Noli R. Reamico, AB Political Science, Batch 2019
Distinguished guests, dear staffs and management of AIDE, my family and the families of the graduating students, friends, fellow graduates, ladies and gentlemen, good morning.
I am greatly honoured and flattered to speak before you for this very, very wonderful occasion. I am Noli R. Reamico, a graduating student of Asian Institute for distance Education (AIDE), with the degree of Bachelor of Arts Major in Political Science. As nervous as I am standing here today, I am also proud to be sharing my thoughts and experiences with you all.
Ako ay nanggaling sa mahirap na pamilya, kagaya ninyo at ng karamihan , gusto kong makapagtapos ng pag-aaral upang makaahon kami sa kahirapan.
Being the eldest in the brood of six, I was raised with the clear mission of helping my parents provide for our family. Life then was full of adversities. Despite these hardships, our parents inculcated to us the value of having proper education. When I was a child, I dreamed of being a lawyer someday. I event thought of enrolling in some prestigious universities in the Philippines, but my family couldn’t afford it. I wasn’t able to pursue my ambition so I entered military service to serve the country and help my family in their financial needs. It was also my dream for my brothers and sisters to finish their studies so I decided to work to be able to support them. Initially, I have planned to work for only one term, that is three years in the military service and continue my studies to have a bachelor’s degree. But due to the demands of our growing family, I ended giving up my dream because it was then my priority to help them achieve their dreams. During that time, my assignment was at the far-flung areas of Mindanao, where I was assigned for more than ten years until I forgot about my dream to finish college.
In 2017, luckily I was assigned here in Manila. I felt then, the urge to continue my education. I firmly believe in the cliché that everyone has their own timeline, and that it was never too late for me to aspire for higher education and pursue my passion with even more clarity of purpose. Until such time, [that] I’ve heard [of] AIDE. I am very thankful for AIDE for giving me opportunity to pursue my dream and continue my studies and have a bachelor’s degree. AIDE provided me quality higher education at a minimum cost. AIDE’s program of instruction were intended for distant learning, which provide me flexibility to attend in my full time work and at the same time chase my goal of attaining a bachelor’s degree. They gave me enough time to study and work for the take-home materials. All the modules given seems to be much more challenging. It was not easy to study in the distant learning institution compared to a normal classroom instruction but AIDE gave me reasons to study hard and finish my studies. With my stay at AIDE, I can say that, it was very fulfilling. This has been possible because of my willingness to learn. But [still] [at the same time], this would have been nothing without our Alma Matter, the Asian Institute for Distance Education (AIDE) and the hardworking spirit and dedication of staffs and personnel of this institution. Thank you AIDE. Thank you Ma’am.
Today is only one step towards attaining my childhood ambition. Nevertheless, we should celebrate small victories like this, not just among ourselves but with the people behind this humble success.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank God Almighty, my guardian angels in heaven, my family and my wife for their encouragement, unconditional love, and support. To the staffs and management of AIDE, once again thank you.
Finally, [to the] graduates of AIDE class 2017, 2018, 2019, congratulations! [I] wish us good luck [with] [for] the future ahead. Have a great day. Thank you
