Mabuhay!

Greetings from the University of the Philippines College of Medicine Class 2020!

Over the past 5 years, our class has strived to fulfill the goal of the college of producing six-star physicians and we hope that throughout our journey, we have collected those stars one by one. Under the guidance of our consultants, residents, fellow healthcare workers, and our patients, we have learned to combine theory with practice tempered with compassion and kindness, despite the nuances of healthcare delivery. Five years down the road, we hold on to the foundation upon which our journey began -- to serve the underserved. Para sa bayan.

As medical students, we conquered several mountains. Some were easy to climb, with a straight path uphill, but most had steep, rocky courses. Some of the times, we were fortunate enough to have people holding our hands and pulling us up; a lot of times, we had to navigate the way on our own, doing our best not to look down.

As we approach the end of our journey, we face a horizon with higher peaks. More crests and troughs await our footsteps as we forge our way to be the nation’s newest doctors.

Let us not be afraid. Let us see our sablay as an embodiment of our refusal to back down, our triumphs despite defeat, and know that we can now climb even higher mountains.

We look forward to celebrating our last medical school milestone -- but also the start of our lives as doctors, with you.