A Salute to the Trailblazers: Honoring the legacy of the graduating student leaders of 2023

This ceremonial toast speech was originally delivered in Flourish & Thrive: An Ode to Brighter Days Ahead, a dinner hosted by the Office of Student Activities in honor of the graduating student leaders of 2023 last May 20th, 2023.

Entering the school year, I'm sure a lot of us were anxious about what org life this year would look like. Who wouldn't be? During the two years online, we experienced lower member engagement, the prevalence of burnout, the rise and appeal of internships, and one we all hated: org ghosters, just to name a few. It also didn't help that most, if not all of us, only had a semester and a half of onsite org experience — and now we have been tasked to lead our orgs into the new normal.

This has been no small feat. We had to be resilient and light-footed. We had to deal with the dreaded CAR Form, the limited capacity of venues for onsite events, a longer trek to the CFMO office, the absence of off-campus activities, and much, much more. But here we are today, celebrating the successes of the year that has been. Of course, none of this would have been possible without the support and guidance of the entire OSA Fam. Taos pusong salamat sa inyong lahat. Kayo ang aming naging katuwang sa lakbay na ito.

Most importantly, we couldn't have made it through the year without each and everyone of you. To my fellow student leaders, you have been the lifeline of your respective organizations. I hope that you can all be proud of everything that you have accomplished. We flourished, and we thrived. So look to your left, to your right, and to those behind you, and tell them, "You did it! Makareretire ka na rin."

And to that, we toast. To the Student Leaders of 2023, for setting and embracing the new normal. Cheers!