The speech that follows is the inspirational talk delivered by Dr. Edward Wang during the High School Reading of Honors last June 14, 2005 at the HS gym.  Dr. Wang graduated Valedictorian from Xavier High School in 1975.  After thirty years, this TOYM Awardee continues to be true to the Xavier mission given his involvement in various charities among which is the Fr. Barbero Foundation for PGH Charity Patients, Inc.

      Fr Johnny Go, our beloved school director, Mrs.Cacacho, our HS principal, our devoted teachers, some of whom I said, “Good morning, teacher,” to almost 30 years ago, and most of all, my dear Xavier HS students, I greet you all a very Good Morning!

      Mr. Alemberg Ang, himself an outstanding Xavier graduate (I never cease to marvel at this person’s embrace of the Filipino language) asked me last week to give a short inspirational talk (and I promise it will be short) to honor those students who distinguished themselves last year.

      I would like to start by sharing with you two incidents my wife and I witnessed last week, both of which touched us very deeply. Late last week, on my way to the Philippine General Hospital, amidst the flashfloods of Manila , I could not help but notice 2 young kids on an old, rusty bicycle. The biker, who looked like the older brother, was maneuvering through the waters with slow, measured pedaling, trying with great concentration to prevent the bike from falling and to keep his passenger from getting wet. The young girl seated in front of him was hugging her books ever so tightly, as if they were the most important possession she ever had; at the same time straining to lift her legs so her neatly polished shoes and white socks did not touch the foul-smelling waters. In her eyes, I saw a look of determination: nothing was going to stop her from going to school that morning, and her brother was making sure she reached that goal.

      The second incident involved a young high school graduate who wanted so much to go to college but whose family was too poor to afford it. One morning last week, my wife gave him the good news that his scholarship had been approved and he could enroll immediately. The big, wide smile that lit up his face almost made my wife cry. The boy said he would be the first in his family to have a college education. He was determined to lift his family from poverty. It was a life changing moment for him…and to think that the cost of one semester of college for him was just the price of a mini ipod!

      For these two youngsters, just making it to school was already a supreme accomplishment! Luckily, Xaverians are not burdened by these worries. Your parents have made sure to rid you of these burdens so you can spend time achieving far more than other children. Your parents have made sure you receive the best possible education (of course that can only be a Jesuit education!). They made sure that you don’t have to worry about getting to school dry and looking cool. Even as I speak, they are making sure that when the time comes, money is set aside for the best possible college education for you, whether here or abroad. Your only responsibility is to study and finish school. And yet, this education can only be as good as you make it. Every school year, every quarter, every long exam, every short quiz, every report counts, because each little test contributes to your entire learning experience. Every play, every quarter, every game, every round counts if you are to attain the championship. So it is the same in both the classroom and on the football field; in both your extracurricular activities and on the basketball court.

      Today, we salute those who have gone a step further and those who have exerted that extra effort to achieve academic excellence. We honor your initiative, your extra study time, your hard work, your sacrifices, your discipline, and your obstinacy. You counted your blessings and took every opportunity to maximize what you could learn from Xavier. You do us proud and we hope you continue this tradition of excellence. At the same time, we challenge those who are content to just trudge along (including those who have to be forced or bribed by their parents to attend class!) to try a little harder this year, and to be inspired by the little girl and the poor high school graduate—to go beyond your perceived limits and be the best you can be.

      The Xavier student lives by the code of Magis, be it in academics, sports, music or the arts. And yet, beyond the accolade and sense of personal achievement, let us not forget that we attempt to improve ourselves so we can initiate change: change in order to improve our society; that ours it is to be Men for Others…so that perhaps in your generation, you will make it possible that there will be fewer kids who have to go to school braving floodwaters on a bike; and fewer kids who cannot finish school because of poverty. Good morning and Luceat Lux!

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