(SBMA chairman and administrator Wilma T. Eisma engages graduating students of the Subic National High School with her advice on how to take chances and be extraordinary and successful. Photo by Malou Dungog)
SUBIC, Zambales — “Don’t be afraid that you are ordinary, because ordinary does not make you less; it only means you can still work to be extraordinary.”
With these words, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma urged this year’s graduating senior students at the Subic National High School in Subic, Zambales to go out of their comfort zone and take chances in life.
Eisma, who was invited to inspire the students with her success as a government executive and career woman, said noted that while some people become extraordinarily successful, some tend to become too confident that their careers become stagnant.
“On the other hand, the so-called ordinary people have so much time to work and improve themselves and become more successful. The ordinary could become extraordinary. So, being ordinary should not be something to be worried about,” she said.
Eisma also told the students about the lifelong lessons she has learned since being a schoolgirl in Olongapo City. “Follow your parents; do not be afraid to take chances; and do not be afraid to fail,” she said.
Eisma revealed how she learned to cope with the rules her parents had imposed on what to wear or not wear in going out of the house, on the 5 o’clock curfew, and on having a boyfriend.
“It took me 50 years to realize that my mother will always know best, that my father knows best,” Eisma related. “Believe me, those rules are there for a reason. And I highly recommend that you follow your parents because they have nothing but your best interest in mind.”
The SBMA executive also challenged the graduating students to take chances, as she observed that many graduates preferred to content themselves with what was easy and safe.
“You will never know what is in store for you until you take the chance,” she said. “It is in taking those risks that you find greatness. It is in taking risks that you find success,” she added.
As a former senior officer of the multimillion-peso corporation Philip Morris (Philippines) International, Eisma said she earned more than what she is receiving today. But she took the chance and accepted the off er of President Duterte to become administrator of SBMA, and later as chairman too, she added.
“I long wanted to be home with my parents, to go back to the place I grew up in. So, when the President offered me the job, I took my chances,” she told the students. “Today, I’m happier with my work where I feel I belong and can do a lot to help other people. These are things you cannot buy anywhere in the world.”
Lastly, the SBMA chairman also asked the youngsters to not be afraid to fail and get hurt. “What is important is not the fact that you failed, but how you dealt with failure. Because failure will only win if you let it.”
“I, too, had failures in life. And of course I cried, but I asked myself, ‘Will I just cry my whole life? So, the next day I moved on and tried my luck again, and I soon I found success,” she said.
In closing, Eisma challenged every graduating student “to become Amy Eisma” and try to become extraordinary.
“I am you,” she told them. “I went through the same experience as you do. So, I challenge you to take chances. I challenge you to become me. For all you know, 25 years from now, one of you will be the chairman and administrator of SBMA.”
Meanwhile, faculty members and students gave Eisma a standing ovation for her extraordinary speech. “That was really a most inspiring and energizing speech we heard,” they said.
