![](https://msunaawan.edu.ph/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/DJI_0320-scaled.jpg)
With the theme, โEmpowered Minds Forged for Limitless Opportunities,โ Mindanao State University at Naawan (MSUN) held its 36th Commencement Exercises on July 29, 2024, at the Training and Students Activity Center.
Setting the tone, Chancellor Dr. Elnor C. Roa delivered her welcome remarks before she introduced the commencement speaker, acknowledging the culmination of the graduatesโ hard work, sleepless nights, and relentless pursuit of knowledge.
โAs you stand on the threshold of a new chapter in your lives, remember that the education you have received here at MSU at Naawan is more than just a degree. It is a foundation upon which you will build your future, a toolkit that will help you navigate the complexities of the world, and a beacon that will guide you toward making a positive impact on society,โ emphasized Dr. Roa.
Furthermore, this yearโs Commencement speaker was Misamis Oriental Governor Hon. Peter โSr. Pedroโ M. Unabia, who shared his humble beginnings as a scholar of Xavier Universityโs Jesuit priests and highlighted the importance of education.
โ๐๐ข๐ฎ๐ช๐ต๐ข ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฉ๐ช๐ฃ๐ข๐ญ๐ฐ ๐ฐ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ด ๐ฏ๐ข ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฏ๐ข ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ข๐ณ๐ถ๐ฏ ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐ฉ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฐ ๐ฐ๐จ ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ด๐ช๐ต๐ช๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฐ ๐ด๐ข ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฅ๐ข๐ฅ, ๐ด๐ข ๐ข๐ต๐ฐ๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฃ๐ช๐ฏ๐ด๐ช๐บ๐ข, ๐ฐ๐จ ๐ด๐ข ๐ข๐ต๐ฐ๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฏ๐ข๐ด๐ฐ๐ฅ (Use the knowledge and skills you have acquired to make a positive impact on your community, our province, and our nation),โ stressed Gov. Unabia.
With key stakeholders present, Atty. Basari D. Mapupuno, MSU System President, quoted French chemist Louis Pasteur: “Indeed, fortune favors the prepared,” and added the ancient version: “Fortis Fortuna Adiuvat” (Fortune assists the Bold).
โIn your chosen career, wherever your steps lead you, I hope you carry the sense of mission that MSU has infused in you, the yearning for a more decent and better world order, contributing to peace-building and harmony,โ said Atty. Mapupuno.
Among the 770 graduates, 43 achieved magna cum laude, 264 cum laude, 4 with high honors, and 54 with honors. Batch Harinawaโs Valedictorian, Aljhun Lloyd A. Barranco, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Fisheries from the School of Marine Fisheries and Technology, was also awarded with University Student Leadership Award, Kampilan Leadership Award, DK Villaluz Sr. University Leadership Award, MSUNFSTDI Science Leadership Award, Leadership Service Award as Supreme Student Council President, Debate Award, Excellent Academic Distinction from BFAR-X, and UniFAST Academic Excellence Award.
โExcellence, at its core, is not about surpassing others but about surpassing ourselves. It is about striving to be the best versions of ourselves. When excellence is mistaken for competition, the focus shifts from personal growth to comparison and rivalry,โ Barranco emphasized.
He concluded with, โPara kanino ka bumabangon? And I hope your response will be: Para sa pangarap at Para sa bayan.โ
Commission on Higher Education Chairman Prof. J. Prospero E. de Vera III and Senator Christopher Lawrence โBongโ T. Go shared congratulatory messages to the graduates through pre-recorded videos.
Moreover, the ceremony also featured a ceremonial turnover of six million pesos in financial assistance from the Project Governance Management Office of Misamis Oriental to MSUN for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. The event concluded with the pledge of loyalty to the alma mater by College Leadership Awardee and former SSC President Van Jason D. Arellano, followed by the Alumni Oath presided over by MSU Alumni Regent Hon. Renato D. Boniao.
The MSUN administration, faculty, and staff extend their best wishes for continued success to Batch Harinawa in their future endeavors.