Arellano Law Today @web

To Mr. Francisco P.V. Cayco, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Arellano Law Foundation, the members of the Board of Trustees of the Arellano Law Foundation, Dean Jose R. Sundiang, Dean of the Arellano University School of Law, Honorable Antonio Eduardo B. Nachura, members of the administration, our dear professors, parents, my fellow graduates, friends, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon.

It has been several days since I learned that I will have the honor of speaking before you today. I will be honest and tell you that even as I sat in front of my computer at two o’clock this morning, I am still uncertain of where my address is headed. So I decided to just let my thoughts flow through in the hope that it will all make sense in the end.

To the graduates, I know you’re hungry. I will be brief. I promise.

Today, we are gathered to celebrate another milestone in our life – our graduation. It is an occasion of joy and thanksgiving. But apart from me, I know that there are 107 other souls who are feeling mixed emotions. For we all know that this is not the end of our journey. The greatest challenge is yet to come. In the next six months, nothing will consume our minds and our hearts than the thought of September 2008, when we face the most difficult test of our academic life.

I want to be sincere and tell you exactly how I feel. I am scared. Just the thought of the BAR exams sends cold shivers down my spine.

But I refuse to be trampled by these feelings of anxiety, so I listed three important points that I think will help me overcome them. If you will allow me, I would like to share them with you.

1. Brave your fears - I’ll let you in on a secret, a secret that I shared with Sir Bubut yesterday. For several months now, I have been seriously thinking of deferring taking the bar exams. I was afraid that current problems in the family and the adversities of life will cause too much distraction. I was afraid that I will not be able to prepare well for the Bar exams. It was only last Tuesday, April 8, that I finally decided to go for it, but not after sleepless nights, buckets of tears and conversations with God in prayer. My fellow graduates, I know that like me, you have your own share of fears and apprehensions. Together, let us be bold and face them.
2. 2. Arm yourself – with adequate knowledge, with ample wisdom, and bags of self confidence. Study well and aim to be the best.
   It is never wrong to excel. It is never arrogance to aim for the top. Indeed there is wisdom in what Les Brown said, “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars”. To the graduates, I pose this challenge - let us all aim to be the moon and make it a very bright sky for Arellano when the results come in by 2009. I know you’re with me on that.
3. Reflect in prayer – A few years ago, I won’t tell you exactly how long as you might compute for my age, I graduated from St. Scholastica’s College with a very important lesson – that is in everything you do, do it in faith, regardless of your religion. Live by the Benedictine value of Ora et Labora - work, or study for that matter, like everything depended on you, pray like everything depended on God.

Brave your fears. Arm yourself. And Reflect in prayer. These are my potent weapons as I prepare for the Bar examinations. It is not accidental that these spelled B-A-R; I did it on purpose, well, for what my good friend Mr. Badon would probably call dramatic effect. But in my humble opinion, these accurately summarize what we as barristers need to do in the coming months. It takes the B-A-R to prepare for the BAR.

So am I not scared anymore? Oh, I still am, but I am confident that I will pull it through. We will pull it through.

On behalf of the 2008 graduates, I would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude:

• to the members of the Board of Trustees of the Arellano Law Foundation and the Arellano Law administration – thank you for always taking time to listen to our concerns. I would also like to personally thank the members of the Board of Trustees for my scholarship during my stay at the Arellano University.
• to the members of the Faculty – I know that it is very difficult to be a professor and that it could sometimes be frustrating, with countless mediocre recitations and failed examinations. But know that we recognize your efforts to give us the best education and shape us into competitive lawyers in the future. For that, we will be forever grateful.
• to our beloved parents and family members – words alone will not suffice to express our gratitude for what you have done for us. Thank you for the love and concern, the unsurpassed understanding and the countless sacrifices you unselfishly gifted us all these years. Thank you for putting up with our weaknesses and mood swings. Please understand that sometimes, the pressure just gets into us. But we love you, dearly!
• to my friends, classmates and fellow graduates, I want you to know that I cherish the warmth of your friendship, your acceptance of my person and the trust and understanding you have given me. Thank you for the intelligent and not so intelligent discussions, the words of encouragement, the helping hand, the sample exams, the whispers during recitation that I’m certain the professors could hear, the little conversations inside the classroom and at the hallways, the laughter and the tears, the silly jokes told in secret, sometimes even during class hours. All these made law school life more beautiful and meaningful. All these, I will treasure for a lifetime. Indeed, I am very proud to belong to this batch.

Before I end, I would like to ask my fellow graduates to please close their eyes and join me in prayer.

“Heavenly Father, the inexhaustible source of grace, wisdom and love, thank you for this day – for the wonderful gift of our graduation. Continue to guide us while we prepare for the more difficult challenge awaiting us in September 2008. Give us enough strength and perseverance to pursue our dream of becoming a lawyer.

Lord, keep us always faithful to you and help us trust that whatever happens at the end of this journey is in accordance to your will.

We ask this in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.”

Congratulations my fellow graduates. Let us all walk tall and proud to La Salle in September 2008!

God Bless!

Cheryll Grace H. Montealegre
Arellano University School of Law
Class Valedictorian
Batch 2008