Good evening dear professors,
colleagues in the legal profession, young minds, friends.
It’s an honor to be talking in
front of you all, since gathered here tonight are not just legal management
students, but the finest legal management students in the land. Those who
belong to the cream of the crop.
As I look at each and everyone of
you, I see future bar topnotchers; judges and justices of our courts of law;
renowned practicing lawyers; business tycoons; millionaires and billionaires;
dignified politicians; respected educators; and the list goes on. Maybe one of
you could be the next Atty. OCJ.
I still remember way back in my
highschool days at St. Paul College of Ilocos Sur that I really wanted to change
the world. By then, I have used the statement “change the world” as my motto
going forward.
When I was taking up my undergrad
course at UP Diliman, my motto has not changed. Instead, I was more inspired
and motivated to change the world.
I was convinced then that I could
have a greater impact in contributing change to the world if I enter law
school. And so I took up law here in San Beda, arguably the best law school in
the land.
True enough, in 2013, I was
admitted to the Bar and I told myself, now that I am a lawyer, I am in a better
position to change the world – helping the common people find justice and at
the same time helping our government in the administration of justice.
But I realized that I could do
more. And so I applied for a teaching position so that I could inspire the
young minds and mold them to become the best person that they could be, so that
when their time comes, they could likewise inspire the young minds of their
time, and the cycle goes on from there.
When I started teaching, I felt
sheer happiness, probably because I have fulfilled my dream of changing the
world.
Why did I feel sheer happiness
when I started teaching? Did I overreact? Was it an exaggeration? It was not.
For me, teaching the young minds is already changing the world.
It is because “the youth are the
future of our nation.”
But this saying might sound
cliché to you already. But that’s the problem, it’s because we, the people of
this generation, think that way. That should not be.
The youth were, the youth are,
and the youth will always be the future of this nation.
But what does it entail to be the
future of our nation?
Remember that the future is the
consequence of our actions, the product of the present. Hence, if we want to
have a better future, action should start now, that is you should be
responsible and accountable of everything you do at present, whether be that
big or small.
And such action should be
characterized by hardwork, perseverance, discipline, dedication and spirituality.
This might sound over imposing,
but telling you that you are the future of our nation implies that we place our
hope and trust in you, and we are confident that you will not fail us.
Yes, you are the future of our
nation. Each and everyone of you is the future of this nation.
And that’s why I consider it an
honor to be talking in front of you – future leaders of this nation – because
someday soon, you will be just like me, just like your professors, maybe better
than us, and you will be the ones speaking in front of the young minds of your
time, talking about how to change the world, and that is reminding them of how
important the young minds’ role in nation building, telling them also that they
are the future of this nation.
These are just simple words, a
simple reminder, but it leads to a monumental realization, a realization that
is best to have this early stage of your lives, so that we would be assured
that our future is in good hands.
I hope the message of this speech
finds its way deep into your hearts.
Thank you very much and God bless
us all.
Change the world!
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