FMDS-UPOU Recognition Day 2016 Speech

Jabez Joshua Flores, MENRM Student and Chancellor's List Awardee, giving his testimonial to the FMDS graduating class of 2015-2016#FMDSClass2016 Photo by Faculty of Management and Development Studies (FMDS) Facebook Page

Education should not separate us apart from society. It should not breed elitism. Education is not about competition. Instead, education should breed in us compassion toward others having understood that we rely on each other to sustain our existence. Use education as an opportunity for application, as a platform for action. Be educated to develop compassion, educate to share compassion. 

I wrote that quote a few years ago when I was trying to make a vision statement to remind myself why I was studying in the first place. 

I started my journey at UPOU back in 2011. Not knowing exactly how a virtual campus actually works, I took Personal Entrepreneurial Development as my introductory course to the world of virtual learning in 2011. I was motivated and I got hooked. I took New Enterprise Planning the next semester and then Organic Agriculture until the end of 2012. Surprisingly, I adapted and excelled in the ODEL format and the non-formal courses lit a fire in me that eventually led to my application for a masters’ degree in the second semester of 2012. 

Throughout my academic career, I was an average student involved in a lot of extracurricular activities like music and sports. I never received a medal or recognition in high school or college. I was hardworking and persistent but I didn’t excel in taking exams.  What was different though was my constant desire to make sense of what I was learning. I wanted the lessons to be translated into action. 

For three and a half years under the MENRM program, I used my education as a platform for action. I’m very thankful to all my teachers, instructors, professors, and admin staff who were very supportive of my ideas, dreams, and research. I never felt pressure or creative constraint during my time here as a student. 

As I learned more (and also rewarded with good grades) there is the strong temptation to feel above better than the rest, than the common person, or to the person across the street. I always have to remind myself to be in a position of humility and accept that everyone in this world can contribute to the greater good. 

Am I studying for myself? To get good grades? To have a masters’ degree? No, no and no. The more I learn, the closer I get to the issues at hand. It’s the moment when our education becomes a personal mission rather than a distant goal that needs to be finished. 

I thank FMDS and UPOU not just for developing my mind, but for shaping my heart to lead a life of service for our people, the environment, and the country.

Be educated to develop compassion, educate to share compassion. 

Thank you and congratulations to all the graduates. God bless!