Displaced Person and Host Country Essay Example for Free

Displaced Person and Host Country Essay Canada is amongst many countries known as a refugee-friendly country. From the early 20th century, during the World Wars to other world crises, these countries have opened their doors to people fleeing their home countries for reasons of poverty, persecution and violence. However, the host countries that receive refugees claim to be taxed or stressed because of misperception that refugees are a drain on the social system. Consequently, the refugees lose their own home of origin while at the same time; do not entirely fit in to the host country. The purpose of this paper will be to highlight some of the difficult coping issues that refugees have upon being forced to leave their country of origin. First, the term ‘refugee’ will be described and explained. Second, the major issues of adjustment for refugees will be discussed. Third, some of the overall support services will be described. Finally, the paper will offer an alternate perspective on improving services for refugees around the world. Review of Literature Background of Topic Definition. Refugees are people who arrive to a host country because they are facing persecution based on a membership in a particular racial, ethnic, political or religious group. People in need of protection are those who are facing a threat, torture or other form of violence in their homeland. People who seek for refuge are entitled to stay in the host country, look for employment, and receive social benefits until the government determines their claim for refugee status. For example, Canada, as a host country has an international reputation with a benevolent immigration laws, and it offers a great protection to refugees. Canada has, to some extent, been created by immigration. Therefore, it has a solid practice of allowing protection to those who meet the definition of refugee. This tradition is linked to humanitarianism, which is a value that Canadians as individuals, are willing to honor by upholding the country’s commitment to provide asylum to those fleeing persecution. ( Perrin Dunn, 2007) Statistics. It is estimated that more that 25 million people are forced to flee their home country due to persecution and threats (Partida, 1996). An estimated of 7. 6 million people were newly displaced on 2012 due to conflict or persecution, including 1. 1 million new refugees, the highest number of new arrivals in one year since 1999. Another 6. 5 million people were newly displaced within the borders of their countries. Twenty three- thousand persons per day leave their homes and seek protection in other places around the world (Newbold, 2012). Why people seek refugee status. Many people around the world are seeking for refuge due to the destruction of their homeland; the global warming and the rising of the sea levels are leaving people with no food and potable water. The weather conditions are menacing the current habitability of the country. Many of these countries depend on the farming and fishing in order for people to survive. Therefore, they need to flee their homeland and ask for refuge in other countries (Moberg, 2009). Also, many of the displaced people are forced to leave because of human right violations and threats. Many others have endured traumatic experiences, such as the genocide of 1994 in Rwanda. Another example is Sudan, where the conflict between North and South Sudan is caused by racial, religion, cultural and political differences that have exploited the civilians. Moreover, refuges have experienced torture including physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, depravations, burns and even witnessing the death of their loved ones (Amnesty International, 1990). Specific Impact Issues Coping. Resettlement is a chance for refugees to reconstruct their lives due to the past experiences of violence, persecution and the loss of family and home in their former home country. There are, however, major objections in the process of coping in a new country and a new culture. Refugees struggle to adapt into a new life style, language, and new education because it is different from their own culture (Pittaway Shteir, 2009). Also, refugees experience prejudice and discrimination by the host community and this may discourage them from seeking and receiving services from the host country. In fact, many of them feel the rejection and the lack of acceptance, leaving the refugees with the feeling of not belonging (Korcija-Hercigonja Rijavec, 1998). Stress. Many refugees have been exposed to major stressors due to the trauma in their former homeland leaving them with a lot of stress and prone to more severe mental health problems (Teodorescu, Heir, Hauff, Wentzel-Larsen, Lien). Moreover, refugees experience economic difficulties after they have been granted refugee status. For example, 55% of refugees were still dependent on social assistance to some extent eight years after their arrival. There is also evidence of an interaction between posttraumatic and acculturative stress, that is, refugees with a history of trauma can be expected to have more difficulties in the course of acculturation than those without a history of trauma (Hammarstedt, 2009). Homelessness. The experience of homelessness in refugees does not start in the host country. Most of the refugees have being homeless in their country of origin, and that is the major reason they flee their homeland (Association for Services to Torture and Trauma Survivors Inc. , 2008). Less than 10% of refugee people successfully access public housing in the first 18 months of resettlement, and housing options are frequently inappropriate for the culture of a refugee person. Also, the market rent is not affordable for the refugees and the waiting list for subsidies housing are very long and the only options are shelters. Shelter usage is not only at the arrival to the host country but may be an indicator of housing problem among the refugees (Sherrell, D’Addario Hiebert). Poverty. Refugees face poverty in ways that are similar to other marginalized groups in a host society. These include: low income, problems with access to services, lack of access to well-paid employment and challenging attitudes to those living on a low income (Mulvey, 2009). However, refugees have additional problems such as: lower levels of benefits than the general population, do not pay rent, and are dependent on the provision of housing and energy costs through social assistance. This period is a particularly vulnerable time for new refugees because they have to make the transition from complete dependency to the responsibility of negotiating the complex housing, health benefits system, and paying for energy costs. Restrictions on employment for refugee claimants are seen as contributing to the risk of poverty (Mulvey, 2009). Major Services Approaches Psychotherapy. Many refugees are victims of war-related and past experiences leaving them with a post-traumatic stress disorder. Psychotherapy is the interactive process between a person or group and a qualified mental health professional, and its purpose is the exploration of thoughts, feelings and behavior for the purpose of problem solving or achieving higher levels of functioning (Cinfuegos Monelli, 1983). Loving- Kindness Treatment. Is a Buddhism practice, and it is defined as being aware of the present and performing Loving- Kindness everywhere you go. This is a treatment that is used to reduce stress due to post-traumatic experiences. The treatment emphasizes in emotion techniques such as mindfulness. This practice is use to regulate emotions, and decrease anger. The practice of Loving- Kindness is a key skill that better equips refugees to adjust to a new social, and cultural environment (Hoffman Sawyer, 2012). Community Services. Focuses on providing care for the basic needs for refugees as newcomers in the host country. For example, community services might include ESL programs (English as a Second Language), which help to reduce the language barrier in their host society. Another is government social assistance, which will help to empower refugees to become independent and prepares them for the skills needed for the workforce (Bakewell, 2003). Implication of Services Critique of Services Benefits of Psychotherapy. Refugees who seek psychotherapy will obtain better results because it helps them to identify the key issues and emotional triggers that prevent or blocks their mental state in order for them to cope in their new environment. It will also facilitate the process in order for them to become more mentally stable to continue their adjustment into the host country. Therefore, they can succeed in their learning development and workforce skills that will help them establish themselves, emotionally and mentally, as human beings in their community. As a consequence, they will achieve higher levels of living and functioning in their homes, as a family unit, as well as with individuals among their surroundings. Drawbacks of Psychotherapy. The issue with psychotherapy treatment is that refugees might not be open nor disclose enough from their past experiences, due to their traumatic mental damage in their former homeland. On the other end, the therapists may lack knowledge about what the refugees have gone through in their past, which could slow down or worsen the healing process, that might result in a wrong diagnosis. Moreover, it can lead the refugees to be dependable on the treatment and unable to handle his or her challenges. The refuges may see the therapists as a hero and therefore fall into a dual relationship and as an outcome, a failed treatment. Improvement of Psychotherapy. Refugees have a significantly major mental health problem. Therefore, the host country should be able to provide an effective mental health intervention, which includes the use of bilingual and culture-educated staff and training in disorders associated with the immigrant experience, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PSTD). If the therapist is well trained and speaks the language of the refugee, this will help the client to communicate better, therefore the treatment will be more accurate and effective. Benefits of Loving-Kindness Treatment. There are many benefits of the Loving-Kindness treatment. One of them is it reduces stress due to past experiences. It helps the refugees to focus on the present and be able to forget traumatic memories. It facilitates them to cope into their new environment and be able to socialize in their surroundings. It also brings peace of mind in order for them to function as normal civilians. Drawbacks of Loving-Kindness Treatment. One of the main drawbacks of this treatment is that it may seem as a religion and not all refugees would be open to receive it, therefore the treatment would not be effective for all cultures, only for those who believe in the treatment. Another problem is that in the moment of the treatment, it can bring bad memories, anxiety, and anger episodes because the refugees have to address their past experiences in order for them to focus on the present. In addition, the treatment is a short-term relief but a long-term process because the refugees must continue until it has become a pattern behavior. Improvements of Loving-Kindness Treatment. It is very important for the improvement of the Loving-Kindness treatment to incorporate other culturally accepted techniques and methods into the healing process that will be more accepted among refugees around the world. By including other methods of treatment, the process will be faster and effective. Benefits of Community Service. The community service that the host country offers to the refugees helps them to adjust effortlessly into their environment by empowering them to adapt rapidly into the new culture. In addition, it will facilitate the refugees to establish themselves and socialize into the community. For example, language-learning programs will help them to learn the language of the host country in order to be able to have better paying jobs, better education, and an easier adaption. At the same time, community service programs help refugees to learn how to finally have stability, because many of them have never experienced peace of mind in their homes and in their lives. Another benefit is that these services will help the refugee to cope and to some extent erase the traumatic memories by creating new ones and changing their pattern mental behaviors. Drawbacks of Community Service. The negative aspect of these services is that many times there are unattainable requirements that may not be applicable or appropriate for the new refugees. For example, some agencies require proper identification in order for them to receive assistance, however, at the arrival into the host country, the border retains the refugee documentation that will be given at the end of the refugee claimant process. Therefore, this will delay the time to obtain proper identification from the host country. As a result, it will stop the agency to provide the correct assistance to the refugee in their time of need. Another drawback is that instead of the refugee to be empowered to develop the skills needed to adapt, they may become dependable on the assistance of community service of the host country. For example, a refugee might depend on monetary assistance and not search for employment or education that eventually would lead to self-sufficiency. Improvements of Community Service. One of the improvements of the community services is to not blame the refugees for not integrating into the host country culture, such as not speaking the language fast enough, having low levels of education, or not being self-sufficient. The community should be more understanding about the refugee’s traumatic stress that may make the learning process longer and foremost, the refugees need to be mentally stable before integrating and learning can begin. The community should implement more educational programs into the host community about the culture and experiences of refugees so that they may help the refugee to integrate and adapt into the new culture. Also, the community services should be able to create more programs that speak the language of the refugee because this will help them to understand the programs in order for them to advance in the growing process. Conclusion In conclusion, this paper has provided a better knowledge of who a refugee is, why they seek protection, the challenges that refugees face upon the arrival into the host country, the approaches and services to address these challenges and finally the critiques of these services and what is needed to improve them. The purpose of this paper is for the host community to be more aware of the issues that a refugee goes through, in order for them to better understand and assist the refugees to become part of the culture and help them grow as human beings, in the midst of the process of healing from their past trauma. The question is whether the host country and its citizens will be willing to make the changes and efforts required to improve the process of refugee claimants around the world.

Analysis of CAN Architecture

Analysis of CAN Architecture In 2016 there were 261.8 million cars registered as they are a pivotal part of the economy and peoples everyday lives. Cars were once all mechanically made with carburetors but after development of technologies cars are now running off of fuel injection. The difference between the two is that a carburetor controls fuel flow with mechanical bits that allow a certain amount of fuel to mix with air to go to the cylinders and fuel injectors use a pressurized rail system controlled by a computer with carious camshaft and crankshaft sensors. In the 1980s cars started using computers called the Engine Control Unit( ECUs), which control basic main engine functions such as airflow, fuel and spark. There are ECUs in every car on the road today because with a computer and a set of sensors, the ECU can dynamically tune the car live, increasing performance and lowering emissions. Cars do this with various sensors including Mass Airflow Sensors, temperature sensors, O2 sensors pre and post catalytic converter. The problematic issue arises from the fact that we went from computerizing basic components to computerizing everything. To understand the issue, look at the diagram below to go over some of the things that a typical ECU has control over. Further increasing risk, cars now come with embedded GPS and cellular chipsets connecting the car to the outside world. With everything interconnected, it would not be hard for a hacker to gain access to the whole system through one point in in the system. The way these components communicate is through the CAN bus. The CAN bus is a really bad system when it comes to security because everything is broadcasted on the CAN, requested or not. This is so when a component needs information from another, it doesnt not need to request it, it is always broadcasting so its efficient. Can you guess why thats a security issue? I will now analyze the CAN architecture explaining its design flaws. The CAN protocol was developed because before it was released, every computer component had to be connected with wires to each other, but with CAN bus, everything connected to that central bus and it reduced the wiring complexity saving weight and money. Another reason for its development was for emissions control, and because data is always broadcasted on the CAN bus, the car can dynamically adjust fuel/air ratios to get the cleanest burn with the least emissions. The CAN bus is really good at what it is designed for, but it was never designed for security. The main security flaws that need to be addressed first are unencrypted traffic on the bus, lack of decoupling and segmentation and no authentication of devices. The major security flaw is the lack of encryption, but it was designed purposely like this. It was meant to be lightweight and encrypting data would go against that, especially in the 80s when computing power was very slow. Today this is a critical flaw because the data can be sniffed. This would allow the hacker to sniff data packets, modify the CAN message and inject it back into the system. Another major flaw is the lack of decoupling and segmenting the CAN network. Since everything in the bus os connected to each other, it is possible to gain access to the whole system through something like the infotainment system. This could be devastating because new cars have electronic driven steering and ECU controlled brakes. The last main flaw is that the CAN interface has no authentication method for attached devices, meaning that a hacker can spoof messages and other parts of the ECU will react. For instance, if a hacker can spoof and broadcast a brake signal on the CAN bus, the brakes will activate without the drivers knowledge. These are just some of the concerns I came across during my analysis, but has anyone exploited the CAN bus yet? The answer is yes and its been done multiple times by various research groups. In 2010 researchers from the Center for Automotive Embedded Systems Security published a paper entitled Experimental Security Analysis of a Modern Automobile. They exploited vulnerabilities and discovered that it was possible to change a vehicles functions by injecting spoofed commands onto the CAN bus. They showed that an attacker could disable the brakes, the engine, and change the speedometer values (Koscher et al., 2010). This research was dismissed by many because its very unlikely that someone would have a wired connection to the CAN bus. The team responded with a follow up analysis in 2011 with the diagram below. The electric bolts represent possible points of entry into the CAN bus system. Then put emphasis on Telematics as those are ways to gain access wirelessly, dismissing the media and automakers claims that a connection isnt possible to a car without a wire. more recently in 2015, Charlie Miller successfully exploited a Jeep Cherokee remotely and injected spoofed CAN commands, without making any physical contact with the car. This was groundbreaking as it showed cars could be hacked from anywhere with an internet connection. This was the first time an automaker had to take action, as the Fiat Chrysler Automotive group had to recall more than 1.3 million vehicles. Essentially what Miller did was that he exploited the vehicles infotainment system which governs media and cellular functions of the car. The cellular functions is what caught Millers attention because it gave him a remote way into the car. From there he discovered that the communications system had a microcontroller connected to the CAN bus! This was his point of entry, using this door he got access to everything connected to the CAN bus, which we now know controls the entire car since everything in computerized. To access the car though, Miller had to exploit the vehicles cell ular microcontroller, which was supplied by sprint. All he had to do was port scan and find an open service port. According to sprint shortly after they patched this bug, any sprint device capable of 3g had access to this service port. Normally this port is entirely internal, but sprint did not make its scope private. Because of this bug, he used a 3G sprint device connected to his laptop to remotely gain access to the microcontroller and then the CAN bus. Just as we discussed in class, there is no perfect system and there is no single security solution. The recommended solution, although it might take a while to implement, would have to be encrypted data transmission, hardware backed or not; Device authorization protocols so outside devices cant spoof CAN bus commands; And decoupling/segmentation of the CAN bus network. As professor Kathleen Fisher said, the CAN bus is hopelessly insecure. it was developed decades before cars were connected to the Internet and lacks features to blo ck malware programs or reject commands from unauthorized intruders.

The Move :: Personal Narrative Moving Essays

The Move Summer of 2000, my parents decided we should move to California. From Georgia to California, East Coast to West Coast. I do not think my mom really wanted to move. It was my Daji’s (Dad’s eldest brother) fault. He and his son bought a motel in Morro Bay, California. Daji wanted my dad to help him run it(the motel). So in order for that to happen, we would all have to move. My mom was not coming with my dad, sister and me, just yet. We still had our house and my mom still had her job. We needed the income. We were going to drive to California in our white Nissan Previa. As we traveled through the southern states, my mom got news from Zambia, where her family lives, saying that my grandfather had a heart attack. So now my mom was not going to be coming to California when she was suppose to. I was going to be mom-less for longer than I was willing to be. I cried and cried (in despair). I know my dad felt bad(horrible about what he was doing) but he could not tell his older brother no. All those dumb respect rules. In our culture, that is the Indian culture, we must respect our elders, even if that means doing things we do not want to do, but(I believe) sometimes you can say no. We drove the rest of the way to California. We stayed at the motel, the one my Daji bought. It had an apartment attached to it. The apartment had two bedrooms, a kitchen, living room, dining room, and a full bath. My sister and I shared one of the rooms, my cousin and his wife had the other room, my dad slept in the living room and my aunt and uncle slept in one of the motel rooms. We hated it. Back home we had our own rooms, our own space. My sister and I were not very close at this time, so it was difficult to share and talk about what was happening. We did not like it(the idea of moving) mostly because we were away from our friends, our world and most importantly our mom. (when we got to California we had to be enrolled in school. So we went to the closest school My dad took us to the school, which was thirty minutes away from where we lived, in a completely different town.

Definition Essay - Art is Anything -- Expository Definition Essays

Definition Essay - Art is Anything Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary[1][1] defines art as â€Å"the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects; also, works so produced.† This definition is inclusive of most forms of art. Unfortunately, art goes far beyond this limiting sentence. Art can be thoughts, aesthetic creations, musical compositions, or choreography. Art can be seen, heard, and/or felt. Art is concrete and abstract, at the same time. Art is expression and emotion. Art is anything. When trying to define art, humankind runs in to many difficulties. Traditional concepts of art include painting, sculpture, drawing, and photography. Art can also be one simple thought. The abstract idea of creativity is art. Imagination is art. Words are art. Simplistically, art is anything an individual creates. A painter with a lifetime of formal education in oils, acrylics, and watercolors, is just as much an artists as a three-year-old with a pot of red finger paint. By creating, one creates art. ...

Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice Essay -- Jane Austen Pride Prejudice

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife" Jane Austen used this quote to open her second book, 'Pride and Prejudice', which was first published in 1813. This is a story of the attitudes towards love and marriage in the nineteenth century, through the eyes of a number of people in different family situations and levels of society. It explores what was socially acceptable and disgraceful at the time, as well as the author, Jane Austen's, personal opinion on the matter. This is shown mainly through the character of Elizabeth Bennet, the second of five daughters of Mr and Mrs Bennet, inhabitants of the Longbourn estate. At this time, it was very important that young girls of around sixteen and above should aim to marry as soon as possible to avoid becoming destitute and unable to support themselves after the inevitable death of their father, whose estate would usually be inherited by the next male heir in the family. In the case of the Bennets, this is a distant cousin with whom they had not been in contact with for some time. His name is Mr. Collins... Another worry for young women at the beginning of the nineteenth century was how high a reputation they had. It was unorthodox for a female to admit, like Lydia does when in Meryton, that she had come into town to find a man, because she would seem very eager and this may result in people looking down on her. On the other hand, if a lady acted as though she didn't like a man so that he wouldn't think she was chasing him, the man might think that she really disliked him and decide to admire another woman instead. Life could be very complicated... ... You know that it is not sound, and that you would never act in this way yourself." This makes it perfectly clear that Lizzy thinks that it would be impossible for anyone, no matter how set-against romance they are,to marry someone for a reason other than love. This proves that she is a romantic, and once set in her ways cannot see how anybody could think differently to her. In conclusion, I would say that Jane Austen looks down upon marrying for material success or gain, and superficial attraction and mismatch because at least one person in the relationship will end up being unhappy. She does, however, believe in marrying for love because you will be able to live the rest of your life happily with a partner you are devoted to. I also think that if you choose to marry, you should only do it for this reason because I believe that all you need is love.

Idea of Belonging

The idea of belonging is an important and fundamental value in our lives. Belonging most commonly emerges from experience and notions of identity, relationships, acceptance and understanding. The sense of belonging is represented in various ways throughout texts such asâ€Å"Ancestor† by Peter Skrzynecki and ‘China Coin’. Each of the texts has a wide range of ideas on how belonging is created though personal experiences and notion of acceptance and understanding. In â€Å"Ancestors† Peter Skrzynecki expresses a detachment from ancestors resulting in a lack of belonging in terms of relationship and understanding. Being separated from his heritage, the speaker experiences a kind of guilt about not being attached to his parents’ culture, but also a sense that this issue will have to be resolved, even if doing so may involve some distress and turmoil. The use of active voice in the poem shows – there are no passive voice verbs at all — his need to do something about the problem of belonging. The â€Å"bearded, faceless men† represent the shadow/spirit of his ancestors but the speaker may also be actually referring to photographs he has seen of these ancestors â€Å"standing shoulder to shoulder† – which also depicts the unity of these ancestors and the force they create is firm in his mind and forces him to find out what his roots are. â€Å"The eyes never close† shows that the moment is still and may be evidence that he is in a dream partly based on looking at such photos. A questioning tone also carries on throughout the poem. This questioning is about his identity though examination of the past which is represented by the ancestors, creating a sense of reflection and investigation on his relationship to his ancestors. But we can see that throughout the poem Skrzynecki is refusing to explore the past of these ancestors because he is afraid of the tainted, torturous past which stops him continued searching for a home: â€Å"To what star do their footprints lead? † This not only evokes his fear of the past but also shows that his uncertainty about re-rooting to his ancestral culture. The ancestors â€Å"Never speak â€Å"implying that those ancestors communicate to â€Å"you† in some other way. The poem is mainly a nightmare about the idea of ancestry/belonging, and Skrzynecki uses the blood allusion in â€Å"The wind tastes of blood† to show that the root is in our blood which connects us to our ancestors. However, the speaker’s sense of alienation from his ancestors has blocked his ability to belong and find the relationship between him and the ancestors. Blood† therefore limits our understanding of our past, which is what we originally belong to. Comparing to Peter Skrzynecki, Leah in The China Coin chooses to belong with her mum and her friends and being positive and happy. At beginning, Leah's relationship with her mum Joan was strained since she refers to her as the â€Å"evil aunt† â€Å"Joan†,evil aunt is a technique of metaphor,it shows nagetive feelings † Joan† is a technique of 3 rd person which sh ows the distance between Leah & â€Å"Joan. Espicially when Leah is lost during the student protest and result in a huge arguement with Joan†It's your rotten China. â€Å"presents again a big difference from Both Joan and Leah,through the emphasis on â€Å"your† and â€Å"from China with the describtive word â€Å"rotten† Comparing to Peter's relationship with his school and folk museum, Leah's realtionship with her mum at first was even more unstisfactory . But rather than running away and belonging to someone else,Leah has stayed with her mum and tried to fix this relationship. When she decides to end the conflict with her mother and rebuild the relationship,saying â€Å"It's over†Leah took Joan's hand and squeezed†we've been through a lot,eh†The action of squeezing echoes they are becoming closer. While Leah decided to belong to her Chinese culture,she also finds a second home. Even though Leah is reserved,the warmth and acceptance of this family draw her in,it's also for the first time Leah was thinking of Joan's family as her family. further more,Leah again builds relationships with family members Ke, Linan and uncle Tong. When the other half of the coin falls from the croll. Leah's reaction is positive†Li-Nan crushed her pounded her on the back and called her â€Å"sister† The symbolism of the strong hug and approval by Li Nan shows her acceptance into this family. Leah also build a special relationship with her cousin Ke. When Joan's in the hospital,Ke becomes the only one who Leah can depend on. She decides to build a relationship with him in order to belong with him. Since then,Ke refers to Leah with the word†mate†,This typical Australian word presents Ke accepted Leah and her clture. Also mate's a very positive word. It shows a positive relationship with people that's what it exactly represents here. Comparing to Peter's homeless, Leah both physically and mentally chooses to belong,therefore,she gets a positive and good result. Each of the texts shows us a strong will to belong and we can see that the ways people achieve belonging emerge from all these elements. Therefore it can be said that the texts have provided a wide range of ideas on belonging that support the statement that â€Å"a sense of belonging can emerge from experiences and notions of acceptance and understanding. †

Salutatory Address

SALUTATORY ADDRESS Kristine Ann Villanueva To our outstanding guest-speaker, Dr. Florentina R. Lizano, firm yet caring director Mr. Antonio Punzalan, ever-calm and patient directress Mrs. Angelita Punzalan, dynamic principal Mrs. Joy Mercado, kind and warm faculty and staff, ever-supportive parents, gratified fellow graduates, Good Evening! A Chinese Proverb goes : To get through the hardest journey, we need to take only one step at a time, but we must keep on stepping. First and foremost, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who was very helpful along this step in my journey, this step called high school life. I would like to thank ADT Montessori School, my parents, relatives, and friends, you are the reason why I am here tonight, standing in front of you with much honour and humility. I am grateful for this moment. Second, may I share with you this step in my journey, high school life. As the only girl and the eldest in the family and a stereotyped achiever since childhood, there were a lot of expectations from me. Being the eldest isn’t that easy. You have no ‘ate’ or ‘kuya’ to rely on and you have to handle a lot of pressure at times in school and at home. I always thought an eldest needed to be very careful with her words and actions as people expect you to be flawless. You have to perform well in all the activities given, always give your best and be competitive because that is what’s expected. I thought I was born to comply with what everyone wanted. In short, I have to please everyone almost at all times. And because of that, I have come to believe that I can stand all by myself and live only for the awards. So I missed out the chance to enjoy life with the people around me; to experience a life other than academics and competitions. It did get kind of tiring to spend life doing those things. But when I stepped at ADT, I found the better meaning of achievement and learned the greater value of those around me. It was in the month of June 2008 that I first set foot upon this school. I was that girl still stuck with that belief and desire to just ace everything. I had a hard time dealing with others because of that. But as I spent my days being a student here, I slowly transformed. I slowly became a stronger person; open with the values that life and the people around was imparting to me. A girl ready to face another step in her journey. Who would have known that the days would go by so fast? The next thing I knew I am already in fourth year. I can still remember the days that we had a hard time adjusting to the new system. I can never forget the days too when all of us would have to rush for the deadline of our projects and do all the things we never expected we could do. We have learned to multi-task and do it in short periods of time with much effort and grace. Here I have learned to have grace even under pressure. There had been moments that tested my strength and almost made me want to drop to my knees and quit; times that I just wanted to throw my hands up in the air and say â€Å"I give up†, because I thought the problems would never be solved. But I was wrong; there were people around me I hadn’t expected to help who picked me up whenever I fell. I have realized the value of friendship, as we shared all the happiness and pain through the things that we went thru. This year had all taught me that things don’t always happen the way we want them to. The times that I lost or didn’t reach the top when I knew I really gave my best shot to win but still failed. The time when I hadn’t passed at the school I was dreaming of. If we really want to, we really need to make a way and give more: 99% perspiration and 1 % inspiration as what Albert Einstein has said. Fourth year high school was the greatest part of my high school life. Not only because of the relationships built but also the changes it has brought me. I was made to realize that I cannot have everything and win every time. It had reminded me that I still have to go through failures and downfalls, be hurt and learn with each pain I experience. What is a life full of happiness given right away, anyway? We are given challenges for us to do better and see the bright side despite problems; to find happiness despite tears and to never quit instead continue and never give up. Take the next step. So much has happened throughout this year. It was just like yesterday when we’d laugh at all the jokes thrown, play all the games we wanted and make crazy experiences to remember. It was just like yesterday when we all needed to cram for our projects and review at the same time for our finals. It was just like yesterday when we were just all together through thick and thin. Now here we are, dressed in our school uniform that we had learned to love, topped with the toga signifying our graduation—the end of our high school days. We just took that step. Batch mates, ito na! It’s the finish line of our highschool days; the starting line of our college life. We will be making decisions that may or may not lead us to the fulfillment of the unforgettable class prophecy. Graduation day has finally come; the day we had all been waiting for all these years. After this night, everything might change; everything may not seem the way they used to be. We’ll be moving on to the next chapter of our journeys. Graduation brings mixed feelings. We are happy our hardships will be recognized and awarded with a diploma or medals. We are happy because finally, we are off to the next level. But at the same time, we are sad. We are sad for the fact that we are going to say goodbye to the people we have learned to love; to the people who have once made us happy and feel invincible; to the people we should be thankful for. To my Alma Mater, thank you for being the medium of my transformation. Thank you for providing excellent teachers to mould us, nurturing our talents and training us to be wholesome citizens. To my family, especially my beloved grandparents and Tita, thank you for giving me the support I need; for being a parent giving advises and moral support. For fulfilling whatever is missing and for being there whenever I am in need. You have been such good role models who I can look up to and follow the footsteps as I grow. At the same time, you are my biggest fans, cheering for me and telling me always: â€Å"You can do it. † To my parents, who inspired me in different ways and gave me the appetite to pursue and give my best in everything in terms of studies, thank you for guiding me and correcting me whenever I go astray and made mistakes. Thank you for being so patient and forgiving for all the times I have my shortcomings. Though we have hard times, always remember that I love you and no matter what, even years may pass, even the world turns upside-down, you would always be my parents who will always have a big space in my heart. To all our adorable teachers present here, thank you for not only teaching, but forming us to become better persons and giving us lessons in life as ‘baon’ we can use in college. Mind you, the â€Å"baon† are lessons, and not 50 Million pesos. Though we had hard times, you, our teachers, have been contributors of whatever knowledge and convictions we uphold today. Thank you for investing and believing in us. To my mentor, Ms. Jayla Dela Cruz, thank you for improving my skills in singing and Ms. Ma. Aurene Castillejos, thank you for sharing with us the fun while we were in your care. And last but not the least, to our dearest advisers, who had been mothers and friends to all of us, thank you for molding us to persons who are ready for college. To my friends, a big thanks to all of you. You have played a very big part in my life. Without any blood relations, you have been a family to me. First buds, Cyra and Maegan, Sisters-like Marygel, Clarissa, Nicole and Rizza, guide-givers Donna and Yayin, partner in crime and in food trip Von, friend who had been an asylum, Paul Joseph, and to those I haven’t mentioned, you know who you are. You have been there during the comedy and drama of my life. You were the ones who joined me whenever I go talkative, silly, dramatic, or funny. Thank you for accepting me for who I am and teaching me to accept things and be thankful for whatever I have. To be contented but still, continue and strive hard to reach for something better. My fellow graduates, thank you for sharing a part of your high school life with me in different ways. Each one of you is special and unforgettable to me. Each one has a story that I can remember and treasure even as I go on. All of you and what we had is already tattoed in my heart leaving a permanent mark. To all whom I may have offended unconsciously, my sincere apologies. Four years ago, I was also standing on stage and giving a speech. A valedictorian, embracing the moment where the spotlight and the people are all focused on me. Today, I stand here as a Salutatorian, still enjoying the moment of recognition, even with a different standing. Though I have not attained the highest honor this time, I carry with me the greatest awards I have besides the tangible medal or certificates. These are the friends I have made, the lessons I have learned and the memories I have collected. I realized that success is not all about the medals or the certificates given to you. But it is also the honour and fulfilment you have as a person. I realized that life is not all about competitions. True, life is a jungle as what all grown ups have said. There are some things or circumstances which are deceiving and these may try to pull you down, but what’s important is we have been equipped to stand strong and firm and stick for what we think is right and just. As we can all see, we are living in a community full of lies and corruption. From the interviews of some government officials on TV, the platforms made by candidates for election, the justice system in our country, the way the news is delivered by the media, up to the simple lies one tells you that can make you believe and be swerved from the truth. But, do we let this system sway us too? May we not get influenced by the negative things around us. May the values that ADT has given us be etched in our mind and may we have ourselves all gathered up to stand up and fight for what we think is right. Some of the best things that ADT has given me are the people I met along the way and the unforgettable experiences. Experiences that have brought me to what I am and have at this moment. Whether these experiences have been good or bad, I do not regret any of them because they all touched my heart and my mind. I have learned well and will bring these along with me as I go on with life. I have come to the conclusion that there would always be things that might bring us down, but we have to stand up and pursue our lives with all the courage and faith we have garnered and earned from the people around us. Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for being here tonight and for being so kind listening all throughout. As for my fellow graduates, I wish you all the best of luck in your lives and I hope you always live in righteousness and always remember the honor of being truthful. Onwards ADT graduates! May our learnings and experiences guide us in the next step of our journey. Good evening to all, Thank You and God Bless! Salutatory Address SALUTATORY ADDRESS Kristine Ann Villanueva To our outstanding guest-speaker, Dr. Florentina R. Lizano, firm yet caring director Mr. Antonio Punzalan, ever-calm and patient directress Mrs. Angelita Punzalan, dynamic principal Mrs. Joy Mercado, kind and warm faculty and staff, ever-supportive parents, gratified fellow graduates, Good Evening! A Chinese Proverb goes : To get through the hardest journey, we need to take only one step at a time, but we must keep on stepping. First and foremost, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who was very helpful along this step in my journey, this step called high school life. I would like to thank ADT Montessori School, my parents, relatives, and friends, you are the reason why I am here tonight, standing in front of you with much honour and humility. I am grateful for this moment. Second, may I share with you this step in my journey, high school life. As the only girl and the eldest in the family and a stereotyped achiever since childhood, there were a lot of expectations from me. Being the eldest isn’t that easy. You have no ‘ate’ or ‘kuya’ to rely on and you have to handle a lot of pressure at times in school and at home. I always thought an eldest needed to be very careful with her words and actions as people expect you to be flawless. You have to perform well in all the activities given, always give your best and be competitive because that is what’s expected. I thought I was born to comply with what everyone wanted. In short, I have to please everyone almost at all times. And because of that, I have come to believe that I can stand all by myself and live only for the awards. So I missed out the chance to enjoy life with the people around me; to experience a life other than academics and competitions. It did get kind of tiring to spend life doing those things. But when I stepped at ADT, I found the better meaning of achievement and learned the greater value of those around me. It was in the month of June 2008 that I first set foot upon this school. I was that girl still stuck with that belief and desire to just ace everything. I had a hard time dealing with others because of that. But as I spent my days being a student here, I slowly transformed. I slowly became a stronger person; open with the values that life and the people around was imparting to me. A girl ready to face another step in her journey. Who would have known that the days would go by so fast? The next thing I knew I am already in fourth year. I can still remember the days that we had a hard time adjusting to the new system. I can never forget the days too when all of us would have to rush for the deadline of our projects and do all the things we never expected we could do. We have learned to multi-task and do it in short periods of time with much effort and grace. Here I have learned to have grace even under pressure. There had been moments that tested my strength and almost made me want to drop to my knees and quit; times that I just wanted to throw my hands up in the air and say â€Å"I give up†, because I thought the problems would never be solved. But I was wrong; there were people around me I hadn’t expected to help who picked me up whenever I fell. I have realized the value of friendship, as we shared all the happiness and pain through the things that we went thru. This year had all taught me that things don’t always happen the way we want them to. The times that I lost or didn’t reach the top when I knew I really gave my best shot to win but still failed. The time when I hadn’t passed at the school I was dreaming of. If we really want to, we really need to make a way and give more: 99% perspiration and 1 % inspiration as what Albert Einstein has said. Fourth year high school was the greatest part of my high school life. Not only because of the relationships built but also the changes it has brought me. I was made to realize that I cannot have everything and win every time. It had reminded me that I still have to go through failures and downfalls, be hurt and learn with each pain I experience. What is a life full of happiness given right away, anyway? We are given challenges for us to do better and see the bright side despite problems; to find happiness despite tears and to never quit instead continue and never give up. Take the next step. So much has happened throughout this year. It was just like yesterday when we’d laugh at all the jokes thrown, play all the games we wanted and make crazy experiences to remember. It was just like yesterday when we all needed to cram for our projects and review at the same time for our finals. It was just like yesterday when we were just all together through thick and thin. Now here we are, dressed in our school uniform that we had learned to love, topped with the toga signifying our graduation—the end of our high school days. We just took that step. Batch mates, ito na! It’s the finish line of our highschool days; the starting line of our college life. We will be making decisions that may or may not lead us to the fulfillment of the unforgettable class prophecy. Graduation day has finally come; the day we had all been waiting for all these years. After this night, everything might change; everything may not seem the way they used to be. We’ll be moving on to the next chapter of our journeys. Graduation brings mixed feelings. We are happy our hardships will be recognized and awarded with a diploma or medals. We are happy because finally, we are off to the next level. But at the same time, we are sad. We are sad for the fact that we are going to say goodbye to the people we have learned to love; to the people who have once made us happy and feel invincible; to the people we should be thankful for. To my Alma Mater, thank you for being the medium of my transformation. Thank you for providing excellent teachers to mould us, nurturing our talents and training us to be wholesome citizens. To my family, especially my beloved grandparents and Tita, thank you for giving me the support I need; for being a parent giving advises and moral support. For fulfilling whatever is missing and for being there whenever I am in need. You have been such good role models who I can look up to and follow the footsteps as I grow. At the same time, you are my biggest fans, cheering for me and telling me always: â€Å"You can do it. † To my parents, who inspired me in different ways and gave me the appetite to pursue and give my best in everything in terms of studies, thank you for guiding me and correcting me whenever I go astray and made mistakes. Thank you for being so patient and forgiving for all the times I have my shortcomings. Though we have hard times, always remember that I love you and no matter what, even years may pass, even the world turns upside-down, you would always be my parents who will always have a big space in my heart. To all our adorable teachers present here, thank you for not only teaching, but forming us to become better persons and giving us lessons in life as ‘baon’ we can use in college. Mind you, the â€Å"baon† are lessons, and not 50 Million pesos. Though we had hard times, you, our teachers, have been contributors of whatever knowledge and convictions we uphold today. Thank you for investing and believing in us. To my mentor, Ms. Jayla Dela Cruz, thank you for improving my skills in singing and Ms. Ma. Aurene Castillejos, thank you for sharing with us the fun while we were in your care. And last but not the least, to our dearest advisers, who had been mothers and friends to all of us, thank you for molding us to persons who are ready for college. To my friends, a big thanks to all of you. You have played a very big part in my life. Without any blood relations, you have been a family to me. First buds, Cyra and Maegan, Sisters-like Marygel, Clarissa, Nicole and Rizza, guide-givers Donna and Yayin, partner in crime and in food trip Von, friend who had been an asylum, Paul Joseph, and to those I haven’t mentioned, you know who you are. You have been there during the comedy and drama of my life. You were the ones who joined me whenever I go talkative, silly, dramatic, or funny. Thank you for accepting me for who I am and teaching me to accept things and be thankful for whatever I have. To be contented but still, continue and strive hard to reach for something better. My fellow graduates, thank you for sharing a part of your high school life with me in different ways. Each one of you is special and unforgettable to me. Each one has a story that I can remember and treasure even as I go on. All of you and what we had is already tattoed in my heart leaving a permanent mark. To all whom I may have offended unconsciously, my sincere apologies. Four years ago, I was also standing on stage and giving a speech. A valedictorian, embracing the moment where the spotlight and the people are all focused on me. Today, I stand here as a Salutatorian, still enjoying the moment of recognition, even with a different standing. Though I have not attained the highest honor this time, I carry with me the greatest awards I have besides the tangible medal or certificates. These are the friends I have made, the lessons I have learned and the memories I have collected. I realized that success is not all about the medals or the certificates given to you. But it is also the honour and fulfilment you have as a person. I realized that life is not all about competitions. True, life is a jungle as what all grown ups have said. There are some things or circumstances which are deceiving and these may try to pull you down, but what’s important is we have been equipped to stand strong and firm and stick for what we think is right and just. As we can all see, we are living in a community full of lies and corruption. From the interviews of some government officials on TV, the platforms made by candidates for election, the justice system in our country, the way the news is delivered by the media, up to the simple lies one tells you that can make you believe and be swerved from the truth. But, do we let this system sway us too? May we not get influenced by the negative things around us. May the values that ADT has given us be etched in our mind and may we have ourselves all gathered up to stand up and fight for what we think is right. Some of the best things that ADT has given me are the people I met along the way and the unforgettable experiences. Experiences that have brought me to what I am and have at this moment. Whether these experiences have been good or bad, I do not regret any of them because they all touched my heart and my mind. I have learned well and will bring these along with me as I go on with life. I have come to the conclusion that there would always be things that might bring us down, but we have to stand up and pursue our lives with all the courage and faith we have garnered and earned from the people around us. Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for being here tonight and for being so kind listening all throughout. As for my fellow graduates, I wish you all the best of luck in your lives and I hope you always live in righteousness and always remember the honor of being truthful. Onwards ADT graduates! May our learnings and experiences guide us in the next step of our journey. Good evening to all, Thank You and God Bless!