The University of Santo Tomas has sent off 7,795 graduating students at its much-anticipated Baccalaureate Mass, one of the most meaningful events celebrated in the university each academic year.

Held at the university’s open field on 31 May, students are embraced by the warmth of their friends, classmates, instructors, and loved ones for surviving the last few years of their academic lives.

The Baccalaureate Mass was a culmination of hard work, sacrifice and tireless perseverance. It was putting an end to all those all-nighters cramming deadlines and studying for exams. It was also a full-circle moment as graduating students joyfully exited the historic Arch of the Centuries after entering the very same arch years ago.

However, there was so much more to celebrate beyond graduating.

This batch welcomed the start of their collegiate life in front of their gadgets. With the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic reaching unprecedented heights, the world was forced into a debilitating lockdown, as classmates and professors were only mere Zoom and Google Meet icons who had to routinely “see each other” online with no assurance but hope that one day, life would give us plenty of chances to see face to face.

All these circumstances and ethical dilemmas posed by the rise of artificial intelligence meant this batch braved the storms in their unique ways, demonstrating unwavering resilience and optimism in the face of adversity.

I believe that most of us braved the storm through the warmth and comfort of the people we love, the support system we have through the years.

As we spent half of our collegiate lives in front of a computer screen upto the next half inside the classroom, everything became much more bearable with the presence of friends and classmates who shared the same burden as I did.

As for me, I braved the storm through writing.

Writing has been a form of solace. Having consistently kept a journal through the years, especially when the pandemic has been cruel, the picking up a pen and letting the ink bleed gracefully on a blank canvas guided and comforted me. One letter, one word and one punctuation mark at a time.

And to have a platform to put all these thoughts and words together was a blessing for a confused girl who has been trying to fight her silent battles and face her inner demons in a realm where everything feels uncertain and overwhelming.

However, as we cap off another chapter in our lives, the daunting feeling of facing the real world is silently creeping in. Maybe there is comfort in ending this chapter with a question mark rather than a period.

As terrifying as it unpredictability sounds, there is much more to look forward to in what lies ahead.

A “period” signifies nothing but an end, but a “question mark” leaves room for so many answers, one that we have to figure out as we leave the four hallowed corners of the university.

So, what happens next?

In the words of UST Acting Rector Fr. Isaias Tiongco, O.P., now is the time to celebrate: “Pandemic batch, today is your day, today is your moment.”