LUCBAN, Quezon – “Employers will not only ask what you know—they will ask who you are.”
Thus, Clark Development Corp. president and CEO Atty. Agnes VST Devanadera emphasized to graduates of the Southern Luzon State University Main Campus that success rests not only on academic honors but on character, integrity, and service.
Devanadera was guest speaker at the 57th commencement exercises of SLSU held on June 26, where a total of 746 graduates from the university’s main and satellite campuses in Tayabas and Tiaong marched with families, faculty, alumni, and partners from government and industry.
For Devanadera, the occasion was also a return to her roots. After serving as Secretary of Justice, she taught at the then Southern Luzon Polytechnic College, affirming her view that public service continues beyond government office.
“Today, I am home. SLSU has been home to me,” she said.
Her message went beyond individual achievement. She recalled recruiting SLSU engineering graduates during her tenure at the Energy Regulatory Commission, many of whom now hold leadership positions in utilities and government. Their careers, she noted, show how competence anchored on integrity earns lasting trust.
The ceremony also underscored a growing townandgown partnership between SLSU and CDC. Building on internship programs, CDC will expand student immersion, faculty exposure to industry, and employment facilitation through Clark’s network of more than 1,200 locator companies employing over 150,000 workers.
By linking academe with industry and government, the partnership aims to strengthen the transition from classroom to workplace and align higher education with national development needs.
The CDC chief closed her commencement address citing US President John F. Kennedy’s famous challenge: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country.”
SLSU in Lucban, Quezon was established through RA 9395 in 2007, converting the former Southern Luzon Polytechnic College and its satellite campuses into a state university. The law mandates SLSU to provide advanced education and professional and technological instruction, undertake research and extension services, and exercise progressive leadership in its fields of specialization.
As noted on the university’s official website, SLSU under the leadership of president Frederick Villa, continues to pursue instruction, research, extension, and innovation, producing graduates with technical competence and public responsibility. CDC-PR
