The University’s 41st Commencement Exercises with the theme “PSUnians: Huwaran ng Katatagan at Kahusayan sa Bagong Normal” was conducted on December 5, 2020 at 1:00 P.M. via official Facebook page: Pangasinan State University and Youtube channel: PSU PRPIO.
Despite the many challenges brought by the Covid-19 pandemic, PSU managed to exhaust all its resources and ensured the conduct of the most awaited event by all students.
From the words of this year’s Guest of Honor and Speaker, Sen. Joel Villanueva, “Noon hanggang ngayon naging sagisag na ng tatag at punyagi ang PSU di lamang sa lalawigan kundi sa buong rehiyong Iloko. Ito ay hindi lamang dahil merong ISO 9001-2015 certification o dekalidad na degree program ang naturang pamantasan. Ang tunay na dahilan ng katatagan na nasa puso at isip ng bawat PSUnian ay ang kaniyang pangarap.”
The good Senator magnified that,” Ang pangarap na ito ay di kayang tibagin ng pandemya at di kayang itumba ng anumang bagyo o pagsubok.” Sen. Villanueva also emphasized that the government and the institution can’t afford to fail every students by letting this pandemic derail their education. He also challenged the graduates of PSU who were recipient of the government’s initiatives to embrace their moral obligation to recompense our hardworking Filipino tax payers.
Now that the PSU graduates will embark on a new chapter of their life as graduates, they are now considered to be part of this country’s labor force and they should use their education to make a difference in our beloved country
At the parting shot of Sen. Joel Villanueva, he echoed, “Use your talents, your skills and your knowledge to help our country move forward. Let change happen but more importantly, make change happen.”
Meanwhile, during the inspirational message of Dr. Dexter R. Buted, he mentioned, “Sa maraming usaping kaugnay ng pagbabagong dulot ng Bagong Normal, kayo na aming mag-aaral ang nanguna sa aming isipan. Ang inyong kapakanan at seguridad ang aming prayoridad. Kayo, mga minamahal naming magsisipagtapos, na tulad din naming humaharap sa bigat ng pagsubok na dulot ng COVID-19, ang nagsilbi naming dahilan upang ang buong komunidad ng PSU ay magpatuloy.”
Dr. Buted also added that everyone was caught unprepared in the face of the pandemic. Nonetheless he echoed, “We learn as one. Anuman ang katayuan mo sa unibersidad, ikaw man ay propesor, instruktor, kawani, o mag-aaral ay kabilang ka sa bigkis ng layuning umalinsabay ang tunguhin ng unibersidad sa alon ng globalisadong mundo sa banta ng mga pagsubok. We learn as one. Dahil nananatiling tapat sa gampanin ang pamantasan sa pagiging huwaran nito sa pagtamo ng kahusayan, paglikha ng karunungan at paglilingkod sa bayan.”
And so, all students were invited to watch the telecast of the said virtual graduation. To ensure the heartfelt spirit of the Commencement Exercises and Ceremony, all graduating students were highly encouraged to participate in the following program segments: Shifting of Abaray na Dayew; Ceremonial Abaray Toss; Pledge of Loyalty to the Alma Mater; Acceptance of Diploma from the Parents; and Induction of the Graduates to the University Alumni Association, Inc.
The said reenactment of the identified program segments was done in the respective residences of the graduates together with their parents. All graduates were encouraged to be in white or cream barong/ Filipiniana attire or plain light colored best Sunday dress/ attire considering the formality of the occasion.
The graduates were then expected to take pictures during the program segments and were advised to post their pictures in Facebook using the hashtag #PSUVirtualGraduation2020.
In his parting shot, the University President inspired the graduates by saying, “Nananawagan kami sa inyo, mga minamahal naming magsisipagtapos, upang kumilos tungo sa pagpapagaling ng lipunan. Ito ang hamon sa inyo ng PSU at ng nagbabagong mundo. Buo ang aming tiwala na ang pananatili ninyo sa pamantasan ay humubog sa inyong katatagan at kahusayan na inyong matibay na pundasyon sa gitna ng anumang unos.”
Despite the challenges we encountered due to the pandemic, the very first Virtual Graduation became memorable and successful. (PSU Echoes, Vol XX No.2).
