Mila Sprouse 

Commencement Address 2015

51st Collegiate Exercises

Colegio San Agustin-Bacolod

Bacolod City, Philippines

 

President Reverend Father Pederito Aparece, OSA; Very Reverend Father Eusebio Berdon, OSA; Dr. Gereon Cabarles-Vice President for Academic Affairs; Reverend Father Danilo Carido – Vice President for Finance and Administration; Honorable Executive Officers of the Administration; Distinguished Deans and Faculty members; friends, relatives, graduating students, and very proud parents, Good Afternoon!

 

“Sine qua non” – a Latin phrase that means “to which it is not possible."  A phrase that can apply to just about anything in life and it strongly applies to success and the conditions that would lead to success!

 

To me, everything in life is about cause and effect. That is the principle of causality! That is what “sine qua non is all about”! Therefore, success in life is not a given! Success just does not happen!  Success entails work ethic, passion; a belief in one’s self, perseverance, and a “can-do attitude.”

 

While all of these characteristics are so important in being successful, there is one more vital piece that will need to be added to complete this phenomenon! And that is "Your College Degree"! Because no matter what, in a highly competitive world, a college degree will give you the edge, and it will increase your odds of being successful in whatever your chosen career or profession in life is!

 

This afternoon, I would like to share with you my humble perspective on the causality of success! I would like to start by sharing one person’s story of success. We will call this person “The Exception.”

 

Sixty years ago, a baby boy was born and immediately was given up by his biological parents for adoption. He grew up in an American middle-class family environment, his father a carpenter and a mechanic, and his mother, an accountant. Throughout his young adult life, he scrambled for money, and in fact, he would collect coke bottles just to have money. He ate free meals at places that would give him free meals and slept on the floor in his friends' dormitory rooms.

 

Fast-forward to the 70s 80s, 90s, and the 21st century:

 

Through hard work, curiosity, and desire, this individual transformed one industry after another, from computers and smartphones to music and movies. He co-founded one of the most successful digital companies in the world. He became the Chief Executive of Pixar Animation Studios, producing movies such as Toy Story 1, 2 & 3, A Bugs Life, Monsters, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, and many others.

 

He was recognized as a successful American Entrepreneur, a design-driven pioneer of the personal computer revolution, and all the time very charismatic in his zeal. He was credited for bringing the company he co-founded back to life and oversaw the development of the Digital Revolution! No! Not revolution, Revolutions!  THE APPLE COMPUTER REVOLUTIONS!  Namely – the iMac, iTunes, iPods, iPhones, and iPads! You know who this person is! Of course, it is Steve Jobs! A man, who has been referred to as legendary, a futurist, a visionary, a master of innovation, a design perfectionist, and the Father of the Digital Revolution. Steve Jobs and his legacy are the epitomy of success!

 

And yet, with all his accomplishments, Steve Jobs in a commencement address told the 2005 graduating class of Stanford University – one of the Ivy League Schools in the US, and I quote: “ Truth be Told, I Never Graduated from College”.  His success was an amazing accomplishment from someone who never received a college degree! He, however, is the exception!

 

Does that mean that anyone without a college degree cannot be the next Steve Jobs?  No, but practically speaking, yes! Yes, it does! The Steve Jobs of the world do not grow on trees, even Apple Trees! And just a reminder, Steve Jobs's history-making success is accomplished by less than 1% of the population! Yes, a non-degreed person can still be Steve Jobs or can come close, but they have to be in the right place, at the right time, have the right vision, make that opportunity work for them, and know the right people!

 

But what that means is that you have not wasted four or five years of your life inside the four walls of this school. That means that your parents’ hard work to send you to college was not at all for nothing! It is very important to remember that every day that you spent in this school to get to this day is worth everything and will put you closer to success.  I promise you that! Do you know why I know that? That college degree is what brought me back to this school today! And this is where I begin my story!

 

Forty-three years ago, I was riding in a jeepney with my mother, and we were passing by a school, our school. I just graduated from elementary school in Silay City. Yes, I am a Silaynon! The Augustinian students were coming out of our school and I kept looking back at them because I was so captivated by their uniform: white top, red/green/gold checkered skirt, black shoes, and white socks! I then told my mother that I really liked their uniform, and added, that I wanted to attend that school!  She and my father asked me: "Why San Agustin?"  Without any hesitation, I said that it was the uniform and that it would look good on my dark skin!

 

My parents did not have the money, but they said yes to my request. I had two sets of uniforms all four years of high school and took very good care of them and that one pair of black shoes, what we used to call the boy shoes. To this day, I still could not figure out how I made it through a very exclusive school from a financial perspective! We were very poor!  I do know that my mother was very popular in school though, especially in the registrar and the accounting offices. On each day before the final exams, my mother would be in the accounting office to get promissory notes signed so that her daughter could take the final exam. Somehow, she would get them signed and I got to take my exams. I cannot imagine how high that stack of promissory notes that she signed was. In the end, she paid each one of them. I can assure you, that if there were outstanding debts, I would not have been able to graduate and much less, be here speaking in front of you today!

 

My first taste of success at our school was preceded by my first taste of failure! It was when I first walked into the then not so completed “gym”! Yes, our gym! My very first PE class! There was a tryout for volleyball! Let me tell you something! I had never ever been close to a volleyball before that day, much less watching anyone hitting a volleyball ball flawlessly!  I was very fascinated with this particular sport. I then decided to go for a tryout. When tryout day came, I only lasted less than 10 minutes. I could not hit the ball right and sometimes I could not even hit the ball at all. Obviously, I did not make the team. But, that did not stop me from trying out the second year. But what I did in the meantime was practice every day with some of my friends and sometimes by myself, bouncing that volleyball against that one solid wall of our gym! The gym where I practiced and made my volleyball playing days possible was my silent companion whom I would yell at whenever the ball bounced back the wrong way! My arms were bruised and my back hurt, but I continued to practice because I knew that the following year, I would have to be ready for the tryout. When that day came, I made the team and became a significant member of the high school volleyball team that represented San Agustin. I proudly wore that jersey for three years! It was a time that I will always cherish! 

 

By the way, a shout out to my high school class of 1976, who are working together to have a meaningful contribution to the rebuilding of our beloved gym.

 

At that time, volleyball varsity status was not viewed by me as the most important event of my life, at least that is what I thought at the time! Looking back though, that “can-do attitude,” perseverance, and hard work got me to where I wanted to go! I made the volleyball team (The Eagles) and perseverance helped me to graduate from high school!

 

Four years later, right after graduating from high school, I was again in a situation that would make a significant contribution to where life would take me. I chose the College of Nursing Academic Scholarship instead of the Athletic Scholarship to play Varsity College Volleyball for our school. I chose the first one because I thought it was not going to take a lot of work to maintain the scholarship, especially since I ranked # 2 among 700 plus applicants. My goal was to graduate from college and then go to the USA.

 

I have great memories of my college years. I had great friends and great, wonderful classmates and instructors, and some of them are here today. I also had memories of going to the dean’s office. No, it was not because I was on the Dean’s List! It was typically an invitation to the Dean’s Office because I was called in several times, to answer why it was that I did not take school seriously! At least, until the last year and a half of my college years whereby then it was too late! I lost my academic scholarship, and yes, my mother started visiting the accounting office once again!

 

I did stay, but then again I started taking school seriously. My newly adopted attitude is what carried me on to do better. That "almost failure” experience was what drove me to be focused in life. With God’s Grace and my hardworking parents, I was able to graduate with a nursing degree in 1980. I then took my licensure exam and passed it! I also took my CGFNS exam, and passed it! And in 1982, Northwest Airlines Flight # 1030 landed in Los Angeles, California, USA.  And I told myself that day “The Eagle has landed”!

 

Armed with a college degree and a license, I worked hard, probably harder than anyone, in my mind. Every place and hospital that I went to, I told myself that I have to work harder, I have to be better at my job than anyone. I found ways to stand out, whether it was volunteering to be a member or head a committee, taking certification exams, advancing my degree, or volunteering for anything including teaching!  In addition, my dark skin, which stays with me 365 days a year, the one thing that I wanted to change about myself when I was young, became an asset. Americans love the tan/dark look. Ask my husband, Rob! 

 

I practiced and learned how to speak English better than I did when I left school. Over time, my attitude, my hard work, my work ethic, my drive to do better, and my certifications and degrees stood out!  I moved through the ranks with success, from being a staff nurse to a charge nurse. I became a nurse manager of an Intensive Care Unit to a Critical Care Educator. I worked as an assistant to a group of cardiovascular surgeons as well!  I became a consultant for new Open Heart Surgery programs, a paid speaker across the US, and have provided presentations to over 40,000 plus health care professionals across the USA, and became a faculty at one of the most prestigious online universities. And finally, landing a job with one of the best medical device companies not only in the USA but also around the world, where I started as a Clinical Nurse Account Manager, where I received awards for excellence year after year and eventually took the Field Trainer Position for North America, thus allowing me to travel throughout the US and European countries!

 

Ladies and Gentlemen, Graduates, let me tell you something, I would not have been where I was and where I am right now, if not for the college degree that I have obtained from my beloved school, our school Colegio de San Agustin-Bacolod!

 

So, is that what success is? To some, success is defined as such, and some others may define success as the hefty accumulation of wealth! Some may also define it as success when you make a difference! I do believe in making a difference! Those perspectives are acceptable.  But, the reality is, to me, success is measured not so much by the position and the possession of wealth that one has achieved in life! Rather, success is measured by the obstacles that one has overcome!  That is a lasting success! That cannot be taken away by anyone or anything!

 

I have that and other successes in life, as well as failures. But the one that I consider the biggest success of all, and the one that gives me the most happiness, is my immediate family. My husband, Rob, whom I have been married for 31 years. It was not a perfect 31 years, but we have successfully managed to make it!  He has always been there for me! And he is the love of my life! Our daughter, Claire, beautiful, strong, and independent. Unfortunately, she could not be here with us because of a prior commitment! And last but not least, our son, Ben, who flew in from the US yesterday took off from school to be with us today.  He is a hard-working young man and a good-looking one, too. Both of our children turned out to be good people, kind, independent, and sensitive to others' feelings.

 

Having them is my definition of MY GREATEST success!

 

Other successes in my life are my deceased parents and late brother, Alan. They got me to where I am now. They fully believed in my capacity to be better. They believed in me just like your parents and family believe in you!  For my parents, the needed sacrifices were made for their children, especially for their only daughter, to have a degree, no matter what!

 

That sacrifice was the ultimate gift, a tool that I will be forever grateful for!

 

Today is an important chapter of your life. It is not the end, rather it is the beginning. Celebrate today, because this is a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. But before you go out partying tonight and have too much fun, take a moment to thank the people around you. More importantly, thank your parents. They will always be your rock! They have always been the glue that has kept you together. Take time to tell them that you love them and that you appreciate all their sacrifices. Take time to say that it is a privilege to be their son or daughter.

 

Today is especially an awesome day for the parents and for those special relatives and friends. How about a big applause for the parents and relatives for the amazing and wonderful job that they have done!

 

Your parents just like mine, sent you to this school, Colegio de San Agustin-Bacolod because they believe that this school is one of the finest schools in the country!

 

So let us talk about school. To me, I see school as a microcosm of life. And while school is a small part of something larger, the school has such a profound influence on our lives. The school has taught you and me, that what you and I do inside the four walls of our school, is just as important as what we do outside. School has prepared you and me, to be better citizens and stewards of this world. The President Reverend Fr. Pederito Aparece, OSA, the Augustinian Friars, the Executive Leaderships, Deans of respective departments and faculty members, and those before them, have created an environment that fosters education, in its truest sense of the word for 50-plus years.

 

This school for so many years has been committed to fulfilling the mission of the Catholic Church by developing moral and social values and especially,  a love for this country.

 

My fellow Augustinians, Virtue, and Science is the traditional motto of the Augustinians. This motto is what has guided this school to continue to produce so many fine young men and women for many decades. Today is no different!

 

Today, you, the graduating class of 2015, is yet more proof that this school-Colegio de San Agustin Bacolod, has fulfilled once again, its timeless mission. And what an amazing and remarkable vision and mission it is!

 

Honorable President Father Aparece – thank you for your leadership and your continued commitment to excellence!!!

 

Sine qua non! A cause and its effect. A Causality. To which it is not possible.

 

Steve Jobs did not need a college degree to be a success. However, Steve Jobs did not get to the success that he achieved without his attitude, hard work, work ethic, and passion! We have established that not everyone can be Steve Jobs.

 

But what if you have the attitude, hard work, work ethic, and passion plus a college degree? The answer to that is-you still probably will not be Steve Jobs!

 

However, you have a better chance to be like Steve Jobs, even if you only get close or never come close to approaching his accomplishments. But, what is real is that you can become a success all on your own, the way you would define success! The beauty of this great package of you: “college degree, attitude, work ethic, and passion” is that it will position you to be in a better place in life. You will create a mark, a dent in this world, and whatever it is you are equipped to do, will more than likely happen! Why? Because a college degree means that, you not only can see a commitment through but that you cared enough to see it through! That is the attitude that you desperately need for any success!

 

Sine qua non! Without which it is not possible.

 

And how about one more essential ingredient to success - passion?! Passion is what can get you to the goal line and more. I have so much passion for anything that I do, especially teaching! But I also really think that passion is the sum total of attitude, working hard, work ethic, and especially caring!. Be passionate in everything that you do and you will get noticed. I know that from personal experience.

 

Finally, as you go out there in this world of uncertainty, what is certain is that the work that was put together by you, your parents, your friends, and your school, is what is going to put you on the road to success.

 

Sine qua non! To which it is not possible.

 

With a degree, you now have that special tool to obtain success! Your likelihood of success is exponentially higher! But what is essential is for you to use this tool, this college degree smartly, otherwise it all will be for nothing! It will not be possible! But,  because you have already shown great commitment by going through 4 or 5 years of education and thus celebrating that accomplishment here today, I know, I know the graduating class of 2015, is going to use this tool, very well, to be a success and fly very high...like an EAGLE!

 

Congratulations to you all!  And to all of you, God Bless!

 

Thank you very much!

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