Political Science

To the Agency President, Vice-President of Human Resources, guests from agencies, personnel from other schools, our own schools personnel, family, and friendsgood afternoon, morning, evening It is with great honor that I am here with you today to address everyone in a remarkable event in our lives.

Through time, I held on to perception as a self-fulfilling prophecy. I often ask myself, Is the drinking glass considered to be half-empty or half-full Is my calyx of knowledge half-empty or half-full I have used the same question time and again in assessing whether there is a need for me to go back to school. I need to remind myself time and again, about the rewarding payoffs ahead. I always remembered to treat all experiences as building blocks that further add to the foundation I have. With every block, I reach higher grounds that allow me to reach higher goals, as well. Even the experiences that do not pose themselves to be of advantage in immediate advancement should be kept for who knows when these would be needed. Through the job search, you will learn how to assess whether your drinking glass is already half-full whether your experiences and knowledge suffice based on your perception. It wont be long before you top it off and toast your promising new position, career, or goal.

FORK IN THE ROAD
Well, here I go once again.  Down that proverbial path of the road and once again I come to that fork in the road and again Im faced with that same question which I asked myself over 20 plus years ago.  And that question is, Should or do I want to pursue a college educational degree

Only now, things are much different life has happened along the way.  Im no longer a spring chicken, because Im older I have bills and other financial obligations. Im a part of the generation known as the sandwich generation personal and professional life on one end and caring for aging parents on the other. With the current situation I have, I see school and education in a different light. For me, it meant balancing delicate glasses when I failed in one, it is broken forever.

Despite the fact that I gained passion in education only after spending several years in the professional world, I would like to consider it as a test that would show me that time is a delicate piece of jewelry to be cherished. Nonetheless, I would like to ask each and everyone of you to see the opportunity within each mistake. Instead of mourning over lost time, take about what you learned and move on from there. During the time when I was not at school, I gained experiences that allowed me to flourish when I went back to the university. In fact, it was an advantage for me as I am able to see the practical side of the world and understand the theories afterwards.

THE JOURNEY
Going back to my days of education, I could clearly remember the things that mattered to me as a student. While in class, we were taught about theories, applications, and tools as a preparation before we step into our fields. Public policy, management, good governance, and the like rang in our ears as though it was a part of our everyday lives. From the books to our discussions, the principles of public administration lingered as our everyday source of educational nourishment.

Aside from the academic side of the school, I also learned to interact with my classmates. Although no one looked like me or no one talked like me, we learned to recognize what the components are for a dysfunctional team without realizing it. The differences that me and my classmates shared showed us invaluable lessons that can not be taken from the books. My everyday interaction is something that I would like to be thankful for it showed me another side of learning. The diversity of the classrooms have shown me the three important ings in schools interacting, sharing, and learning. As we all shared our differences and similarities, we also shared the responsibilities and tasks that our instructors gave us.

Not really knowing that each and every single solid task, request, and assignment the school instructors gave us would stretch all of us far beyond our comfort zone to the point where as a cohort, we became fine boulders of rock. We have seen the calmness of the sea we have experienced the rage of the highest waves. Indeed, both the calm and the rage have kept all of us on our feet. We learned that the calm of the sea can never be used as a time to relax. Instead, this was our opportunity to prepare for larger activities and tasks. When the raging tides came, and I mean it to be continuous and huge, we were prepared for it. Those who are not strong enough to handle it have crumbled and crept into the sea. Those who remained strong and withstood everything are now standing before me mighty boulders than ever.

When the school sat up this accelerated program, we did a good job.  Then when they established partnership with our agency, they knew at once that the graduates would not only be ready for the challenges when the program was completed they would also have the attributes because they learned by doing and applying them along the way. We were clearly taught that it wasnt about politics, social status, or economic.  It was about the delivery of service to the people. It is far from the candidates of the elections but with managing the elections. The knowledge gained leaned more towards the delivery of services to the people. I once had a friend who asked me, What is public administration Does it have something to do with managing the public or with holding political positions It came to my mind that there is a big difference between the field where I am in and with the other fields. However, I see that there is an overlap between the two the gap that often confuses people. Still, it is perception that would tell us that public administration is more than the political ambitions.

IN CLOSING
So, now is the time when we have to leave the learning institution and venture into the real world. Today is the day when we have to close our books and open our minds to let the theories out and be used for its intended purpose. Today is the day when we give back to our Alma Matter the glory of being educated. Let us all go out to pursue our dreams and I hope that in such pursuit, you will be able to bring in success for yourself and success to the educational institution where you came from.
It doesnt matter how many accolades you have or how many letters are behind your name. It does not matter how many hours you have spent working on earning a position in the school. What matters most is the impact and change you have made in the lives of each and everyone. Think back on the things you have gained and given. For at the end of the day, what matters is if you encouraged, if you listened, and if you left it better than it was before you arrived.