Rest: A Magna Cum Laude's Holy Grail to Success

utterly captured the milestone of the graduating batch of 2023 in a moving address last July 27 for the outgoing academic year’s commencement exercises. In a funny, relatable, and honest 10-minute speech, the magna cum laude reflected on his Velezian journey and the lessons he accrued throughout.

Eliakim Booc, one of the distinguished graduates from the College of Occupational Therapy,

College of Occupational Therapy

ELIAKIM BOOC

"Today, I wanna celebrate not just triumph but also the antithesis of our success," he began. From freshman year leading up to the inconveniently protracted two years of remote learning brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic to the transformative comeback of in-person classes, he recollected the idiosyncratic tertiary experience of his batchmates. In a poignant remark, Booc explained how keen he was on setting new standards for himself as he returned to the classroom setting but felt failure profoundly on every occasion. "I was not at peace. Each time I would see my score, it was either a 30-second euphoria or a 24-hour misery. I was unkind to myself."

"Today, you see the smiles and ironed togas. Unrobe the toga, and you see a person that once dreamt and failed."

Ironically, he overcame such self-loathing during his most dreaded internship–Pediatrics. "I grew to love [the children's] laughter, cries, and milestones: a jump forward, a hop upward, or simply uttering “teacher gwapo.” It gave me joy...I was humbled," shared Booc. This humility granted him a sense of gratitude for what he overlooked, including the ebb and flow of studying.

When asked regarding his degree of choice, Booc shared how he initially chose occupational therapy as a good "Plan B" as he is supposed to proceed to Medicine; but found himself developing a love for the profession beyond its money-generating aspect–his experience with the children. On that note, he affirms the undeniable reality among pediatrics: "Either trapohan ka ug laway, luha, sip on, or ubhan ka, and I've tried gisumbag and gi scratch, those are children of special needs," he started. "So you have to be very understanding nga dapat dili ka directly mo react sa ilang behavior. Rather, you are there to guide them and correct their behavior."

To the untrained and unsuspecting eye, the achiever may be a figure of relentless grind and utmost stringency, but he genuinely believes that "rest" was his crucial catalyst. Reiterating his sapping experience with marks and failure in his earlier speech, Booc explained how beating himself up over grades was one of his regrets.

"Motivate yourself each day and give yourself rest. Mao ra gyud na. Rest is very important, and always pays when studying," he advised.

Oftentimes, we engross ourselves in academic pressure and the belief that sacrificing our basic needs equates to productivity. Expressions such as "sleep is for the weak" or "some dreams are worth not sleeping for'' indicate the pervasive toxic hustle culture that could yield counterproductive outcomes. Taking Booc's word as a prescription rather than a tip: Rest is just as essential and is a stepping stone towards future achievements.