As our Senior High School marks the end of their high school journey and opens the door of their future as they make a step forward with their tenacity and passion to achieve their ambition, Rousanne Marie “Ayn” Bernos, a distinguished content creator, social entrepreneur, empowering podcaster, inspiring beauty queen, and passionate magazine editor, reminded us that we should tenaciously hold on to your dreams and keep ourselves grounded by our character.
COMMENCEMENT SPEECH
National Teachers College Senior High School Graduation Batch 2023
By Ayn Bernos
Good afternoon/evening to all the teachers, administrators, alumni, parents, guests, and most especially, the Batch 2023 National Teachers College Senior High School Graduates. My name is Ayn. It has been twelve years since my high school graduation, and the young girl that walked in your shoes
then never would have seen this moment coming. I’ve never even been in PICC before.
So before anything else, I want to thank you for extending me the honor of being your commencement speaker tonight. You see, twelve years ago, I did not know what I was going to do with my life. It was a period of possibility and excitement, but also, as an overthinking student, it was clouded with uncertainty.
Let me tell you a story.
For our high school graduation creative photo, we were tasked to present our Past, Present, and Future selves. It was the perfect opportunity to look back, celebrate the now, and zoom into tomorrow. FIRST – Dressing up as my past self, I wore a denim jacket, put my hair in little pigtails, and brought all my Bratz dolls to the studio. It was pretty accurate. SECOND – as my Present self, I wore my cheerleading uniform. Being part of the pep squad was my entire high school personality. It was all I did and I loved it. But I hit a wall when it was finally time to dress up as – THIRD – my Future Self.
Some of my classmates dressed up as doctors, lawyers, flight attendants, teachers, and engineers. Meanwhile, I had no idea what I wanted to be. During my college applications, for each college I applied to, I had a different degree program. It was like playing roulette with my future. I applied to the following: Clothing Technology, Interior Design, Communication Technology Management, Business Management, Fashion Design, Journalism, Communication Arts, Business Administration and Accountancy, and more.
Because I didn’t know what I wanted, my strategy was: Bahala na si Lord. Kung saan pumasa. And so for my graduation photo, I walked into the set with my finest clothes (at the time), a pair of heels, and… a suitcase. As in, a maleta.
I told myself, “Whatever the future holds, whatever job I end up having, I know one thing for sure: maglalakwatsa na ako.”
And would you believe – I never became a fashion designer, a news anchor, an Interior designer, or an accountant… but all the career detours along the way DID take me around the world.
I ended up teaching in Madrid, Spain. Ma… I’m sorry Ma…
I was a freelancer living in Tokyo. A month ago, a big brand sent me all the way to Brazil. What are the chances that none of the degrees I applied to came true, but my maleta plan did?
So if you’re an overthinker like me, and you’re clouded with uncertainty, I hope you know that the world is overflowing with possibilities if you tenaciously hold on to your dreams and keep yourself grounded by your character. Be stubborn about your goals, but flexible about your methods.
I read this many years ago and I’ve been implementing it since. The question isn’t “What do I want to be in the future” but rather, “What kind of life do I want to live?” I wanted a life that empowered me to move, to discover, to explore.
And today, that’s what I do. I move, I discover, I explore. So I hope, wherever you find yourself after this day, may you find your own unique answer to that question. Because you deserve a life that you chose to create.
Of course, I cannot take full credit for my life right now, because it took a village to raise me. I had my own privileges like we all here have our own privileges. But I am not reminding you of this to undermine your hard work. Here’s something I learned along the way, too: We acknowledge our privileges so that we may one day extend them to others. We pay it forward, the same way someone somehow somewhere paid it forward to us.
So now, I would like to take this opportunity to address the parents in this room.
Hi parents!
Because I firmly believe that the greatest privilege I’ve ever
been gifted is PARENTAL SUPPORT.
And by support I mean…
My parents never told me, “Kaka-TikTok mo yan!”
Sometimes, I would come home and hear my own voice playing from their phones. They would watch every video I put out, they would play every podcast episode, and they would look up my statistics.
In 2016, oh Ayn, nadagdagan ka ng 10 followers!
In 2021, oh Ayn, 2 million ka na!
When I decided to be a content creator, there was no question of whether or not it was a worthy career path. And whether or not I was a success, they were there for me. When I said I would be the shortest beauty queen on the Miss Universe Philippines stage, they didn’t say, “Sure ka ba?”
They said, “Kailan yung start?”
Parents, I always receive messages from students who want nothing more but to make you proud and happy at the same time.
“Ate Ayn, paano ko macoconvince sila mama sa gusto kong gawin sa buhay ko?”
They ask these questions because your approval means the world to them. So I hope that you grant them the greatest privilege of all: your support.
Now back to you, our graduates, before your start telling your parents, “Sabi po ni Ate Ayn, ganito, ganyan…”
I also need to remind you that YOU have the responsibility and the autonomy to craft your future. The path in front of you is not guaranteed with people who will cheer you on. Sure, you’ll find them, but you will also find rejections. You will discover redirections. You will experience failure.
When that does happen, I hope you remember to ask yourself, “How can I make this work for ME?
Tenacity means finding a way through or around, no matter the problem. Character means humbly accepting that these things WILL happen, and we are not entitled to success by merely dreaming.
We move forward, no matter how small the step, no matter how confusing the detour. We will be flexible with our methods by asking questions like, “How can I adjust?” “What lesson is this
teaching me?” “What can I do better?”
And we will be stubbornly protective of our goals when we know exactly WHY we care about it so much in the first place. If you noticed, I have no answers for you. I only have
questions. Because in the heart of it all, only YOU have the ability to CREATE what the future holds.
So think about it. What do you want? What do you care about? How do you get there? What do you need to get there? More importantly, what do you ALREADY have?
You have had years of studying, years of friendship, years of mentorship, and years of practice. Whatever is waiting for you out there, know that you already have what it takes to make your life happen.
I hope that during this momentous evening, you start or continue your journey toward finding answers. Because let me tell you – it never really ends, but the sooner you learn to enjoy
it, the better the process will be. I look forward to seeing your dreams unfold, and I hope that one day I can bump into you and you can tell me exactly what kind of life you decided to live.
Kayo naman ang magkwento sa akin.
Congratulations, Batch 2023! I am rooting for you!
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