UST sends off 8,048 graduating
students
In what was described as an event that
brings both “pain and joy,” the University of Santo Tomas bade goodbye to 8,048
graduating students in the auspicious 2015 Baccalaureate Celebration, held on
May 15, 2015 (Friday), at the historic UST Parade Grounds.
The
annual tradition honored this year’s graduating class, who successfully hurdled
their academic requirements en route to their earning of degrees, to be
conferred later in the month during the Solemn Investitures.
When
I See You Again
In
his homily, the Rector, the Very Rev. Fr. Herminio V. Dagohoy, O.P., likened
graduation and the acquisition of learning as the “birth,” “nakakita ng liwanag” for the soon-to-be
alumni and alumnae of UST. “UST today opens its womb so that you can begin a
new life,” Dagohoy said in his message.
This
gift of life must not be kept to oneself, however. “Studying or learning not
only makes us knowledgeable and employable; they make us fertile and able to
bear fruits. The moment of fecundity happens when we share it with others for
the good of society and development of humanity.”
As
the Rector congratulated the graduates, he reminded them not just to be men of
“ambition, but to be men of mission.” He stressed that weariness comes not from
work nor problems, but from aimlessness.
Like
a true father who felt the bittersweet emotion caused by parting and an
attendant expectation of his children’s eventual return, the Rector quoted
lines from the now-famous “When I See You Again” soundtrack of Furious 7,
ending his speech by assuring the graduates of the Thomasian community’s
fervent prayers for their success.
3
C’s + 1: Competence, Compassion, Commitment, and Character
In her graduation message, outgoing Central Student
Council President Ina Angela Vergara thanked the University community for every
memorable moment, every meaningful lesson, and every noteworthy endeavor it
helped her and her fellow graduates enjoy.
Paying
tribute to all the graduates from the different faculties, colleges, institutes
and schools, Vergara underscored that the batch’s success must lead to a legion
of Thomasians who will live out the three Thomasian core values of competence,
compassion, and commitment, as well as a fourth C: character.
Bearers
of Light
The traditional blessing of the UST mission cross and the
lighting of the candles symbolized the sending off not just of intellectually
gifted graduates, but also morally grounded individuals who will be witnesses
to Christ’s example of love and service.
Upon
the lighting of the graduates’ candles, a sea of tiny orange flames illuminated
the otherwise dark Parade Grounds, and all the light bearers looked toward the
beacon of Christianity, the Cross atop the Main Building, as the graduates sang
the University Hymn with pride.
Exiting
as Graduates
Four or five years ago, the graduates entered through the
historic Arch of the Centuries as freshmen. By night’s end, all graduates
walked out from the very same passageway, a symbolic sign of their graduation
as Thomasians.
The
University of Santo Tomas is proud of its graduates for Academic Year
2014-2015. Congratulations and may you all be true witnesses of the faith,
blessed by God’s unending grace!
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