*Speech of Ana Kristina Macasaet Arce *
Deaf Magna Cum Laude, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde
Delivered October 17, 2009
Interpreted by: Nicky Templo-Perez
Brother President Victor Franco FSC, Vice Chancellors, Assistant Vice Chancellors, Deans, Administrators, Faculty, Parents, Sign Language Interpreters, Guests, fellow graduates, and the Benildean Community, Good Morning.
Let me begin my speech with this passage from the Holy Scriptures, found in Jeremiah 18, and I quote …”And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it”. In pottery, the potter places a mold of clay on a table and the potter turns it around carefully. Using his hands, the potter will repeat the process several times until he gets the perfect shape. As hands are important to a potter, hands are also important to us, Deaf
persons. Our main source of communication is through the use of our hands, we talk and express ourselves through them. And just like the potter whose hands make the perfect creation, we also hope to get the best if not the perfect performance for ourselves using our hands. With our hands, we can go places, change lives and make a difference.
I was born Deaf, and when my parents discovered this, like most hearing parents of Deaf children, they felt that the only way for me to survive was if I learned to speak and so they enrolled me in different oral schools where I had to wear hearing aids and learn how to lip read. I was enrolled in four different oral schools and we tried to find something workable that would fit. I tried my best in these schools but still it wasn’t easy for me to adjust. And then my parents thought of trying it out in a school for the Deaf and they enrolled me at the Philippine School for the Deaf where sign language is used as the medium of communication. I quickly adjusted and started doing well in my academics, and received several awards in grade school and I was also the class valedictorian of my batch. I was also an achiever all throughout high school and even if I transferred to a Deaf private school during my senior year I still managed to finish with academic honors.
And then came College, during my first year I was enrolled in another college where Deaf and hearing college students were together in class. I found the experience to be more saddening than exciting. I often cried because my hearing classmates would exclude me in meetings and group projects, maybe because they thought I will not be able to understand them and communicate with them. I struggled to adjust and tried to show my hearing peers what I can do but they never gave me a chance to prove myself to them. Do you want to feel useless? I’m sure you don’t and neither do I or any other Deaf person for that matter. I tried to think that maybe my classmates were doing this because they have big hearts and are trying to understand me and make things easier for me, but I ended up frustrated and I
was the one left trying to understand them. Before the end of the first semester, I had set my mind to move to another school, this time, one that offers a program for Deaf students.
And so it was through the efforts of my mother that we found DLS-CSB’s School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies. At DLS-CSB, SDEAS especially, not only did I find an academic institution, but I also found an environment where teachers and other members of the community welcomed us. I felt loved and cared for, and I felt that the school was like a family. I learned that I am a Deaf person; the word, Deaf, being spelled with a capital D, which means that I am identified, not merely as a person who cannot hear, but as someone who is part of the Deaf community, partaking in its unique culture and natural sign language. And with that, I believe that one of the best fruits of education is our ability to understand and change people’s attitude about the Deaf and other Persons with Disabilities, and that is what SDEAS’s education has given me. Our Benildean education has developed us Deaf persons into persons of dignity, integrity, and with a deep sense of spirituality, and we are now being given the chance to become productive members of society.
If you go around the different high schools for the Deaf I am sure that all of the students there will say that they all wish to go to college. However, very few schools offer quality education and those that do, are expensive schools, and most of the Deaf cannot afford to pay the high cost of tuition and fees. And aside from that most people, sad to say even some parents of Deaf students, assume that because we are Deaf we cannot succeed in college so better not send us to school. For students like us, going to school is no walk in the park. We often need to rely on kind-hearted teachers and interpreters to understand the lessons. Getting an education is a big challenge for us.
And so I am thankful to DLS-CSB for opening its doors and welcoming the Deaf regardless of our disability. We have learned so much from this school and we can now proudly say that we are complete Deaf persons and we now embody the teachings of Saint Benilde Romançon.
I especially wish to thank Br. Vic for his utmost concern for the Deaf and his big heart by increasing the number of slots for Deaf scholars from 30 to 60 students starting the school year of 2008-2009. My sincere thanks and appreciation to all of you hearing students for your willingness to interact with us and for making us feel that we are not an isolated group and that we can also be active participants in school activities and be a useful bunch of interesting students. That we, the Deaf students, are your peers…your
equals.
At this point, allow me to make an appeal to all the hearing students and guests of this occasion. We may be Deaf persons but we can also do anything you can do, except hear. Communicating with our hands should not make a difference. We live in one country, one world. That means we also long for respect, inclusion in accessibility, and acceptance with dignity. We are not a different breed because of our disability. We also want to live in a society where people will not stare or frown at us or treat us differently. We are also human beings and we are similar regardless of our disability. Please allow us to show you what we can do; please, believe in us too. Let us prove to you that yes, the DEAF CAN. Dear fellow graduates, I hope that when you have established yourselves in the companies you are working for, or if you have successfully put up your own business, please remember the Deaf Benildeans who may need your help in advocating our skills and capabilities, remember us and other Deaf graduates who may have the talents and potentials to be a part of your companies and contribute to its growth.
To all our teachers, you are part of this achievement we are reaping today. You painstakingly taught us all the tools we would need to make us productive individuals and showed us the way towards academic independence. You instilled in us the core values of upright citizens and we will forever treasure our years with you in our hearts. To our parents, thank you for your patience and perseverance, for your selfless understanding of our endless needs, and your unconditional love and care that carried us through our countless years of struggle to get the degree that we received today. My utmost gratitude go to my own parents, Ramon and Vilma Arce, who loved, cared, and gave me all the support that enables me to stand before all of you today. We, the Deaf students, also wish to offer our sincerest thanks to all our interpreters with generous hearts, who are willing to serve the Deaf in assisting us in our communication needs.
I would like to enjoin my fellow graduates, especially my hearing batchmates, to always keep the Benildean Core Values in our hearts. Guided by these values, we can definitely scale to great heights. Let us never forget the people who made our presence here possible. Let us always remember the values of sharing and selflessness so that when we look back, we can proudly say that we lived a meaningful life and we made a difference in the lives of other people.
Graduation is not the end. It’s only the beginning of another journey towards a higher level of learning. Don’t be afraid to dream, for it can be the first step to achieving our goals. Always remember that with patience and hard work, success will be within our reach. The biggest challenge for all of us is to overcome our fears and uncertainty.
For those of you who still have doubts about your potentials, let me and my Deaf batchmates be the living testament of what we can all become despite our limitations. In previous years, only a handful of Deaf students would graduate every year. Today, 25 of my Deaf batchmates received our diploma, the biggest number so far, and this is a testament of our four years of struggle to attain our academic degree. I am probably the first Deaf Filipino Magna Cum Laude graduate, and I am not saying this to brag about my achievement. I am humbly sharing this with you to thank God, my potter, for molding me, His clay, into a wonderful human being. I believe we can reach our maximum potentials no matter what challenges we face in life, because God is our potter and we are his clay.
To all my fellow graduates, Congratulations and Good Luck! Remember to always be Proud To Be Benildeans and to always live Jesus in our hearts.
I found this wonderful site and use it to teach my kids, Luke Simon Wilhelm (3 yrs. old) and James Francis Wade (2 yrs. old) how to read. This is a good beginning reading learning resource!
Note: I am not in any way affiliated with the site but I highly recommend it for your kids and students.
Are you a student looking for the right OJT (On the Job Training)?
Are you a fresh graduate looking for a job that really matches your knowledge and skills even if you still lack experience?
It’s nice to know that a group of students created a website OJTCareers.com which would bridge the gap between the students and employers and ultimately show them that students are already competent enough for a real job. It is basically a free website that allows students to find available OJT jobs online.
As written on the website: “OJT Careers highlights the abilities and competence of the fresh graduates and the interns that's why they are prioritized in the development of the site. People in OJT Careers believe that even the fresh graduates and interns should be able to prove themselves of what they can do, so you can be sure that when you apply through OJT Careers, your application will not be buried and forgotten as what happens when fresh graduates compete with those who have more experience.”
I have written more about OJT Careers in my other blog called SiRVis. Find out why I decided to partner them up here in Blackboard. By the way, Blackboard has a Google PageRank of 4. It used to have a Rank of 5 but I’ve been inactive for a while. Now I’m back, I’m hoping to increase my ranking again!
1.The scientific discipline that deals with the processes or functions of living things is
A)physiology.
B)anatomic imaging.
C)regional anatomy.
D)surface anatomy.
E)systemic anatomy.
2.Given these structures:
1) cell
2) organ
3) chemical
4) organ system
5) organism
6) tissue
Arrange the structures in the correct order from smallest to largest:
A)3,1,6,2,4,5
B)1,2,3,4,5,6
C)2,3,1,6,4,5
D)4,5,3,1,6,2
E)4,3,1,6,2,5
3.The basic structural and functional units of an organism, such as plant or animal, is the
A)organ.
B)cell.
C)organelle.
D)organ system.
E)tissue.
4.Homeostasis is the condition produced by
A)a resistance to change of any kind.
B)the tendency for change in a body parameter to be counteracted as soon as the body parameter goes past its normal range of values.
C)the tendency for continued change in the same direction regardless of current values of any body parameter.
D)the presence of pathogens.
E)all of the conditions listed here.
5.Which of these is an example of a positive-feedback mechanism?
A)An increase in blood pressure activates mechanisms that decrease blood pressure.
B)Increased amounts of a hormone in the blood cause a decrease in the secretion of that hormone.
C)Increased carbon dioxide in the blood increases breathing rate, which decreases carbon dioxide in the blood.
D)Increased amounts of fluid in the blood result in increased quantities of urine, which decreases fluid content of the blood.
E)Increased stretch of the uterus causes it to contract, which further increases stretch.
6.Which of the sections below separates the body into superior and inferior parts?
A)frontal section
B)sagittal section
C)longitudinal section
D)transverse section
E)oblique section
7.In which quadrant of the abdomen would the pain of acute appendicitis be felt?
A)left lower quadrant
B)right lower quadrant
C)left upper quadrant
D)right upper quadrant
8.A bullet enters the left side of a man, passes completely through the left lung and lodges in the heart.Given these membranes:
1) parietal pericardium
2) parietal pleura
3) visceral pericardium
4) visceral pleura
List the correct order in which the membranes would be pierced by the bullet.
A)2,4,4,2,1,3
B)4,2,2,4,3,1
C)1,2,2,1,3,4
D)1,3,3,1,2,4
E)2,4,1,3,4,2
9.According to the six criteria given as characteristics of life (organization, metabolism, responsiveness, growth, development, and reproduction), is a virus such as HIV “alive”?
A)Yes, it has all 6 characteristics.
B)No, it has none of the 6 characteristics.
C)Unknown, it has one characteristic (when not including its host’s ‘machinery’) but does not have the rest.
10.Which of the following is not a type of tissue?
An alternative education initiative of volunteer professionals that presents Philippine culture and history, volunteerism, and sustainable development in the language of today’s Filipino.
An information and experience campaign that hopes to spread awareness and interest in all things Filipino: literature, art, travel, environment, people and sites.
A youth-led movement that encourages and promotes domestic tourism and budget travel as means for Filipinos to experience and learn about culture, people, and places.
A group of professionals, teachers, travelers, artists, writers, and bums who have banded together by a common love: the Philippines and nation-building.
A people-linking project that hopes to have people of common interests to link together, and people from various backgrounds and stature to meet and learn from each other.
So the question is not WHY? But WHY NOT? Visit their website for more details.
The University of Pangasinan lauds the excellent performance of its College of Law graduates in the September 2006 Bar Exam. 17 of its graduates and five others who reviewed at its Bar Review Center passed the Bar Exam, which is considered as one of the hardest exams in the country.
Atty. Hermogenes Decano, Dean of UPang’s College of Law and Bar Review Director, said this is the biggest group of bar passers in the university’s history.
The new lawyers are Attys. Michael G. De la Vega of Urbiztondo; Marian Estrella C. Servito of Dagupan City; Ludy A. Palarca of San Fernando, La Union; Michael G. Columbres of San Jacinto; Emma De Luna of Lingayen; Leoncio M. Pausamos of San Fabian; Purisima M. Reyes of Sta. Barbara; Maria Luisa Serafica; Elizabeth C. Tugade, Fidel C. de Vera; Florante C. Natividad; Oscar A. Corpuz, Teodora S. Cerdan; Alta Grace N. Briones, Marc Raymund Biason, Russel A. Barroga and Alona V. Alegria, all UPang graduates.
The five new lawyers who took their bar review classes at the UPang Bar Review Center were Brenda G. Ico and Jonathan R. Lomboy of San Carlos City, Virgen Milagrosa University Foundation; Michael B. Manuel of Binmaley, University of the East; and Edwin C. Siapco of Mangaldan, Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University.
Bar review classes for this year will start on April 23 at the air-conditioned rooms of the University of Pangasinan. The reviewers of the center are composed of prominent justices, judges, deans, authors and veteran bar reviewers from Manila colleges and universities.
As a fitting response to CHED’s thrust on access, the University of Pangasinan pursues the implementation of the Alternative Learning Stream (ALS). The program caters to one of the university’s goals, i.e., “to make available to all learners broader and expanded ACCESS to opportunities to responsive, relevant learning and incomes…”
Even as the university maintains its regular/main stream program, it does not lose sight of the fact that there are still many individuals craving to earn a college degree but are unable to “chase their dream” because of the situation they are thrown into. Most of these are regularly reporting for work; others are self-employed and a few have perhaps given up the idea of attending school because they have matured and find it ridiculous to join the very young minds who are in the regular program. The scenario is not exclusive of Filipinos but is also true to some foreigners. In other words, the ALS Program addresses a significant number of prospective learners in this country and elsewhere. To these people who are desirous to “drink from the proverbial cup of knowledge”, the Alternative Learning Stream Program of the University of Pangasinan is being made available. The ALS likewise caters to learners in the regular program who may wish to finish a degree within a shorter period.
The ALS Components
Under the Alternative Learning Stream are four program components, namely: the Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program (ETEEAP), the Equivalent Credits for Professional Learning Experiences (EC-PLEX) Program, the Technology-Based Education Program (TBEP), and the Competent Performance Recognition
(CPR) Program.
The ETEEAP. The ETEEAP, created by Executive Order 330 is an educational assessment scheme which recognizes the knowledge, skills, and prior learning obtained by individuals from non-formal and formal education experiences by establishing equivalency competence standards and a comprehensive assessment system employing written test, skills demonstrations, and other competency-based evaluation. At present, the ETEEAP offered by the university caters to a few undergraduate courses only such as Liberal Arts, Nursing, Midwifery, Civil Engineering, Commerce, and Education.
The EC-PLEX. This program offers an alternate route to experienced and mature individuals toward their formal higher education qualifications (university degrees) through awarding academic credits for professional learning experiences from work, community including volunteer experiences and other informal and non-formal learning. Awarded credits enable the individual to be exempted from subjects within the course he/she is enrolled in.
The TBEP. This is a modification of the EC-PLEX Program, which allows students to enroll and get instruction through the Internet. Just like in the EC-PLEX, however, TBEP enrollees are required to appear in the university at certain scheduled dates for assessment/enhancement purposes.
The CPR. This is a program-based mobility and/or progression mechanism that allows both admitted and/or enrolled university students across year levels to obtain exemptions from subjects, or from course work equivalent to at least one (1) semester within the program they seek to obtain a university degree. Exemptions are obtained and subsequently, credits are awarded, after each student completes and successfully passes a competency-based assessment of claimed learning outcomes in the subject or group of subjects listed in his/her program of study. Through the CPR the student gains advanced standing on his/her respective degree program.
ALS Application Requirements
ALS applicants/enrollees (except CPR applicants) are to submit the following application requirements to the Director for Alternative Learning Stream:
1. Birth Certificate
2. High School Diploma
3. Official Transcript of Records for College Work
4. Marriage Contract (if female)
5. Employment Record (if any)
6. Performance Evaluation Report
7. Proof of
a. Awards received
b. Professional organization membership
c. Voluntarism, Consultancy, Extension Service
d. Continuing Professional Education
8. Endorsement from applicant’s immediate superior (if employed) or Certification of Competency from an authorized agency
9. A properly accomplished and notarized ALS Application Form.
When most people hear the term cardiovascular system, they immediately think of the heart. We have all felt our own heart "pound" from time to time, and we tend to get a bit nervous when this happens. The crucial importance of the heart has been recognized for a long time. However, the cardiovascular system is much more than just the heart, and from a scientific and medical standpoint, it is important to understand why this system is so vital to life.
Most simply stated, the major function of the cardiovascular system is transportation. Using blood as the transport vehicle, the system carries oxygen, nutrients, cell wastes, hormones, and many other substances vital for body homeostasis to and from the cells. The force to move the blood around the body is provided by the beating heart. The cardiovascular system can be compared to a muscular pump equipped with one-way valves and a system of large and small plumbing tubes within which the blood travels. Blood (the substance transported) is discussed in Chapter 10. Here we will consider the heart (the pump) and the blood vessels (the network of tubes). Objective Checklist
Cardiovascular System: The Heart
Describe the location of the heart in the body and identify its major anatomical areas on an appropriate model or diagram.
Trace the pathway of blood through the heart.
Compare the pulmonary and systemic circuits.
Explain the operation of the heart valves.
Name the functional blood supply of the heart.
Name the elements of the intrinsic conduction system of the heart and describe the pathway of impulses through this system.
Define systole, diastole, stroke volume, and cardiac cycle.
Define heart sounds and murmur.
Explain what information can be gained from an electrocardiogram.
Describe the effect of the following on heart rate: stimulation by the vagus nerve, exercise, epinephrine, and various ions.
Cardiovascular System: Blood Vessels
Compare and contrast the structure and function of arteries, veins, and capillaries.
Identify the body's major arteries and veins and name the body region supplied by each.
Discuss the unique features of special circulations of the body: arterial circulation of the brain, hepatic portal circulation, and fetal circulation.
Define blood pressure and pulse and name several pulse points.
List factors affecting and/or determining blood pressure.
Define hypertension and atherosclerosis and describe possible health consequences of these conditions.
Describe the exchanges that occur across capillary walls.
Developmental Aspects of the Cardiovascular System
Describe briefly the development of the cardiovascular system.
Name the fetal vascular modifications, or "fetal shunts," and describe their function before birth.
Explain how regular exercise and a diet low in fats and cholesterol may help maintain cardiovascular health.
Blood is the "river of life" that surges within us. It transports everything that must be carried from one place to another within the body-nutrients, wastes (headed for elimination from the body), and body heat-through blood vessels. For centuries, long before modern medicine, people recognized that blood was vital (some believed "magical"), and its loss was always considered to be a possible cause of death. In this chapter, we consider the composition and function of this life-sustaining fluid. The means by which it is propelled throughout the body is discussed in Chapter 11. Objective Checklist
Composition and Functions of Blood
Indicate the composition and volume of whole blood.
Describe the composition of plasma and discuss its importance in the body.
List the cell types making up the formed elements and describe the major functions of each type.
Define anemia, polycythemia, leucopenia, and leukocytosis, and list possible causes for each condition.
Explain the role of the hemocytoblast.
Hemostasis
Describe the blood-clotting process.
Name some factors that may inhibit or enhance the blood-clotting process.
Blood Groups and Transfusions
Describe the ABO and Rh blood groups.
Explain the basis for a transfusion reaction.
Developmental Aspects of Blood
Explain the basis of physiologic jaundice seen in some newborn babies.
Indicate blood disorders that increase in frequency in the aged.
When insulin molecules, carried passively along in the blood, leave the blood and bind tightly to protein receptors of nearby cells, the response is dramatic: Bloodborne glucose molecules begin to disappear into the cells, and cellular activity accelerates. Such is the power of the second great controlling system of the body, the endocrine system. Along with the nervous system, it coordinates and directs the activity of the body's cells. However, the speed of control in these two great regulating systems is very different. The nervous system is "built for speed." It uses nerve impulses to prod the muscles and glands into immediate action so that rapid adjustments can be made in response to changes occurring both inside and outside the body. On the other hand, the more slowly acting endocrine system uses chemical messengers called hormones, which are released into the blood to be transported leisurely throughout the body.
Although hormones have widespread and varied effects, the major processes controlled by hormones are reproduction; growth and development; mobilizing body defenses against stressors; maintaining electrolyte, water, and nutrient balance of the blood; and regulating cellular metabolism and energy balance. As you can see, the endocrine system regulates processes that go on for relatively long periods and, in some cases, continuously. Objective Checklist
The Endocrine System and Hormone Function: An Overview
Define hormone and target organ.
Describe how hormones bring about their effects in the body.
Explain how various endocrine glands are stimulated to release their hormonal products.
Define negative feedback and describe its role in regulating blood levels of the various hormones.
The Major Endocrine Organs
Describe the difference between endocrine and exocrine glands.
On an appropriate diagram, identify the major endocrine glands and tissues.
List hormones produced by the endocrine glands and discuss their general functions.
Discuss ways in which hormones promote body homeostasis by giving examples of hormonal actions.
Describe the functional relationship between the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland.
Describe major pathological consequences of hypersecretion and hyposecretion of the hormones considered in this chapter.
Other Hormone-Producing Tissues and Organs
Indicate the endocrine role of the kidneys, the stomach and intestine, the heart, and the placenta.
Developmental Aspects of the Endocrine System
Describe the effect of aging on the endocrine system and body homeostasis.
