10/06/2026
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ฒ๐น ๐ฆ๐๐ผ๐ฝ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ
The wheel spun for years, indifferent to whether you were dizzy.
Think back to day one.
You entered the university gates as a raw unformed clay, heavy with potential but holding no real shape, being pulled straight from the earth of your hometowns. You carried your anxieties, like rough edges, uncertain of what lay ahead, spinning the wheel of college life.
Just like a lump of mud in the potterโs hands, you were placed on that same spinning wheel. Then came the hands of your mentors, the friction of sleepless nights, and the heavy pressure of molding yourselves into something that could hold substance.
There were days you felt off-center, wobbling under the weight of expectations, almost collapsing back into a shapeless lump on the wheel. But the wheel kept spinning, and you kept holding on.
Now, look at you. You are no longer just clay.
You have been shaped by the quiet, steady pressure of resilience,
Drawn upward by the hands of those who believed in your capacity.
Your failures were just the scraping away of excess weight,
Leaving behind a vessel that is strong, intentional, and unique.
But a clay pot cannot stay on the wheel forever.
Nor can it fulfill its purpose by staying within the walls of the studio.
Graduation is the kiln.
It is the heat of leaving this home,
The sudden warmth of a world that demands your final hardening.
Sealing your colors, locking in your strength,
And turning your fragility into something unbreakable.
As you step past the university gates for the last time, remember this: a vessel is not defined by the space it occupies, but by what it is capable of holding.
Do not fear the kiln of the outside world. The university did not just shape you to look beautiful; it fired you to endure. The wheel stops here, but your journey does not.
Walk out into the world with grace, Batch 2026. The wheel has done its work, the fire has made you strong.
Go forth, and always carry the strong, intentional heart of a vessel built to endure.
Words by Quennie Grace Jaralbio | An Lantawan Literary
Illustration by Hannah Cormero | An Lantawan Creatives
