Graduating CIITzens from Batch 2024 have marched forward to their future as they culminated their journey as students at CIIT College of Arts and Technology. On October 26, CIIT honored college graduates and their accomplishments at the UP Theater, Villamor Hall in Quezon City. This year’s commencement exercises, themed Forging Pathways: Shaping Futures through Soft Skills, was also a celebration of students taking their initial steps into professional adventures.
The event was a look back at the challenges and achievements as well as a sharing of important life lessons with the 248 graduates from computer science; entertainment and multimedia computing; fine arts; and multimedia arts programs.
Throughout their journey at CIIT, we have been preparing our graduates to thrive in the industry. Part of this commitment is ensuring they have secure jobs even before graduation. On the day of the ceremony, 60% of our graduates had already begun their careers as industry professionals.
This year’s batch was led by summa cum laude Caledon Armentano, whose graduation speech imparted several life lessons on failure, accomplishments, and connections to his fellow graduates. “As we step forward into the world, let’s aim for balance. Let’s not lose ourselves in the pursuit of success to the point where we lose sight of what’s really important,” he said.
Our keynote speaker, Mr. Joseph Carreon, IT Manager and OIC – Head of IT at MicroSourcing Philippines, Inc., discussed soft skills to help CIITzens navigate the professional world and reach the destinations they aspire to.
Mr. Carreon highlighted five valuable soft skills in the professional world, including communication; problem-solving and critical thinking; emotional intelligence and empathy; teamwork and collaboration; and leadership. “Soft skills are basically skills that you can apply everywhere. It doesn’t matter whether you are here in the present or in the future, even at home or in the workplace, it will work. It will work 100% of the time. It will apply 100% all the time,” he said.
As they advanced in their journeys out from the school, CIIT President Mr. Sherwin O reminded the graduating CIITzens of his message to them in their first year: “CIIT is and will always be your second home.”
Mr. O assured the graduates that the school will always be behind them and ready to welcome them back, even as they go out exploring the world beyond CIIT.
Apart from the technical knowledge they learned here at CIIT, we believe our graduates this year are moving forward in their journeys with more insights to gain across industries and in life.
Want to learn how CIIT prepares students to lead a successful life in arts and tech? Head to our program list and start your journey at CIIT!