A SPEECH OF A NEWBORN GC

UNEDITED SAMPLE FEATURE ARTICLE
By Roger Perez Turingan
IV - Sir Isaac Newton


A pleasant day to all of you. This day is so blessed because you have given a chance to listen to a great speaker like me. Just kidding aside. First, I will start this speech by asking you a little crucial question “Are you a Grade Conscious?” Maybe some or many of us hate to admit to ourselves that we are a GC. Some boastful students will say “I don’t need to be GC in order to get high grades and be successful in life.” Well, I’m not boastful and after I failed in many subject in our third periodical examination, I think I should be one.

Every morning, I am not awaken with the sound of an alarm clock or the voice of my mother telling me to wake up. I am awaken whenever my eyes wants to open and my body wants to move. And in the time that I decide to stand from the bed, the first thing I do is to think of whatever test or assignments we are task to do. My headache begins here. I come up that we have a quiz in A.P., cooking in TLE, check-up test in Physics, Mastery test in Elective Math, Oral test in Chemistry, assignment in English, Pangkatang Gawain in Filipino and long test in Geometry. I consider these all as big problems that I will face this day. The only formula that I will use or I always use to solve the problem is the famous working equation of the students: “Bahala na.” It’s a crazy statement that is like a sarcasm prayer that you can keep to your pocket whenever you experience my so-called problem. Because of that ridiculous philosophy, many failed to prepare and eventually preparing to fail.

But this morning, a new lifestyle a student enters my life. Now, I was awaken by the alarm of my cell phone at three in the morning. This time, the words “bahala na” turns into kaya ko ‘to. The test and assignments that cause my headache in the last three years turns into my hobby. At this moment, I didn’t fail to prepare so I’m not prepare to fail.

I think, if this will become my daily routine, surely, I will be a great engineer that will make a strong bridge towards to success. But because of this, maybe I will not enjoy the journey of happiness and wheel of joy that every high school student should feel before they graduate. What I can say is great conscious comes in great responsibility and opportunity; and great responsibilities and opportunities comes in great success.

Yesterday is the lesson for today and today is the foundation for the future. Can you answer my question, “What are your ambitions?,” What do you want to be in the near future?,” What kind of person will you be?” Will you be a man of success or a beggar of failure? This question has a common denominator and this question “Are you a Grade Conscious?” Maybe it’s late to realize this question because we are now in the final grading but it’s better late than never.