Hello, Katipunan! My name is Kenneth Seares and I graduated this year with a B.A. in Political Science. During my four years at UCR, Katipunan was a place I considered my second home. I started off as a Kati Intern (now called Apprentice) my first year, Academics Chair my second, then Cultural Chair for my final year. Other than gaining a wider perspective of my Filipino culture and creating friendships that can last forever, I was blessed with the gift of having four amazing adings. This gave an only child the opportunity to step up and become something he’s always wanted to be other than a lawyer: a kuya.
Needless to say, the impact that Katipunan left on me was immense. Frankly, entering the unknown abyss known as “postgrad” without the org... No. Without the family I made was terrifying. I remember so vividly at my graduation party greeting every guest and thanking them for celebrating this achievement with me. Yet, every single Tito and Tita asked me the same question: “What’s next for you?” Just like how I ended PACN 32, I found myself asking the same question I asked the audience at its conclusion: “Where do we go now from here?”
These two questions are the very reason why I was hesitant in writing this Alumni Passage in the first place. I was nervous when my GG encouraged me to write one, considering how stagnant I felt life had become. For the past three months since my graduation, things started to become routine for me: wake up, workout, open up USAJOBS, study for the LSAT, eat dinner, workout, sleep, REPEAT. Life began to mimic a treadmill. There were no more midterms, no more finals, no quarter system to follow. This was life as I knew it. With the impact I had left on my second home, I didn’t want to return without accomplishments to share with you.
However, I realized sharing this experience of postgrad with you all is the best advice I can give. IT’S OK to feel like you don’t know the path ahead of you. We often get pressured by our family to have particular goals and achievements to reach at a certain point, that we forget to take care of ourselves. As stagnant as life may be, within its stillness you find yourself and what you want to do. I learned that whether you are still in college trying to find the AI Knoll, or are with me exploring what comes next in life, someone will always have your back. Yes, this journey of postgrad is challenging, but as J. Cole says, “It’s beauty in the struggle”. We must recognize that the struggles we endure are accomplishments in itself.
We all have our eyes on the horizon like Nina from In The Heights singing, “Just me and the GWB asking ‘Gee Nina, what’ll you be?’”. Who we’ll become after our hardest moments, is someone only we can be proud of. So just breathe.
