By Maria Isadora Romeral
“Now is the time to step up and take the path we choose to live. No matter what the challenge is, no matter what the praise may be, we'll bring with us the legacy to face the world that lies ahead.” - Memories & Legacy
WITH THIS YEAR'S GRADUATION NOW A thing of the recent past, many of the graduates are gearing to take on the so-called “real world”. Gone are their days of pulling all-nighters to prepare for their finals. No longer will they need to spend their free time worrying if the dreaded terror professor will call on them to recite the first five pages of the required reading. Memorizing the college hymn can finally be crossed out of their to-do lists. At last, they have reached their next chapter in life.
But as they say, the road to success is not easy. While a college diploma proves that one has made it out of the jungle alive, it does not guarantee a good future. Based on statistics found on the National Statistical Coordination Board Website, 7.3% of the Filipino population is unemployed as of January 2010. While this number is smaller by 0.4% compared to last year's, several news reports have indicated that it is expected to rise as a new batch of graduates have just emerged.
Dreams don't run low
It seems, however, as if these ratings have not discouraged the fresh group of jobhunters. Says Maan Bautista, 21, “I'm really looking forward to earning my first million!” Adding a cheerful laugh at the end of her statement, the Mass Communication minor in Development Communication graduate explains that she hopes to be able to find a job where she can practice what she learned in her four years of undergraduate study.
Although equipped with the knowledge that a lot of previous graduates are, to this day, a part of the unemployed, many of those from batch 2010 remain hopeful and in good spirits.
Start at the bottom...
One thing good about past Scholastican graduates is that they are willing to start at the bottom. Ms. Franz Sumang, head of St. Scholastica's College, Manila's Career and Placement Office, has once mentioned this saying that companies like Scholastican applicants because they know that in order to get to the top, they have to start small. This is one trait that apparently puts the school's graduates at an edge above some others.
With the confidence instilled in them through four years of Benedictine values, batch 2010 faces the awaiting challenges of adult life with their heads held high. Armed with the knowledge that “ora et labora” (prayer & work) produces miracles, the latest Scholastica graduates are sure to come back in the future with success stories to add to the books.
