Perhaps, as we sit in our chairs today, images of the events that transpired within those four years, pass before our eyes like a film being played back. As we look back on those years, we cannot help but be thankful for what this school has done for us - transforming us from young and perhaps reckless individuals to being responsible members of the community; from naive to informed and intelligent persons and from being self-centered to becoming concerned individuals committed to the service of God and country.

The various activities we were asked to join taught us that there are more to high school than just sitting in class and passing exams. Making and keeping friends, committing mistakes and leaning from them and taking responsibility for our actions are just some of the valuable lessons we learned beyond the four walls of the classroom. In other words, high school gave us our first taste of how it is to be a young adult.

Today, we celebrate a rite of passage - from adolescence to young adulthood. I am confident that all the learning and experiences we've been through will help us make the best choice for the careers we will choose after high school. For after all, we all have what it takes to become leaders of this community and this country. Our pursuit for excellence should not end when the diplomas are handed over. Rather, let us make a promise to ourselves, our parents and friends that we will continue to do our best in whatever we will pursue.

My dear classmates, I hope to see you as engineers, scientist doctors, nurses, or businessman 10 years form now in our class reunion in 2007. But even when we take separate paths, I hope our friendship will last forever. After all, we are the AUF high school batch of 1997.

In the meantime, let us enjoy this moment and allow me to be the first to congratulate our parents for their unwavering love and support, our teachers and the members of the school administration for their dedication and commitment to duty and all of you, my friends, for a job well done.

Mark Lloyd Q. Espiritu
Class Salutatorian