BESTOWED WITH the mission to carry out magis, the Class of 2026 celebrated the 167th Higher Education Commencement Ceremonies at the Blue Eagle Gym from June 19 to 21.
Under the theme “Tumitindig at Tumatanaw, Handog ang Puso at Loob para sa Hinaharap,” this year’s Commencement Speaker, Shahidul Alam, PhD, challenged the 2,434 graduates to stand firm with the truth even in the face of fear.
Throughout the celebration, students, faculty, and administrators also took the time to honor the lives of Ateneo Men’s Basketball Team student-athletes Chukwuemeka Divine Adili and Rene Clert Baterbonia, commemorating their lives and expressing their solidarity with the players’ families.
In particular, the Ateneo Seniors’ Alliance distributed black wristbands as a symbol of their call for justice and accountability for the two student-athletes.
Recognizing the grief shared by the Ateneo community, University President Roberto Yap, SJ, emphasized the need to remain “anchored in God’s love amid brokenness.”
Areté in focus
To carry this reflection forward, Alam centered his commencement address by defining areté as a “virtue in action,” and as excellence rooted in service.
He expounded that Ateneans do not become champions by “admiring excellence from a distance,” but by finding the purpose to show up even in the face of difficulties.
“The Blue Eagle […] was claimed by this community for its own purposes—for truth, for conscience, [and] for excellence that serves something larger than itself. That distinction is yours to defend,” Alam underscored.
Building on this vision, Alam recalled his early beginnings as a photojournalist, and how it led him to find purpose in making certain things “impossible to unsee.” For him, having the privilege to be at a place of convenience sometimes leads people to become “participants in an injustice” that often makes social realities invisible.
Concluding his address, Alam left the graduates with a message of hope, saying that the world will meet its potential for meaningful change through the youth’s refusal “to unsee” injustices and their choice “to say no” in a society that chooses complicity out of fear.
With this, Alam emphasized the importance of having the willingness to face and confront difficult realities despite unfamiliarities.
Heart for the community
Sharing her insights on translating virtue into action, Class of 2026 Valedictorian Alexandra Janine “AJ” Tiambeng (BS HS ‘26) highlighted that even “in an uncertain world,” excellence should not be seen as an outcome, but as a lifelong commitment to learning and service.
In line with this commitment, Tiambeng reflected on her journey as part of the first batch to experience the transition to onsite classes post-pandemic, and how the mounting disruptions left the batch uncertain in finding hope for the future.
However, despite the uncertainty, Tiambeng stressed that the call for excellence remains constant, and it can be practiced “not by achieving more, but by loving more.”
“To have magis is not just to do more, but to love more—to love the community, the advocacy, the country so deeply that you feel a relentless tug to be more,” Tiambeng articulated.
She added that these realizations were not only shaped by classroom discussions, but more profoundly through her leadership in Kythe-Ateneo and engagement with vulnerable communities, which revealed the gap between “what should be and what actually is.”
Faced with this disparity, Tiambeng further urged her batchmates to stand together in the call for collective change.
Onwards and upwards
Looking back on their time in the University, several graduates shared, in interviews with The GUIDON, how their journey shaped their perspectives on personal growth and service. Among them is Jake Castillejos (BSMS CH ‘26), who described his Ateneo stay as one marked by “new beginnings,” saying that every leap of faith became a testament to how their batch has grown.
Meanwhile, Bianca Viduya (AB PH ‘26) pointed out how the Ateneo challenges its students to pursue a calling beyond their goals, particularly on the path towards “fulfilling the human soul, wants, and happiness.”
On the role of service in leadership, Kate Gonzales (BS LM ‘26) explained that leadership is a responsibility to stand up for underserved communities, adding that growth happens through both comfort and commitment.
Sebi Ang (BS PSY ‘26) likewise shared that the Ateneo exists as a third-space that fosters leadership and connection across diverse communities.
“There’s so much collaboration [within Ateneo] and everything is so centered on care that you can feel that if you fall, you’re gonna be caught no matter where. […] I feel safe [to take] risks […] and just jump out [of my comfort zone] because I know that the community I have here really cares about me,” Ang added.
Ultimately, as their Ateneo journey comes to a close, the Class of 2026 stands ready to face the future, carrying forward a commitment to excellence and service.
