Dr. Ricmar P. Aquino (Commissioner, Commission on Higher Education and 6th President, Isabela State University) graced the 2025 Midyear Commencement Exercises of Isabela State University (ISU) on October 12, 2025 at the ISU Amphitheater, ISU Echague Campus.
Dr. Aquino’s attendance at the ceremony marked his first homecoming to the University after being appointed as Commissioner of CHED in early August of this year. He expressed his gratitude for the invitation and for all the experiences he gained at ISU that allowed him to serve on the Commission.
In his address, Dr. Aquino emphasized that education goes beyond degrees and diplomas and reminded the graduates that learning is rooted in purpose.
“Education is not just a matter of policy and pedagogy, but a matter of purpose. Your education is not the end goal, it is the foundation. It is not a fruit, it is a seed planted,” Dr. Aquino said.
He also urged the graduates to look beyond what they have accomplished and focus on what they will do with the knowledge and opportunities they now hold. For Dr. Aquino, education’s true worth is measured not by achievement alone but by contribution to the greater good.
Consequently, amid the nation’s many challenges, he likewise reminded the graduates that regardless of profession or path, each one plays a vital role in the nation’s collective strength.
Dr. Aquino then shared three (3) guiding principles for the graduates as they move forward: stay hungry to learn, be courageous with your dreams, and serve beyond self. He encouraged lifelong learning, daring ambition, and selfless service, saying that “Success is not by what you achieve but by what you give back.”
Affirming the graduates’ potential to shape the country’s future, he concluded his message with a powerful reminder for collective responsibility and moral leadership and echoed the ideals of national hero Dr. Jose Rizal for the graduates to embody the spirit of responsible and transformative citizenship.
Posing this reflective challenge to the new graduates: “What awaits us in the Philippines?, Dr. Aquino said that the nation need its people, as its true strength lay in their actions.
“The answer is in you. You are the answer. So go forward not just as graduates but as leaders, as nation-builders, as change makers. May your journey ahead be filled with purpose, impact, and pride – not just for what you achieve but for what you help build for others,” Dr. Aquino expressed.
The 2025 Midyear Commencement Exercises saw the conferment of degrees and titles to 297 graduates from the different campuses of the University for both its undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
