Choosing growth over comfort

We’re finally here.

I have always been eager to apply to Benilde. I even gave my parents an ultimatum – it’s LaSalle-Benilde or I’m not going to college.

But I’m glad I forged my own path. Even if that meant being away from my family for a while, and studying in Manila despite how terrifying and unfamiliar the place was to me. I guess we can all relate to this, deciding between growth and comfort.

I chose growth over comfort. And it’s safe to say that us wearing our black gowns and togas is a testament of how the rewards of our growth will far outweigh the safety of traveling the comfortable road.

I applied to my course, Governance and Public Affairs, in August 2020, during the first wave of the pandemic. It was a newly offered course, which makes us pioneer students and first graduates of this program. This program was the reason I got drawn to studying in CSB. In embracing this newly offered program, I found not just an academic pursuit but a transformative journey.

This program served as more than a pre-law course to me; it became my crucible for understanding the intricate tapestry of society, the delicate balance of power and the profound responsibilities that come with it.

The country was in such a drastic state then up until now. Students struggled in every aspect of their lives.

I’d say our batch is one of the most resilient batches of graduates, not only did we lose two years of our college life and our youth, stuck at home, some of us lost loved ones too. I lost my only sister, Zash, last year. It felt awful that the only choice we had was to go forward. Even though it was easier to drop everything and wallow in our grief, because what is grief but love with no place to go.

Our resilience did not teach us how to accept the way things are; it taught us how significant good governance and accountability can impact our lives. It resounds with the empowering truth that our voices are not just heard but wield the potential to make a profound difference.

Our country needs a new generation of leaders, lawyers, diplomats, even artists and business people, who will implement a strong sense of duty to promote the interests and human rights of the disadvantaged in society. It’s our generation’s turn to be architects of positive change, stewards of justice and extraordinary world changers.

The School of Diplomacy and Governance has been an integral part of my academic growth. I have been blessed with many opportunities such as representing the school locally and internationally in various events and conferences. One in particular is representing not just our school, but our country, at the Harvard World Model United Nations in Paris, France with my fellow delegates from CDA and DIA.

Not a single one of us here today has done it alone. We are each a patchwork quilt of those who have loved us, those who have supported our aspirations, those who showed us empathy and kindness or offered us constructive criticism even when it wasn’t easy to hear.

These people for me are my academic mentors and professors, who honed me to grow as an individual of wisdom and stature.

My classmates and my best friends since frosh year.

Lastly, my family. Mom and Dad, my older sister Zash and my baby brother Zach. Who showed me what unconditional love truly meant. This achievement is dedicated to my family.

I’ll be ending this with a quote from a great philosopher, Taylor Swift.

Scary news is: You’re on your own now.

Cool news is: You’re on your own now.

We are led by our gut instincts, our desires and fears, our scars and our dreams.

Arduous things will happen to us. We will recover. We will learn from it. We will grow stronger because of it.

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Remarks delivered by Gabrielle Elijah G. Villareal, summa cum laude, at the recent graduation exercises of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde.