DREAMING BIG. Class valedictorian Delfin Villafuerte says that he desires to serve the country in his own way. Photo taken from his Facebook page.
THE ATENEO has named Delfin Stephen D. Villafuerte as the valedictorian of the class of 2013. The memo announcing the selection came from Vice President for the Loyola Schools John Paul Vergara on March 7.
Graduating cum laude this March, Villafuerte double majored in management engineering and economics (honors).
Villafuerte was also the outgoing president of the Management Engineering Association (MEA), his home organization.
“The first thing I felt when I found out [about the announcement] was a very, very deep sense of gratitude—I was really thankful for everyone who believed and supported me, my friends, family, my professors, mentors and God,” he said in an online interview.
He added that he felt a sense of responsibility to live up to the expectations of a valedictorian and to “make [Ateneo] proud.”
An alumnus of La Salle Greenhills, where he also graduated top of his batch, Villafuerte explained that his education in La Salle and Ateneo are “quite similar, especially in the core values of both institutions.”
He said that this was the reason for his seamless adjustment to Ateneo culture.
Villafuerte has recently signed a contract with a non-governmental organization that he will join after graduation, but he refused to disclose further details.
“Atenista na takot”
“Nais kong maalala bilang isang Atenista na takot. (I want to be remembered as an Atenean who is fearful.),” said Villafuerte, who is the outgoing president of the Management Engineering Association.
“Isang Atenista na natatakot para sa kinabukasan ng ating bansa, natatakot para sa kinabukasan ng kabataan, natatakot sa laki ng aking mga pangarap, at natatakot sa Diyos. (An Atenean who is fearful for the future of the country and the youth, fearful of my own ambitions, and fearful of God.)”
Villafuerte said that this feeling would push him to love and to devote his efforts for the benefit of his schoolmates, organizations and the country.
“At sa pagkatakot at pagmamahal na ito, ninais kong mawala—mawala sa serbisyo ng iba, mawala sa pagtuturo sa aking mga magiging estudyante, mawala sa pagtitiwala sa kakayahan ng iba, at mawala sa pagbabasbas ng Diyos. (In this fear and love, I desire to get lost in the service of others, in teaching my future students, in believing in others and in the blessings of God.),” he added.
“Nais kong maalala bilang isang tao na natakot kaya’t nagmahal, at nagmahal kaya’t nawala. (I want to be remembered as a person who feared and therefore loved, and loved and therefore got lost.)”
Active student
Martin Medina, the former president of the Ateneo Consultants for Organization Development and Empowerment (CODE) and a close friend of Villafuerte, admires the valedictorian for his “pursuit of excellence.”
“He has always struck me as someone who always knows what he’s doing and where he’s going. He has a clear vision of where he wants to take himself and where he wants to take the others he leads,” said Medina.
“I do not recall him ever putting up with ‘puwede na yan’ or ‘ito lang kaya natin.’”
In their freshman year, Medina and Villafuerte joined Ateneo CODE, which was known as the Ateneo Student Trainers then.
Aside from being active in MEA, Villafuerte held different posts in CODE throughout his four years in the Ateneo.
Some of the positions he held were external representative and information process manager.
Dreaming for the country
“What I want the Ateneo community to learn from Delfin is that now is a great time to be a Filipino and to dream for our country,” Medina said.
Medina said that people sometimes dream too small for themselves and for the country.
However, he wants the example of Delfin to inspire people to dare otherwise. “What I hope people learn from Delfin is to dream big for ourselves and for our country. Dreams are the start of the actions to actually achieve them.”
Updated 10:03 PM, May 18, 2013.
