A Letter to the Class of 2020 (From a Supposed Co-Graduate)

As underwhelming as your graduation may seem right now, stop the cynical thoughts you may be having for a moment, and pat yourself on the back. Clap for yourself. Shout yippee, woohoo, hoorah! Congratulations! Save for those going to law school or med school or any further studies, the culmination of your academic life has come to a close. 

“You’re part of the workforce now.”

“Welcome to the real world.” 

“Funemployed”

Whatever your current situation may be, your present disposition, or your outlook right now, you’ve accomplished an amazing feat! We are truly privileged to be able to develop our passions and perspectives on multiple different fields, from engineering to mathematics, literature to history, and so much more. Us Ateneans are split into two: those who hated core subjects and those who took it to heart. Whichever side you may be in, you have to at least argue that numerous Theo and Philo classes, in some small or large way, have shaped who you are today. Likewise, UP students may have General Electives that’s helped them achieve something new. This is the power of higher education, and now you’ve just finished it.

As I wave goodbye to some of you, I can’t help but smile. Dang, you’ve made it. Sure, the journey of finding a career, a vocation, heck, even a life long partner, is just beginning. Isn’t it exciting? The thrill and rush of the uncertain, the endless possibilities you could do with your life from this moment forward, and the boundless successes and failures that have yet to unfold are just upon the horizon. Your typical white girl would be shrieking and probably claiming: “OMG a new chapter of my life!”

But I'll be damned if they’re wrong. This is the turning point for you. Clichés are clichés for a reason, because to some extent they hold the truth. 

So I say: 

Adios.

Farewell.

Sayonara.

This moment that you have been cast into to create something with your lives, the dreaded year 2020, is a moment that would undoubtedly go down in history books. Countless people resonate with this feeling of being “robbed”. And rightfully so. Whether it be a graduation, a wedding, a big birthday, everyone is well within their rights to feel something about the things that were unjustly taken from them. I can only empathize to a certain degree, as I am lucky not to have anything so unfairly stolen from me. But what I can say is this: take this situation and make something great from it. Whatever emotion you may be feeling, anger, resentment, sadness, regret, emptiness, use it as fuel to propel you to greater heights. You may know me as a positive guy so let me help you see the glass half full (or even fuller if your inclination right now isn’t negative). 

The silver lining is that now you have the time to grow. To accept the Herculean task of finding out who you are now that there are no longer colorful orgs, mountains of schoolwork or friendly faces to define you. You have the time to learn new skills. A time to figure out whether you have taken the right path. This is, of course, in no way to frighten you. I mean, what do I know about “what’s really out there.” Nor is this an attempt to pressuring you into taking numerous online classes to learn new things, as so many have been doing (myself included), but rather to highlight the fact that: You. Have. The. Time. Go at your own pace. Live fast. Live slow. The freedom is now yours. 

I’ve got one more year ahead of me. One more year to finish the things I want to accomplish before flying from the four-walled nest of the academe and the safety of education. 

As you leave me behind (for the better), remember to rage, rage against the dying of the light as Dylan Thomas says. We indeed live in uncertain times, times of local and global unrest, all amidst a worldwide pandemic. Saying that 2020 is crazy is the understatement of the year (pun most definitely intended), but if you’ll allow me another cliche: diamonds are formed under pressure. I have no doubts that you will make ripples out there that would inevitably turn to waves. I count the days that we would see each other in the professional world. Class for 2020, congrats, and do not go gentle into that good night. 

Magis, my dudes. And I'll see you when I see you.