For weeks, rain has been coming down hard all over the city and province of Iloilo, but on July 20, 2023, UP Visayas’ 44th Commencement Exercises was graced with sunny weather. As the graduates lined up for the processional, along with the faculty members and officials of UP Visayas and the University of the Philippines system, you can feel the palpable energy and excitement in the air.
This year’s commencement speaker is Dr. Dina Joana Ocampo, a Professor at the University of the Philippines College of Education where she teaches courses on literacy development, difficulties, and research. She delivered a prolific speech that highlighted various values that define what a UP graduate ought to be.
“The core values which our University has taught us are honor, excellence, equity, inclusion, relevance, authenticity, and resilience. Every UP student’s inner voice always speaks to achieve social justice for all,” Dr. Ocampo pointed out.
She pointed out that this inner voice should guide UP alumni throughout your life. “Our role in society as UP graduates is to be beacons of light that will attract everyone else’s light so we can collectively progress towards agility, peace, and justice. All people, including those despicable trolls, deserve to be safe and happy; to have enough to live a life of integrity; to be empowered enough to fight against falsehoods and manipulation, and to be free from corrupt politics that undermine our dignity and freedom,” she emphasized.
Ocampo is an alumna of the College of Education, University of the Philippines, Diliman, who graduated cum laude with the degree in Bachelor in Elementary Education (Special Education). She completed her Master’s in Education (Reading Education) also at UP Diliman and received the Most Outstanding Student Research for Master’s Level Award. She earned her Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology from the Department of Psychology, School of Human Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom.
In her message, Ocampo also emphasized the importance of empathy – the ability to sense or imagine other people’s thoughts or emotions. She further shared that there is cognitive empathy, affective empathy, and compassionate empathy. She defined cognitive empathy as being able to intellectually grasp another person’s perspective and emotions.
“I think, UP develops our cognitive empathy to the fullest. We have all been pounded, and chiseled into identifying, discussing, arguing for and against different points of view in our various fields of study,” she pointed out.
She said that affective empathy is known to most people and it does not need to be about social issues or emotional turmoil all the time. “The capacity to feel the joy of another is an even more beautiful experience,” she added.
Ocampo said that compassionate sympathy is an emerging category. This is having genuine concern for someone’s suffering accompanied by a desire to help ease that suffering.
She said this is manifested from simple acts of kindness such as feeding campus cats or spending a few minutes talking to children roaming the streets, organizing river clean ups, volunteering for medical missions, or teaching in rural schools.
“When you participate in activities such as these your passion turns into compassion. It is easier to volunteer time and talent when your passion is purposefully channeled. Therefore, seek those who are driven by similar dreams and purposes so together you can create the changes you want to see. At the same time, you will find yourself evolving into a better version of you,” she explained.
Towards the end of her message, Ocampo also stressed the importance of striking a balance between taking care of others and taking care of one’s self such as: eat when you are hungry, rest when you are tired, find something interesting to do when you are bored and sleep when you need to.
“I honestly did not remember what the commencement speaker said during my graduation and you will probably not remember everything that I have said. But let me just give you one thought to take away from my speech this morning. I request you use your UP capabilities to make better, the lives of all Filipinos,” she concluded.
UPV granted various degrees to 744 graduates at the end of Academic Year 2022-2023. There were 381 who graduated with honors, with 3 summa cum laude, 98, magna cum laude and 280 cum laude.
No less than UP President Angelo A. Jimenez led the UP system officials in attending the ceremony. Also present were UP Board of Regents Hon. Gladys SJ Tiongco, Hon. Carl Marc l. Ramota (Faculty Regent), Hon. Siegfred R. Severino (Student Regent), and Hon. Robert Lester F. Aranton (Alumni Regent & President, UP Alumni Association).
Other UP System officials who were present were: Leo D.P. Cubillan, Vice President for Academic Affairs; Abraham Rey M. Acosta, Vice President for Legal Affairs; Jose Wendell P. Capili, Vice President for Public Affairs; Nestor G. Yunque, Vice President for Administration; Iryn Y. Balmores, Vice President for Planning and Finance; Roberto M.J. Lara, Secretary of the University; Elena E. Pernia, Adviser for Public Affairs; and Ma. Shari Niña G. Oliquino, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs.
