Award winning TV Journalist Jessica Soho (on the podium) deliver her inspirational message before the Graduating students of the University of the Philippines Cebu during the 78th Commencement Exercise at the UP-Cebu football ground. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)
Multi-awarded broadcast journalist Jessica Soho has chosen to give the P20,000 budget for her travel and accommodation expenses here to a financially needy student.
Aia Diana Pilar, an incoming second-year Computer Science student at the University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu, will receive a stipend of P2,000 monthly for 10 months.
She was chosen as Soho’s beneficiary by the Office of the Students Affair from among four shortlisted candidates.
Pilar, 17, is still awaiting the results of her application for a full tuition discount under the state university’s Socialized Tuition System (STS).
In an interview, she said she was really thankful for the unexpected opportunity that Soho has given her.
“It’s overwhelming. I feel like I don’t deserve it. This will motivate me to study harder,” she said in Cebuano and English.
Pilar works as a clerk at a consultancy firm to help pay for her tuition. Her allowance is only P300 a week. The stipend from Soho will be a big help, she said.
She was able to meet Soho and thank her just before the graduation ceremonies last Thursday.
Soho started her inspirational message for the graduates with a bit of humor and a few Cebuano words.
She noted that Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, the guest speaker last year, was “a very tough act to follow.” Santiago, she said, is known for delivering knock-out punch lines.
“Ay ambot… Song and dance? Paano ba iyang Nae Nae dance na iyan?” she said prompting the crowd to cheer and ask her for some sample dance moves. It made her smile but she politely refused, saying it might cost her her job.
On a serious note, Soho reminded the 257 new graduates to keep their feet on the ground despite their success.
Of the 257 graduates, six received magna cum laude while 57 were cum laude honors. Class valedictorian was Biology graduate Clyde Blanco.
“This is how you keep improving: to keep persevering, to never stop, to always have a healthy dose of self-doubt. Life was never meant to be easy. So you have to keep leveling up,” she said.
“And there is a reason why they put honor first before excellence. Excellence is not good if you have no honor,” she said, quoting her teacher, Professor Solita Monsod.
Soho, a George Foster Peabody awardee and top news anchor of GMA 7 network, said she used to do odd jobs in the newsroom, including doing the make-up of anchors.
She said people should learn from failure.
“Brace yourself for the inevitable: failure. Prepare to fail but of course it’s better if you can avoid or prevent it from happening,” she said.
“Now, if, despite all your efforts, you still fail, don’t take too long on the ground. Get up and get up, fast,” Soho added.
She also urged the graduates to stay in Cebu to help create more opportunities here.