SPEECH OF TRIUMPH

A very pleasant day to our honored guests, teachers, parents, and to my very astonishing
fellow graduates. Today signifies our triumph over the thorns of frustration, the shadows of fear,
and the torrents of tears, marking a glorious ascent to victory..
We stand here today knowing that we are heard. He heard all the prayers we've been
praying, and that is something we should celebrate. We thank the Lord for the happiness and
reassurance that in this lifetime, He is on our side, and we should not fear anything. As Ms.
Taylor Swift once said, fearless is not the absence of fear. It’s not being completely unafraid.
Fearless is getting back up and fighting for what you want over and over again… even though
every time you’ve tried before, you’ve lost. Now, please allow me to share my story. Reminiscing
of the past, I recall that growing up, I was constantly labeled as a very shy student. It was always
a comment that my teachers would say to my parents, and now I could say, “Bianca, hindi ka na
nagdedelulu, you’ve reached your goal, you are loved and you've improved so much”. And that
is what I am hoping for everyone up to this moment as well. This senior high journey was quite
a hard decision we had to make. Mine involved choosing a different path from my junior high
school friends who chose STEM as their strand. I took the courage, fully aware that I'd walk the
path alone. It felt like my hands were doing the "Macarena" at a party, but there was no music
playing except the beats of my nerves as I continued with my decision. I couldn't change it at all,
but little did I know that this is the path where I would realize that I don't only need to exist but
to live, which implies that we need to enjoy life. Even though the past year has been tough for
us, my personal experience was that I had to discipline myself, which meant deleting Mobile
Legends, Call of Duty, and TikTok from my phone. Even though, yung alarm ko naging trauma na
ang tunog, magkakasunod ba naman para lang magising ako. I dedicated myself holistically, and
that is where I found myself. So I would like to remind everyone to be easy on yourselves,
"tipong 10% review lang at yung 90%? ilaan natin sa breakdown" keme. Remember that you do
not need to rush everything just to see your tomorrow because, as Bini said, "ang buhay ay di
karera." You also don't have to fit in but to embrace who you are because, as I remind myself, I
am only me and you are only you. People like to tell you what you're going to be, they may
often dictate what your future holds, but be sure that you'll be running up that hill and put
castle on it through your passion. I want everyone to understand that success does not mean
just winning in life and overcoming challenges, but doing the things you love to do, and
achieving that victory without leaving behind the people who are part of our story. Triumph
means lifting others as we rise and celebrating our collective efforts. True success is shared,
recognizing the genuine support from family, friends, and mentors along the way.
As I draw this speech to a close, I want to emphasize the importance of expressing our
gratitude to those individuals who contributed to our success and helped us attain this
momentum. Personally, I want to thank our very gettyful adviser, "sir Getty Segundo, thank you
for helping making this possible, naging motivation ko po ang mga saging every chats nyo”. To all
my advisers and subject teachers, to the class that initiated me into the presidency and led
them despite my initial timidity, 12-HUMSS Aristotle, you've been wonderful.And contrary to
what others say, “ sarili mo lang talaga ang tutulong sayo”, but mine, I believe was different, and
I couldn't say that because I have this very healthy support system, and I know all of you do too.
I've grown with these three people, Andrew, Gerald, and Judence. Thank you for reminding me
that I don't have to be afraid when I need to look at myself in the mirror. To all of the parents
who are willing to do anything,we are immensely grateful for all of the sacrifices you made. To
my mama and papa, thank u sa pagluto ng meryenda, sa pagreassure na okay lang kapag may
grades kaming mababa, thank u for everything. As 1 Corinthians 15:57 says “But thanks be to
God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ”. Again, congratulations everyone.
As we step into another chapter of our lives, ensure to carry forward the lessons you have
gained. Because I, Bianca Catbagan, di kaliligtaan ang paaralang aking pinanggalingan, at
titiyaking aking dadalhin ang tatak ng pagiging isang humanista kahit saan pa man. Maraming
salamat po!