Due to insistent demand (Nyahahaha... three of my classmates lang pala. Hehehe...) here's my original graduation speech for the Commencement Exercises for Ateneo de Zamboanga University School of Medicine Batch 2007.
Once again, congrats classmates!!! Doctor na tayo!!!
Our distinguished president of the Ateneo de Zamboanga University, Fr. William Kreutz, our highly-esteemed Dean of the School of Medicine, Dr. Fortunato Cristobal, the Assistant Dean of the School of Medicine, Dr. Abelardo Macrohon, faculty and staff of the ADZU-SOM, doctors, classmates, schoolmates, relatives and friends, good evening.
Four years ago, my classmates and I entered the medical school with nothing but our optimism and a good head on our shoulders. Some of us viewed medical school as the fulfillment of lifelong ambitions, some as nothing but the necessary next step to a successful career. Some were lured by the prestige and the high-paying job. Some had ulterior motives. Some were genuinely idealistic enough to be a savior of life while others were simply trying to desperately avoid Nursing or becoming Biology teachers their whole life. Despite the varied reasons as to why we took up medicine, together we grew and today we leave our beloved school no longer the children that we used to be but adults, stronger, wiser and ready to face the next step.
Today signifies the culmination of the many hardships and sacrifices that we had gone through for the past four-five years just to make it here - to be able to stand before you all and receive our diplomas, the true and valid proof of the sweat, tears and blood that we have shed to be called Doctors of Medicine.
To say that being in medical school is not an easy task would be an understatement. Not a week passed that we would ask ourselves “What am I doing here? Why in God’s name did I still take up Medicine? Why didn’t I just join a call center instead? Or take up nursing? Or go abroad?” We cocooned ourselves in the library and drowned ourselves in the Harrison’s, Robbins’ Schwartz and Williams just to read up for the next examination. We tried our best to hide ourselves from the sight of the PBL facilitator when we realized that what we had read the previous day was not even half of what our other classmates had read. Sleep, in medical school, is considered not a necessity but a privilege. Many nights were spent losing sleep over 36-hour duties, late night reading sessions, overnights to beat CHP deadlines. Because some cannot tolerate the lack of sleep, study groups occassionaly ended up being “sleeping” groups. Our boys can, of course, attest to this.
Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey’s “There can be Miracles…” can be commonly heard sang by some of the classmates after every written examination, signifying the fact that only a miracle will make us pass that particular exam. Our bodies are engulfed with paranoia during checking of papers when we realize that we had gotten almost every item in every page of the exam sheet wrong. When the results are posted, the MPL has become the enemy. The topnotcher, its accomplice.
The community immersion was no simple joyride as well. We were like fish out of the water during our first few weeks in Liloy as a couple of full-bred city boys/girls were thrown together to live in a rural area, away from our pampered lives and overly-protective parents. Eventually, we learned to love and appreciate the community and the simplicity of their living conditions. We will never forget the habal-habal rides we had to take to traverse to get to our barangay, how some of us had to take a bath using half a pail of water because of the unpredictable water scarcity, the awkward quarrels between groupmates with conflicting personalities and the constant struggle to master the native dialect. Most of all, we will never forget the people, who took us in, showered us with an abundance of camotes, coconuts, peanuts and bananas, made us a part of their community and gave us a home away from home.
And finally, clerkship - the chance to apply the theories learned in medical school and lose whatever ounce of conceit we still have. There are things learned during clerkship that are not taught in the books. Imagine having to go through night after night without sleep, retract 3- inch rolls of fat for three hours, barely awake and with barely enough energy to do so, watch someone you viciously tried to revive for an hour die in front of you in just a few a minutes, juggle three birth deliveries at the same time and accept vicious reprimands from your superiors for causes that were sometimes beyond your control. We were almost starting to believe that we were the lowest mammal in the entire hospital. Still, what we have learned during clerkship was invaluable and though a little afraid, we look forward to more of the same by May next month.
Throughout the years, we had desperately held on to the hope that we can make it in medical school while we sadly witness other classmates fail one exam after the other until eventually they just drop out and quit. The original Batch 2007 actually comprised of 27 students. Out of that batch, only 16 survived. SIXTEEN out of 27 - the true evidence that medical school is truly a survival of the fittest. As one classmate had eloquently put it, after realizing that she was one of the lucky 59% who will be graduating this year, she said, “Matalino din pala ako.”
We all know that we would not have made it this far if not for the many key people who were vital for us reaching this crossing line. We, the members of ADZU-SOM Batch of 2007, would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge these people with our deepest gratitude.
First of all, to the Ateneo de Zamboanga University School of Medicine administration, headed by Fr. William Kreutz and Dr. Fortunato Cristobal. We will always consider it a blessing that fate had led us to enroll to this school. Almost half of the class would not have been able to fulfill their life long ambition of being a doctor if not for those who founded this school. Special thanks to the people of Kellog’s, Jerome and Ferrer Foundation. We will be grateful our whole lives for the opportunity that you have given us.
Despite disparaging comments from other doctors who came from traditional schools regarding PBL, we believe that it is normal for those who are ignorant to discourage that which they do not understand. PBL encourages one to think, to have his own opinions and provides even the most timid person in the class a venue for his voice to be heard. It allows one to grow as a person and discourages spoon-feeding, a task best left for children who cannot think for their ownselves. We made it here today, not because PBL is Medical School made Easy but because PBL made us rely on our own selves, on our own capabilities, and not on the teacher or facilitator doing a lecture as in the case of traditional med schools.
We are also grateful that the school has given us the opportunity to step outside the box and be more socially aware of our surroundings. Hence, the community immersion. Our experiences in the community opened our eyes and made us realize that man is truly designed to live with and for other people. The school’s innovative medical curriculum of bringing quality health care to the underserved regions of Region IX is truly an inspired idea which we hope will continually be abided by the next batches of doctors that the school will produce.
We also thank the Research Panel, Dr. Arciaga, Dr. Florendo, Dr. Santamaria, Doc Sam, Doc Ric, Doc Bernie, Doc Kelly and Doc Muks, for their expertise and overflowing patience in assisting us in the enrichment of our research papers, for the suggestions and inputs for the improvements of our works, for putting up with our occasional laziness and narrow-mindedness and for giving us the encouragement we sorely needed.. It is said that ten years from now, we will look at our own papers and laugh at the mediocrity of our works. Nonetheless, we are already proud that we have been able to do an entire research paper of our own, despite the Irritable Bowel Syndrome few hours before presentation, the hands trembling as we flash our acetates and our shaky barely audible voices during defense. We thank you for your invaluable help and for making us feel proud of what we have accomplished.
To the faculty and staff of the ADZU-SOM, especially to our level and community coordinators for the past four years, Thank you so much for taking the time to fit us in your extremely busy schedules.Special mention to Doc Maita and Doc Jaybee, who have been extremely generous and patient to our many misgivings.
To the people who have made our community immersion an unforgettable and valuable experience, to Dra. Nadela, Dra. Fronda, Dra. Digamon, the midwives of Barangay Sto. Nino, Silucap and Compra, Ma’am Alma, Ma’am Susan, Ma’am Cha and the residents of Barangays Silucap, Compra and Sto. Nino, thank you for the kindness and the hospitality that you have shown us. We will never ever forget you.
To our friends and relatives, who had kept us sane when we were halfway to tearing our hair out with frustration, who were sick and tired of hearing us rant “Bakit ba kasi ako nag-Medicine pa?!,” who dragged us for a few minutes of de-stressing when we were close to having nervous breakdowns, who gave us the necessary kick in the behind when we weren’t performing to our potential, thank you.
To the ex-boyfriends and ex-girlfriends who broke our hearts and whose hearts we broke, thank you for being an inspiration for at least some time in our life.
To the current loves of lives, thank you for simply being there.
Most especially, we would like to dedicate this occasion to our parents, who loved us no matter what. They who silently supported us all throughout medical school, they who shelled out their hard-earned money, loaned from their friends, sacrificed many of their own wants and desires just to make sure that their son or daughter succeed in his or her chosen endeavor.
To our Mamas and Papas, this diploma is for the fights we constantly have, the worries we incessantly give you, the doubts you always have in your mind, the fears that we were unable to dissuade, for the times we should have but never said “I love you.” Thank you for the unconditional love. We owe everything that we are today to you.
Finally, though my classmates can attest to the fact that I am not the most spiritual person in class, I know that we wouldn’t have made it here today if not for HIM. He who was looking behind our shoulders as we struggled to choose the correct answer among the choices in the written exam, He who made sure we never fell into any serious harm in the community, he who guided us as we made the appropriate medical decisions and helped us beat our research deadlines. To the Almighty God, thank you for holding our hand everytime we stumbled and making sure that we never gave up during those times of trouble. Thank you Lord, for everything.
Classmates, we finally made it. Take this moment to congratulate yourself and the person beside you for a job well done. As Dr. Mario Arciaga once told us, you may not see yourself as a particularly good medical student but once you stand on the stage and receive your diploma, you will feel as if you are one of the best doctors that the school has produced. Bask in the glory, take pride in what you have accomplished and don’t forget to look back and be grateful to those who helped you get here.
Once again, doctors, congratulations.
Once again, congrats classmates!!! Doctor na tayo!!!
Our distinguished president of the Ateneo de Zamboanga University, Fr. William Kreutz, our highly-esteemed Dean of the School of Medicine, Dr. Fortunato Cristobal, the Assistant Dean of the School of Medicine, Dr. Abelardo Macrohon, faculty and staff of the ADZU-SOM, doctors, classmates, schoolmates, relatives and friends, good evening.
Four years ago, my classmates and I entered the medical school with nothing but our optimism and a good head on our shoulders. Some of us viewed medical school as the fulfillment of lifelong ambitions, some as nothing but the necessary next step to a successful career. Some were lured by the prestige and the high-paying job. Some had ulterior motives. Some were genuinely idealistic enough to be a savior of life while others were simply trying to desperately avoid Nursing or becoming Biology teachers their whole life. Despite the varied reasons as to why we took up medicine, together we grew and today we leave our beloved school no longer the children that we used to be but adults, stronger, wiser and ready to face the next step.
Today signifies the culmination of the many hardships and sacrifices that we had gone through for the past four-five years just to make it here - to be able to stand before you all and receive our diplomas, the true and valid proof of the sweat, tears and blood that we have shed to be called Doctors of Medicine.
To say that being in medical school is not an easy task would be an understatement. Not a week passed that we would ask ourselves “What am I doing here? Why in God’s name did I still take up Medicine? Why didn’t I just join a call center instead? Or take up nursing? Or go abroad?” We cocooned ourselves in the library and drowned ourselves in the Harrison’s, Robbins’ Schwartz and Williams just to read up for the next examination. We tried our best to hide ourselves from the sight of the PBL facilitator when we realized that what we had read the previous day was not even half of what our other classmates had read. Sleep, in medical school, is considered not a necessity but a privilege. Many nights were spent losing sleep over 36-hour duties, late night reading sessions, overnights to beat CHP deadlines. Because some cannot tolerate the lack of sleep, study groups occassionaly ended up being “sleeping” groups. Our boys can, of course, attest to this.
Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey’s “There can be Miracles…” can be commonly heard sang by some of the classmates after every written examination, signifying the fact that only a miracle will make us pass that particular exam. Our bodies are engulfed with paranoia during checking of papers when we realize that we had gotten almost every item in every page of the exam sheet wrong. When the results are posted, the MPL has become the enemy. The topnotcher, its accomplice.
The community immersion was no simple joyride as well. We were like fish out of the water during our first few weeks in Liloy as a couple of full-bred city boys/girls were thrown together to live in a rural area, away from our pampered lives and overly-protective parents. Eventually, we learned to love and appreciate the community and the simplicity of their living conditions. We will never forget the habal-habal rides we had to take to traverse to get to our barangay, how some of us had to take a bath using half a pail of water because of the unpredictable water scarcity, the awkward quarrels between groupmates with conflicting personalities and the constant struggle to master the native dialect. Most of all, we will never forget the people, who took us in, showered us with an abundance of camotes, coconuts, peanuts and bananas, made us a part of their community and gave us a home away from home.
And finally, clerkship - the chance to apply the theories learned in medical school and lose whatever ounce of conceit we still have. There are things learned during clerkship that are not taught in the books. Imagine having to go through night after night without sleep, retract 3- inch rolls of fat for three hours, barely awake and with barely enough energy to do so, watch someone you viciously tried to revive for an hour die in front of you in just a few a minutes, juggle three birth deliveries at the same time and accept vicious reprimands from your superiors for causes that were sometimes beyond your control. We were almost starting to believe that we were the lowest mammal in the entire hospital. Still, what we have learned during clerkship was invaluable and though a little afraid, we look forward to more of the same by May next month.
Throughout the years, we had desperately held on to the hope that we can make it in medical school while we sadly witness other classmates fail one exam after the other until eventually they just drop out and quit. The original Batch 2007 actually comprised of 27 students. Out of that batch, only 16 survived. SIXTEEN out of 27 - the true evidence that medical school is truly a survival of the fittest. As one classmate had eloquently put it, after realizing that she was one of the lucky 59% who will be graduating this year, she said, “Matalino din pala ako.”
We all know that we would not have made it this far if not for the many key people who were vital for us reaching this crossing line. We, the members of ADZU-SOM Batch of 2007, would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge these people with our deepest gratitude.
First of all, to the Ateneo de Zamboanga University School of Medicine administration, headed by Fr. William Kreutz and Dr. Fortunato Cristobal. We will always consider it a blessing that fate had led us to enroll to this school. Almost half of the class would not have been able to fulfill their life long ambition of being a doctor if not for those who founded this school. Special thanks to the people of Kellog’s, Jerome and Ferrer Foundation. We will be grateful our whole lives for the opportunity that you have given us.
Despite disparaging comments from other doctors who came from traditional schools regarding PBL, we believe that it is normal for those who are ignorant to discourage that which they do not understand. PBL encourages one to think, to have his own opinions and provides even the most timid person in the class a venue for his voice to be heard. It allows one to grow as a person and discourages spoon-feeding, a task best left for children who cannot think for their ownselves. We made it here today, not because PBL is Medical School made Easy but because PBL made us rely on our own selves, on our own capabilities, and not on the teacher or facilitator doing a lecture as in the case of traditional med schools.
We are also grateful that the school has given us the opportunity to step outside the box and be more socially aware of our surroundings. Hence, the community immersion. Our experiences in the community opened our eyes and made us realize that man is truly designed to live with and for other people. The school’s innovative medical curriculum of bringing quality health care to the underserved regions of Region IX is truly an inspired idea which we hope will continually be abided by the next batches of doctors that the school will produce.
We also thank the Research Panel, Dr. Arciaga, Dr. Florendo, Dr. Santamaria, Doc Sam, Doc Ric, Doc Bernie, Doc Kelly and Doc Muks, for their expertise and overflowing patience in assisting us in the enrichment of our research papers, for the suggestions and inputs for the improvements of our works, for putting up with our occasional laziness and narrow-mindedness and for giving us the encouragement we sorely needed.. It is said that ten years from now, we will look at our own papers and laugh at the mediocrity of our works. Nonetheless, we are already proud that we have been able to do an entire research paper of our own, despite the Irritable Bowel Syndrome few hours before presentation, the hands trembling as we flash our acetates and our shaky barely audible voices during defense. We thank you for your invaluable help and for making us feel proud of what we have accomplished.
To the faculty and staff of the ADZU-SOM, especially to our level and community coordinators for the past four years, Thank you so much for taking the time to fit us in your extremely busy schedules.Special mention to Doc Maita and Doc Jaybee, who have been extremely generous and patient to our many misgivings.
To the people who have made our community immersion an unforgettable and valuable experience, to Dra. Nadela, Dra. Fronda, Dra. Digamon, the midwives of Barangay Sto. Nino, Silucap and Compra, Ma’am Alma, Ma’am Susan, Ma’am Cha and the residents of Barangays Silucap, Compra and Sto. Nino, thank you for the kindness and the hospitality that you have shown us. We will never ever forget you.
To our friends and relatives, who had kept us sane when we were halfway to tearing our hair out with frustration, who were sick and tired of hearing us rant “Bakit ba kasi ako nag-Medicine pa?!,” who dragged us for a few minutes of de-stressing when we were close to having nervous breakdowns, who gave us the necessary kick in the behind when we weren’t performing to our potential, thank you.
To the ex-boyfriends and ex-girlfriends who broke our hearts and whose hearts we broke, thank you for being an inspiration for at least some time in our life.
To the current loves of lives, thank you for simply being there.
Most especially, we would like to dedicate this occasion to our parents, who loved us no matter what. They who silently supported us all throughout medical school, they who shelled out their hard-earned money, loaned from their friends, sacrificed many of their own wants and desires just to make sure that their son or daughter succeed in his or her chosen endeavor.
To our Mamas and Papas, this diploma is for the fights we constantly have, the worries we incessantly give you, the doubts you always have in your mind, the fears that we were unable to dissuade, for the times we should have but never said “I love you.” Thank you for the unconditional love. We owe everything that we are today to you.
Finally, though my classmates can attest to the fact that I am not the most spiritual person in class, I know that we wouldn’t have made it here today if not for HIM. He who was looking behind our shoulders as we struggled to choose the correct answer among the choices in the written exam, He who made sure we never fell into any serious harm in the community, he who guided us as we made the appropriate medical decisions and helped us beat our research deadlines. To the Almighty God, thank you for holding our hand everytime we stumbled and making sure that we never gave up during those times of trouble. Thank you Lord, for everything.
Classmates, we finally made it. Take this moment to congratulate yourself and the person beside you for a job well done. As Dr. Mario Arciaga once told us, you may not see yourself as a particularly good medical student but once you stand on the stage and receive your diploma, you will feel as if you are one of the best doctors that the school has produced. Bask in the glory, take pride in what you have accomplished and don’t forget to look back and be grateful to those who helped you get here.
Once again, doctors, congratulations.
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