Mind you, PT school is not an easy race to finish. Simply entering the race is already a challenge. After signing up for the course, there are pre-qualification measures before you can join the run. When you do get in and once you get started, it always seems that you will not be able to reach that finish line. Almost always your mind will play tricks on you saying that you can't make it especially when you don't get to see the finish line from afar. Running the race is not easy. The road is undulating, rough and seemingly unending. There would be obstacles along the way and would require some other person's help. The race is not a one-man job but it needs a team. Chances are you would not make it if you tend to run solo.
The race to graduation will leave you battle scars and a lot of delayed onset muscle soreness. There would be strains and sprains along the way. During the last lap, it may even get harder. Your breathing starts to be uneven.. your heart beats so fast.. muscles aching.. knees about to give in.. might sometimes feel dizzy.. fatigue setting in.. This is the critical moment where every student asks himself: SHOULD I CONTINUE OR SHOULD I JUST GIVE UP? The answer to this question is very important for it directly corresponds to whether you do reach the finish line or not.
BUT in that moment of confusion and blur, you will eventually see the light in the end. As you get closer to the prize ahead, every ache and pain goes away bit by bit regaining more confidence and increasing speed. The nearer you get to it, the more louder you will hear the people cheering on for you. That alone gives you another energy boost to keep you going. And at long last, eventually, you will reach that line and finish what you started.
Here is a brief summary of my (our batch') story reaching that finish line. This is the speech I delivered during our graduation day. To our luck, we graduated in the year when our university marked its 400th anniversary. It was a special day not just because we are called The Quadricentennial Batch. It was a special day because we made it all through the race and we get to celebrate it with the ones who ran with us all the way.
Quadricentennial Petition Address (CRS Batch of 2011)
* No amount of 5 year-PT school prepared me to make such a speech. I was left shocked for a day hearing the news I was to deliver a speech in front of the whole batch, professors, families and friends. Two days passed and my mind was still blank. The only thing that held me back was the fear of not giving the five year journey justice. All I know was that my peers and I needed something to look back to. And it needed to be heartfelt so we can proudly pat ourselves in the back, smile and take pride of what we've accomplished. I just wanted the end of our race to begin with a new life and chapter ahead of us. So after 3 days of thinking what to say...how to say it.... after 5 drafts and a chronic dose of MPS because of typing & editing away in my laptop...here it is. Hope this would be enough to summarize what we've done during the 5 years... Hope this inspires you as it did to us. :) |
After a million heartbeats, thousands of pesos spent, almost 1,316 days of labor, buckets of tears, frequent unbearable pain graded 8-10/10, heaps of nagging stress and a whole lot of patience and dedication, this day has finally dawned…the commencement exercise of the quadricentennial batch of the College of Rehabilitation Sciences 2011!
This is what would always set us apart from others.
To all the graduates,
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
But always bear in mind...
This may be a cliche, nevertheless, I will still say it.
This is just the BEGINNING.
Study then there comes graduation..
After graduation then there comes the board exams..
Then what's next?
If you want to know what's next.. Click HERE.
Beyond PTRP...