Chess grandmaster Frayna graduates cum laude, class valedictorian

MANILA, Philippines – A few months ago, Janelle Mae Frayna had her eyes locked on graduating as cum laude and clinching the UAAP Season 79 Chess championship trophy.

Through hard work, Frayna managed to accomplish both.

After being crowned as the country’s first woman chess grandmaster, Frayna bid good bye to college as cum laude and class valedictorian on Thursday, June 22 at the Philippine International Convention Center.

Frayna is one of the chosen students to address a valedictory speech in 5 graduation sessions at Far Eastern University.

It took Frayna 5 years to finish her BS Psychology course in Far Eastern University because she decided to pause her studies in 2014 to focus on her career as a chess player.

“Some people say life is a race, life is a struggle, life is a war. For me, life is a chess game. In chess the main goal is to defend and conquer the King. In the process, no matter how you think you have made the best plans, craftily positioned your pieces, you cannot always win,” said Frayna in her valedictory address. “But do not let those mistakes define who you are. As long as you live, as long as you’re breathing, keep on fighting. Give your best moves and never say ‘I resign.'”

Despite the setbacks, Frayna finally completed the mission. 

“Faith,” said Frayna in a Facebook post two days after her graduation. “Lots of praying are needed for the fulfilment of our dreams. Sometimes, things doesn’t work our way because it’s God’s way of telling us you don’t need to have it yet or He has made a much greater plan for you.”

In an interview with Rappler, Frayna likened studying to playing chess.

“You get better when you read in chess, that’s just how it is with school,” shared Frayna, who was also a salututorian back when she was in elementary. “Chess and academics have the same principles so I also enjoy it.”

Frayna confirmed she is currently preparing and training for a competition set to happen in Barcelona on July 11.

Here is the full text of Frayna’s valedictory speech:

Our commencement speaker, FEU Chair Aurelio “Gigi” Montinola III, university officials headed by President Dr. Michael Alba, dear professors, families, parents and of course to the FEU graduates of Batch 2017, a pleasant morning!

First, I would like to extend my congratulations to all of the hardworking students who have made it to this special day. When we started our college journey, I bet we all planted seed of hope that one day, we would eventually complete our degrees. Now, those little seeds have grown into fruitful trees. We are now reaping the fruits of our labor. At last, we don’t have to worry of exams and quizzes: class lectures, case studies, thesis defence are over. We celebrate this milestone but we also have to anticipate new life lessons. Life outside of school has more lessons to teach us. This is the real test that we need to pass, never to fail.

I started from the bottom. I don’t consider myself as extraordinary both in class and in chess. When I was 14, I transferred to FEU Diliman and ventured on my dream. At that time, I was with teammates who are far stronger than me. In the eyes of many, I was nobody. As a matter of fact, when I first applied as a chess varsity, the head coach rejected me. Thankfully with some twist of events, he had a change of heart and I was reconsidered. Some people told me I could never be a Grand master because according to them I lacked the talent. Despite the discouraging words , I did not waver in pursuing my dream.

The 13^th World Chess Champion, the legendary Garry Kasparov once said, “ Don’t you know that hard work is a talent?”. His statement has inspired me to work very hard, so I guess that also makes me talented. To improve my performance I dedicated 6-8 hours a day of training. But then my progress in chess caused a decline in my grades. That was a wake-up call, because I wanted to be great in chess and be a college graduate at the same time. So I promised to do BETTER both in class and in chess.

Now I feel so blessed to have fulfilled that promise. After 6 years of laborious trainings, I have made history by becoming the Philippines’ First Woman Chess Grandmaster. And there’s even a bonus, I graduated cum laude. I have become so strong willed. I don’t see my past experiences such as my initial rejection as a chess varsity, my poor grades in high school as failures. I take those as challenges, challenges to overcome.

Some people say life is a race, life is a struggle, life is a war. For me, life is a chess game. In chess the main goal is to defend and conquer the King. In the process, no matter how you think you have made the best plans, craftily positioned your pieces, you cannot always win. I have never known a player who in his entire career never lost a game or never made blunders. Just like in real life, nobody’s perfect right?  We commit mistakes because we’re just HUMANS. Yes, some mistakes may us the entire the game. These may put us into seemingly hopeless situations and hurt our chances for success. But do not let those mistakes define who you are. As long as you live, as long as you’re breathing, keep on fighting. Give your best moves and never say “I resign”.

Every piece in chess serves its purpose. So are we. Each one of us has our worth. Do not compare a Rook to a pawn or a pawn to a Queen. Because each possesses unique strengths and weaknesses. Be glad about who you are and make the most of it. Remember that we all have our potentials waiting to be realized.

Again in chess, the Queen is the most powerful piece but even if she’s the strongest, she loses all of her powers if she fails to protect the King. The King is the most vulnerable yet the most important piece of the game. If the King dies, you lose. Checkmate!

But who or what is your King in life? Ladies and gentlemen, I have realized that real success lies on knowing why on earth we are here. It’s not about fame, wealth or achievements. It’s about fulfilling your life’s purpose, knowing your advocacies and leaving a legacy. Personally, I would like to formalize chess education in the country and lobby the implementation of the long overdue 2009 DEPEd Memorandum Circular instructing the inclusion of chess in the Basic Education Curriculum. I believe that no matter how old or young we are, we can make a difference.

On behalf of the graduates, I would like to recognize significant people behind our success. But First and foremost, I’d like to say thank you to our dear Lord for giving us the courage to overcome our struggles. To our families & parents, thank you for your life- long sacrifices which have inspired us to continue on chasing our dreams. To my parents – my mom and dad, I love you and I want to make this day, one of your happiest.  To all the professors, thank you for dedicating your lives on teaching not just technical knowledge but genuine love and concern to us students. To FEU, I am forever grateful for providing us quality education and molding our characters to ultimately become productive Filipino Citizens.  I am a proud Tamaraw and will always be! To our classmates and friends, thank you for all our bitter sweet memories. Through time, memories may fade but true friendships last for a lifetime.

To my FEU Athletics Dept. Family my sincerest thanks for generously supporting my stint as a student athlete. To my coach Grand Master Jayson,It is an irony that the man who first rejected me as a player became my committed chess mentor. Thank you coach, for always encouraging me to be at my best.

Remember that in every chess game, there is a time- limit. Just like in real life, we don’t have the luxury to live forever. Every hour, every minute, every second counts, so we must use our time wisely and make the right moves. We may win, lose or draw out of the game. But never cease from learning. The real checkmate is when you give up and accept to yourself that you are a loser. As long as we live, there will always be next games, next opportunities and next chances. Seize them! and I hope we all become champions on and off the chessboard.

– Rappler.com