience the best things that it could offer.
And after awhile we accept the truth that pain, loss, disappointments and fears are even there, for us to learn how to acknowledge the presence of HOPE in our lives.
It is the hope of knowing that we all have our own battles to win. As unique individuals we find ourselves wishing for "happily ever afters" but we know that we have to go through difficulties to get those dreams, and that's why we have hope. Hope GIVES us the ultimate reason to hold on to those big wishes. We differ in our characters, motivations and goals but we have Because of these different life stories to tell. Who I Have Become is something that I owe to XUHS Because being part of a Team is an upbringing that really challenged me to go beyond my limitations . The formation, the discipline, the Ignatian virtues and the experiences we have that goes with it are Outcomes of what we have managed to make out of our four years in high school. Xavier education is a big part in who I am today and maybe even a great part in what I can and what I will Achieve tomorrow. You choose. You decide. What you make out of your life depends on how strong your hope is to make your wishes come true. Our life becomes the story we will leave the world, so live a great one!
PEOPLE WHO HAVE INSPIRED ME AND changed!
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| MY GIRL FRIENDS! |
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| MY PAPA BEAR, SIR SAM |
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| THE ISLANDERS - LC SENIORS |
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| The entire XUHS COMMUNITY |
Here are lines from a song entitled, The Call, I hope that you can ponder upon.
"Just because everything's changing
Does not mean it's never
Been this way before
All you can do is try to know
Who your friends are
As you head off to the war
Pick a star on the dark horizon
And follow the light
You'll come back
When it's over
No need to say goodbye "
We are warriors with wishes that we can and we will Achieve life through our own battles
and here it all ends ...
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| MY FAMBAM |
My "What Ifs", I shall never fear them, because I have people in my life to write down my story with ...
