Roselle Ambubuyog Commencement Speech
Summary
TLDRThe speaker reflects on their transformative experience at Ateneo, where they learned the value of striving for excellence from a mentor's encouragement to aim for an 'A' despite already having a high grade. They recount overcoming challenges as a blind student, participating in activities like fencing and ballroom dancing, and adapting to academic requirements with the support of faculty. The narrative also touches on the speaker's advocacy for the blind, their unexpected selection as class valedictorian, and the realization of their inspirational role within the community.
Takeaways
- 📚 The speaker learned the value of striving for excellence from Dr. Fleur de Lisa Francisco during their freshman year at Ateneo.
- 🏆 The speaker achieved a B+ in Math21 and was encouraged to take the final exam to potentially raise their grade to an A.
- 🎯 The speaker aimed for a score of 189 out of 200 on the final exam, which they achieved, despite the challenge of high-stakes questions.
- 🔍 The speaker's experience with a small mistake on the final exam (forgetting to indicate a hollow point on a graph) led to a valuable lesson in attention to detail.
- 👩🏫 Dr. Francisco's mentorship was tough but influential, instilling a commitment to excellence and not settling for 'good enough'.
- 🧪 Accommodations were made for the speaker's blindness in science labs, such as using braille labels and tactile models, rather than exemptions.
- 🤺 The speaker's determination to participate in physical activities like fencing and ballroom dancing, despite concerns, shows their spirit of inclusion.
- 👥 Students initially had difficulty adjusting to a blind classmate but eventually came to view the speaker as a source of motivation.
- 🎬 The speaker's humor and resilience were evident when joining friends for a movie, turning a potentially awkward situation into a bonding experience.
- 🌟 The speaker chose to engage in extracurricular activities that were meaningful given their blindness, such as advocating for the blind and training them in adaptive technologies.
- 🏅 Despite initial reluctance, the speaker was chosen as class valedictorian, reflecting the respect and admiration of their peers and the community.
Q & A
What lesson did the speaker learn early in their freshman year at Ateneo?
-The speaker learned the importance of striving for excellence and not settling for good enough, as emphasized by Dr. Fleur de Lisa Francisco when she encouraged the speaker to take the final exam to potentially raise their grade from a B+ to an A.
What was the score required on the final exam for the speaker to achieve an A grade?
-The speaker needed to score 189 out of 200 on the final exam to achieve an A grade.
Why did the speaker's teacher, Dr. Francisco, encourage them to take the final exam?
-Dr. Francisco encouraged the speaker to take the final exam to challenge them to strive for excellence and not to settle for a B+ grade, even though it was already a high grade.
How did the speaker's experience with Dr. Francisco influence their academic performance?
-The experience motivated the speaker to commit to excellence, leading to achieving straight A's in five terms and a total of 49 A's throughout their academic career.
What accommodations were made for the speaker in their chemistry and physics laboratory work?
-The speaker was not exempted from laboratory work and was provided with modifications such as Braille labels on lab equipment and the use of modeling clay and bendable wires to create 3D representations instead of drawing them.
Why did the speaker decide to take up fencing and ballroom dancing?
-The speaker wanted to make the most of their time at Ateneo and participate in activities despite their blindness, showing determination and a desire for inclusion.
How did the speaker's classmates initially react to having a blind classmate?
-Initially, some classmates were resentful and distracted by the speaker's use of Braille during tests, but over time they became more accustomed to it and found the speaker's determination inspiring.
What was the speaker's approach to extracurricular activities and student organizations?
-The speaker chose to engage in activities where their blindness was significant and worked with organizations to train blind students and advocate for the inclusion of the disabled in education and employment.
Why was the speaker initially reluctant to be class valedictorian?
-The speaker was reluctant to be class valedictorian because they did not want people to think they were selected due to their blindness making them seem special, rather than for their achievements.
What changed the speaker's mind about accepting the role of class valedictorian?
-The speaker was influenced by a fellow summa laude candidate who submitted an essay in support of the speaker, and by Dr. Quinn Alicia, who convinced the speaker of the inspiration their story provided to the community.
What was the main message the speaker hoped to convey in their speech?
-The speaker hoped to encourage reflection on personal experiences and choices, and to inspire commitment to excellence and the pursuit of challenges ahead.
Outlines
📚 Pursuit of Excellence in Ateneo
The speaker recounts a pivotal moment in their academic journey at the Ateneo, where Dr. Fleur de Lisa Francisco encouraged them to strive for an 'A' despite already having a high grade. This led to a deeper understanding of the value of commitment to excellence. The speaker also discusses the accommodations made for their disability, such as Braille labels and alternative assignments, and the initial resistance from fellow students that eventually turned into motivation and understanding. The narrative emphasizes the importance of not settling for 'good enough' and the impact of a caring mentor.
🎬 Embracing Normalcy and Advocacy
The speaker shares experiences of social integration, such as going to the movies with friends who learned to describe the visual aspects to them, leading to a deeper bond and a shift in their peers' perspectives. They also discuss their choice to engage in activities that highlight their blindness, such as working with blind students and advocating for the disabled community. The speaker's reluctance to be class valedictorian due to their disability is addressed, with encouragement from faculty to embrace the recognition as a deserved honor and an inspiration to others.
🌟 Reflecting on Life's Journey
In this concluding paragraph, the speaker encourages the audience to reflect on their own life experiences and the people who have shaped them, considering how these have prepared them for future challenges. It serves as a call to introspection and an acknowledgment of the collective experiences that lead to personal growth and readiness for life's adventures.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Excellence
💡Commitment
💡Inclusion
💡Adversity
💡Mentorship
💡Perception
💡Resilience
💡Empathy
💡Valedictorian
💡Inspiration
💡Reflection
Highlights
Learning a valuable lesson early in freshman year about striving for excellence.
Dr. Fleur de Lisa Francisco's influence on the decision to take the final exam.
The importance of aiming for a score of 189 out of 200 on the final exam.
Achieving an 'A' in the course after taking the final exam.
The realization of the significance of the 'A' grade earned.
The role of a teacher in inspiring commitment to excellence.
Overcoming the fear of discrimination as a disabled student.
Participation in chemistry and physics lab work with modifications.
The humorous incident of being discouraged from fencing due to safety concerns.
Adapting to ballroom dancing as a physical education activity.
Students' initial reactions and eventual acceptance of a blind classmate.
The experience of watching a movie with friends and their support.
Choosing extracurricular activities where being blind was significant.
Working with organizations to train blind students and advocate for the disabled.
Being selected as class valedictorian and the impact of the community's vote.
The decision to embrace the role of valedictorian and its inspirational impact.
Encouraging reflection on personal growth and preparation for future challenges.
Transcripts
pleasure one of the most
valuable lessons i learned in the ateneo
happened
early on in my freshman year with dr
fleur de lisa
francisco and math21
she informed me that my pre-finals grade
was a b plus high enough that i could
choose
not to take the final exam unless i
wanted to try
raising that b plus to an a i assured
her i was happy
with the b-plus even though i was not
especially as i was confident of getting
a's in all my other classes
that term she told me to give myself
some time to think about it
intrigued that she seemed to be urging
me not to give up easily
i asked her what was the score i needed
in the final exam for that a and she
said
189 out of 200.
as you know a single question in a math
test could be worth 20
points so even if i got all but one
problem answered correctly that may
still not be
enough i took the finals
and got an a
much later much later i found out
that i scored 190 in that test
the four point deduction was for
forgetting to indicate a hollow point on
a graph
yes i still remember that dr
francisco was a tough mentor but also
one of the best i had
that was the first of the five terms
in which i got straight a's and that
a was only one of 49 i got yes
i also remember that number as it
annoyed me that i did not make it a
nice round 50.
that a meant more than the rest
though not because i worked hard for it
but because i almost missed it had it
not been for a teacher who cared enough
to make me remember why it should
why i should always commit myself to
excellence
and never settle for good enough
my fear that teachers would be
discriminatory condescending
or indifferent towards a disabled
student
did not become a reality they knew
i wanted to make the most out of my time
in the ateneo
so they did not exempt me from doing
chemistry and physics
laboratory work on my own they
allowed modifications like when my
father
stuck braille labels on lab equipment i
could use
or when i brought modeling clay and
bendable wires
to create rather than draw 3d
representations of molecular geometry
there was some preliminary discussion
about exempting me from physical
education
then one registration day they found me
in the queue
signing up for fencing
they said please not fencing you might
accidentally kill your instructor
my dad who was accompanying me that day
said
that's what i told her when she asked
first if there's a class in
archery
no worries though i did ballroom dancing
that term
and the instructor survived to give me
an a
students on the other hand took a while
to get used to
having a blind classmate someone who
became a friend
only in my third year told me that
initially
he resented my taking the test in the
same room
and on the same schedule as the rest of
the class
apparently since i was writing my
answers in braille
which means punching small holes into
paper with a pointed stylus i was
in his words making noise that
distracted
others when he grew accustomed to this
sound however
he admitted i was motivating him to
study harder for the exams
saying when i no longer hear you make
any sound i realize you're done
with a six problem math test but i'm
still stuck on number three
i suppose the other students saw me as a
bit of an
oddity simply because they did not know
how to relate
to someone with a disability there were
some who thought
that i would be offended if they used
words like see
and look until i pointed out that it
would sound
sordid if instead of saying i'm looking
forward to seeing you again
they would hit me with i'm feeling
forward to touching you again
others fascinated to hear me talk about
the latest
film releases were curious enough to ask
me to go with them when they see a movie
one weekend
so off we went i could sense how nervous
and awkward they felt
especially when the ticket lady asked me
if i was
joining them to break the tension and
remind everyone how i could still enjoy
the movie despite being blind
i replied yes i'm with them but maybe
you could charge me
just half the ticket price since i will
only get the audio and not the visual
experience
i explained to my new friends how they
could help me watch the film
by describing whatever is happening and
whoever is speaking
they gamely told me everything in
excruciating detail
getting louder and more excited
particularly when describing the fight
sequences
and the love scenes we had lots of fun
and i think that was also when they
began seeing me
in a new perspective as someone with
special needs but who was normal after
all
when it came to my extracurricular
activities and joining student
organizations
i chose a different path it started when
the ateneo asked
me to meet with young people
children mainly who lost their eyesight
due to cancer kidney disease or
some other cause and to help them and
their families cope with their altered
circumstances
i realized then that i wanted to do
activities where my being blind was
significant
i worked with organizations outside the
ateneo to train blind high school and
college students in the use
of specially adapted technologies i also
did some advocacy work speaking to
parents of blind children about sending
them to school
and to other school administrators and
even to small business owners who had
questions about teaching
or hiring the disabled most of these
personal projects were not linked with
any student group in the ateneo however
there were people then not knowing about
these projects
who criticized me for being part of only
a few student organizations
and activities when i was selected class
valedictorian i was not aware
that graduating seniors were invited to
vote for whom they wanted to be their
valedictorian
so i was surprised when i was asked to
submit my credentials
and an essay on a topic i cannot recall
anymore
when i heard that it was possible to opt
out of the screening process
i decided not to submit the required
documents
one evening i received a phone call
from then associate dean of student
affairs
mr rene salvador san andres
who told me they were waiting for me to
hand in my papers
not wishing to be difficult i finally
did as asked
and even showed up for the interview
with the committee on standards
i found out later that not only did i
get
most of the student votes but that one
of the candidates
interviewed a fellow summa laude
from the school of humanities
submitted an essay not on the designated
topic
but one titled why i think
rozelle ambobuyog should be class
valedictorian
this person whom i've never met during
our four years in the ateneo
gave up the chance to be class
valedictorian herself
and made me see how foolish my
reluctance
was in this matter in a conversation
with dr quinn alicia to whom i will
always be grateful for teaching me more
than just
probability theory and statistics i
confess that i did not want people to
think
i was selected to be valedictorian
because my blindness
made me seem special she assured me that
i deserved this distinction
for what i had achieved and advised me
not to underrate the inspiration i have
given
to the ateneo community for there was
much
that people can learn from my story
i hope she was right much of this speech
is a testimonial because i wish to
encourage you to do
what i have just done to look back at
your life in the last
four or five years and discover the
experiences
the people the insights the choices
that brought you to this point today and
then reflect on how all of these have
prepared you
for the life and challenges ahead
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