The program commenced with the registration of participants, followed by an engaging opening activity entitled “What’s in Your Career Backpack?” facilitated by David Gideon B. Cayanan, CACC Intern. The activity encouraged students to reflect on the personal values, strengths, and qualities they possess as they prepare to enter the workforce. This was followed by the opening ceremonies and the opening remarks delivered by Dr. Rhodora A. Ngolob, Vice President for Administration and Student Services, who welcomed the participants and emphasized the importance of preparing for the transition from student life to professional life.

Following the opening remarks, an interactive activity entitled “Future Pulse: The Voice of the Class of 2026” was conducted to provide students with an opportunity to reflect on their feelings, expectations, concerns, and aspirations as they approached graduation and prepared to enter the professional world. Through a series of questions, participants shared their thoughts on how they felt about graduating, what they looked forward to after graduation, their concerns about entering the workforce, the qualities they believed would matter most in their future careers, and where they envisioned themselves in the next five years. The activity provided a meaningful snapshot of the participants’ hopes, uncertainties, expectations, and readiness for the next chapter of their lives. The results of the Future Pulse activity were presented and discussed by Ms. Lea Angelique Y. Tugano of the Career and Alumni Connection Center (CACC), allowing the students to see and reflect on the collective perspectives of their fellow graduating students. Following the presentation of the Future Pulse results, the guest speaker, Dr. Leah Solmerin Corpuz, was formally introduced to the participants prior to the keynote session.

The main highlight of the activity was the keynote session entitled “Future-Ready Professionals: Bridging the Gap – What Is vs. What Should Be,” delivered by Dr. Leah Solmerin Corpuz, Founder and Lead Trainer of LASC Learning Solutions. The session focused on helping students understand the gap between their present selves and the professionals they aspire to become. Through her visual framework, Dr. Corpuz emphasized self-awareness as an important starting point in professional development, encouraging students to recognize their strengths, areas for improvement, values, and personal aspirations. She also encouraged participants to reflect on their vision for the future and consider whether their goals are genuinely aligned with their own values and aspirations.

Dr. Corpuz further discussed the importance of being mindful of comparison, control, conformity, consistency, and alignment in shaping one’s professional journey. She encouraged students to examine external influences and expectations while maintaining control over the choices they can make and remaining consistent with the person they aspire to become. The discussion also highlighted the importance of achieving internal and external alignment, ensuring that one’s values, goals, and sense of purpose are consistent with the realities and expectations of the professional world. Through these concepts, students were encouraged to be more intentional in making decisions about their future rather than simply following the path expected of them.

Rather than delivering a conventional lecture, Dr. Corpuz employed an interactive and highly engaging approach that encouraged active participation and personal reflection among the students. Through visual illustrations, relatable examples, questions, and discussions, she made the topic accessible and relevant to the participants’ experiences as graduating students. Her session emphasized that being a future-ready professional goes beyond earning a diploma; it involves developing self-awareness, building character, having a clear sense of purpose, and intentionally working toward the person one wants to become. The discussion provided students with a meaningful opportunity to reflect on who they are, who they want to become, and how they can bridge the gap between the two as they prepare to enter the professional world.

An open forum followed the keynote session, providing students with the opportunity to raise questions regarding career preparation, professional development, and navigating the challenges of life after graduation. Dr. Corpuz addressed the participants’ questions with practical insights and encouragement, further enriching the learning experience.

The ASCEND Graduation Talk successfully gathered 204 student participants from various colleges of the University. The participants consisted of 18 students from the College of Teacher Education, 83 students from the College of Criminal Justice Education, and 103 students from the College of Arts and Sciences, demonstrating strong participation and interest in career preparation and professional development.

Participant feedback reflected an overwhelmingly positive response to the activity. Evaluation results showed that the majority of participants rated the presentation of topics, relevance of the materials, program atmosphere, resource speaker, and overall satisfaction as Excellent. Students particularly appreciated the speaker’s engaging delivery, practical advice, and interactive teaching style. Many expressed their desire for more seminars of a similar nature, describing the session as inspiring, informative, and beneficial in preparing them for their future careers.

The program concluded with the presentation of the Certificate of Appreciation and token to the guest speaker in recognition of her valuable contribution to the success of the activity. This was followed by the closing remarks delivered by Ms. Lea Angelique Y. Tugano, CACC Officer, who expressed gratitude to the resource speaker, participants, and organizing team. Following the formal program, numerous students took the opportunity to personally meet Dr. Corpuz, engage in brief conversations, and take photographs with her, reflecting the positive impact of her presentation.

Overall, the ASCEND Graduation Talk successfully achieved its objective of preparing graduating students for the realities and opportunities of the professional world. Through meaningful discussions, interactive learning experiences, and valuable career insights, the activity inspired participants to embrace change, cultivate resilience, and confidently pursue their next chapter beyond the university.