WORDS OF THANKS (Thanksgiving Celebration-UC Banilad College of Nursing New RN's)

"To many, success seems to come suddenly. When we observe others and what they have achieved, we usually don’t appreciate what it has taken for them to get where they are."

 We often choose a decision for a whole lot of reasons; I don’t know exactly your reasons why a number of years ago, you all set forth into a new journey where you knew nothing about what lies ahead. Well, you certainly had this vision in mind. Most of us came from distant places, remote areas of the provinces of Cebu, and all the way from the off shores of Luzon to Mindanao. We took the risk in overcoming the thought of being separated from our well-bonded families; we strive to adjust to a new life, and a new home. Along the way, who would ever thought we had to lead a very drastic schedule, we had to catch a nap, one hour of sleep, and then we moved on again to the next day’s activity. We had our fair share of struggles I must say.

My mother once said that every time she received a text message from me, she would suddenly think of school fees. Kidding aside, perhaps, your mom and dad had that experience too. Our parents, the ultimate premise of our survival, offered us an extraordinary life. No matter how far the ladder can go and how many steps we have taken, or how many times we fell and took that step again, they never fail to lift us and offer their hands of comfort and strength. From time to time, we all get ourselves into predicaments where our lives seem to be out of control, but, they took the driver’s seat and led us into the right direction. Each of our success in life, such as this, is a realization of their sacrifices. Our dear parents, we will always thank you endlessly.

            A couple of years ago, we came across into this woman, a very simple person, yet, behind her simplicity is an enduring strength that has made our college build its walls of persistence. We call her our “Ma’am Dean”, our Dr. Helen C. Estrella. She has been one of the strongest parent to us, an educator with a vibrant heart, a mother not only to the student body but, to her subordinates as well. I can still remember this certain student who came rushing from the elevator door, accidentally bumped on her, but she didn’t even make a face, she simply gave her ever charming smile and said, “nagdali lang siguro to siya day,”.  Or if you can still recall that time when we badly needed her signature over our thesis, amazingly, she came in early at 5am to cater our concerns. I received my own piece of her goodness too. She’s been that armor and shield who battled so many times to protect her army. Ma’am Dean, thank you for believing in each of our strengths.  We might have stopped at any point along the way, but, you never tire in walking with us to travel and reach our destination. We offer our success to you.

            Being part of the Penlight Publication during my college days, we were given this task to do interviews and converse with different people from various walks of life, yet, the most memorable was when our group had the chance to sit and chat with our President Atty. Augusto W. Go. Every corner of this room and other hundreds of rooms there is in 4 UC campuses in Cebu, numerous batches since the 1970’s, a handful of board topnotchers, success after success, he started it all. He once said, “When I started school, making money was my top priority, but as the years went by, money became secondary because I begin to realize how much I am dealing with lives, giving good education, and preparing a life for young people.” He has been a persona over the years, but, little did we know that behind his strong and powerful façade is a man with a great and humble heart. He started with small beginnings like every one of us yet; he chose to climb the walls of success bearing with him a dream not for his own abundance but, a dream that gave hope to thousands of lives. Needless to say, Atty. Go was born to create his own invention and shape his own masterpieces. Thank you for being that young boy who dreamed, and thank you for making us the realization of that dream. Our success is dedicated to you our founder, Atty. Augusto W. Go

            To our dear Chancellor, Ms. Candice Yvette Gotianuy, for living up to the image of your father’s principles, this institution has become very proud of your brilliance. You are a beautiful woman who exudes a magical strength that represented your bloodline’s vision to build doors of successful heritage. Thank you.

            Our Nursing Education Coordinator, Ms. Piluchi Victorina M. Villegas, thank you for instilling discipline in us over the years. We were able to transcend the walls of adversity and we never held back our determination to reach the top. Thank you for saying “I know you will make it.”

            To the level chairpersons, Ma’am Ana Trazona, Mam Mercy Milagros Apuhin, and Mam Ma. Estella Cabatana. We all grew in your hands. When the waters of life came, you never left us washed out. There were greater things that followed because you empowered your subordinates hence, giving us the strength to regain our composure once again. You were never reluctant to listen and counsel our inappropriate actions, thank you for all the efforts.

            And of course, we can never forget the devotion and generous learning our Clinical Instructors have given us over the years. They are the frontliners of our knowledge and intellect. Thank you our dear instructors for being so patient over our mishaps. All of you will always be the molders of our dreams.

            In our hearts, we knew that our year 2011 ended with a gift. The inhouse review program, I shall definitely conclude, was the most fantastic and incomparable experience we had. To the class advisers of school year 2011-2012, “you are simply amazing”. You amaze me up until this very day that you never fail to pour that "extra" sacrifice for your sons and daughters. I’d like to take this chance to tell you this: We owe you our success. You opened an avenue of hope because you believed in us despite our limitations. There was this certain point when our confidence and faith were shattered by fear, yet, you flooded us with strength. That’s why we MADE IT.

            We prepared for the biggest, toughest, and most crucial test in our lives and then, by God’s grace, we were able to stand triumphant in that journey. Through those days, we were sharpened, we were trained, and we were enormously harnessed by our affiliate review center, the Intertrends Review Corporation. Mr. Sonny San Pedro, (I am hesitant to utter these words), but those dreadful, most terrifying, and mind-boggling examinations served for a mighty purpose. You certainly had written our success.

So you see, it took us a very long way to get where we were heading. We had to build so many walls to get to the top. Adversity and sacrifices, though always a challenge & often quite painful, we never gave those a chance to defeat us. We didn’t let ourselves get stuck in the middle like there’s nowhere else to go, because we always have a choice to respond to those circumstances.

In reality, the secret to success is simply taking that first step. Each time you fall, try looking around because there are numerous persons who actually see your worth. You too can actualize your potential. A great professional can build the titanic, while an amateur builds the ark. Welcome to the world of the professionals fellow REGISTERED NURSES!

 -Lesley Anne Pino BSN,RN