AYALA Corp. Chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala (JAZA) challenged new graduates to opt for the difficult choices, as these will prepare them for the challenges of the modern world.
“Choose the difficult. Because character is formed through friction, through struggle, through fire,” Mr. Zobel said during the 30th Commencement Exercises of the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) on Aug. 16. at the Solaire Grand Ballroom in Parañaque City.
“Serve something greater than yourselves. Let your values guide you, even when they set you apart. Take courage — act even when faced with fear. Endure. Persevere. This is what makes a worthy story,” he added.
Mr. Zobel told the UA&P graduates to face the complexities of the modern world with courage, clarity, and deep personal conviction.
As the world grows faster and more fragmented, Mr. Zobel said that purpose-driven choices guided by enduring values, not ease or efficiency, will set future leaders apart.
“This ‘real world’ we are now in is fast, but it lacks wisdom. It is loud but no one is listening. It is hyperconnected, but deeply fragmented. To confront a world like this, we must begin by making sense of it… and humans have always turned to one of the oldest tools we have: story,” he said.
Mr. Zobel emphasized that while structure helps us understand the past and present, purpose is what points us toward the future.
“You don’t need to have all the answers now. But you must begin asking the right questions: What do I stand for? Who or what do I hold dear? Who do I want to become? What am I building, not just for myself, but for others?” he said.
UA&P’s 30th Commencement Exercises included 414 graduates from undergraduate and graduate degrees across various disciplines including business, economics, humanities, early childhood education, information technology, marketing, and law.
The ceremony opened with a salutation from Vikka Angeline L. Arevalo (Magna cum laude, BSBA Management with specialization in Business Analytics) and featured a valedictory address by Francisco S. Pantaleon, magna cum laude, Master of Arts in Humanities. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
