Isang UP graduate, nag-iwan ng matinding marka sa ginawa niya kay Atom Araullo

• A UP Baguio graduate named Vinia gained widespread attention after shaking hands with Atom Araullo during her graduation ceremony
• The viral Instagram reel documenting the unexpected interaction has accumulated over 2.7 million views
• Award-winning journalist Atom Araullo publicly praised the graduate's bold initiative in the comments section
• During his speech, Araullo emphasized that the country needs individuals who are difficult to fool and discourage

A newly graduated student from the University of the Philippines Baguio has captured the attention of millions across social media after seizing a rare moment with award-winning Kapuso journalist Atom Araullo during her commencement exercises.

The graduate, identified online as Vinia, shared a reel on Instagram capturing the exact moment she walked across the stage to receive her diploma. Instead of immediately exiting, she chose to turn around and confidently shake the hand of Araullo, who served as the guest speaker for the graduation.

“When Atom Araullo is your commencement speaker, you make the most of the moment,” says Vinia.

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She expressed her excitement over the proximity of the journalist, adding:

“He was already right there!”

Vinia also extended her gratitude in the caption, writing:

“So nice to meet you sir, [Atom].”

The clip quickly generated massive engagement online, drawing a direct response from the veteran journalist himself. In the comment section of the viral video, Araullo commended her spontaneous action.

“‘Yan ang iskolar ng bayan!” says Araullo.

At the time of reporting, the graduate's Instagram reel has garnered more than 2.7 million views.

The interaction was also recorded from another angle by Vinia's sister, Eya, who posted the footage on TikTok to share her amusement.

“Out of all the graduates, she's the only one who did THAT, slayed and gets kita,” says Eya.

Apart from the viral interaction, the graduation ceremony was highlighted by the message delivered by Araullo to the batch of new graduates. His speech heavily focused on the realities of journalism, pursuing goals, handling life failures, and defining resilience in contemporary society.

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“The country does not need more ‘successful’ people who are pleasant, polished, and harmless. It needs people who are difficult to fool, difficult to buy, difficult to discourage, difficult to turn indifferent,” says Araullo.

This was during his address to the UP Baguio community.

Atom Araullo is a highly respected Filipino journalist, documentarian, television host, and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Goodwill Ambassador. A graduate of Applied Physics from the University of the Philippines Diliman, he is widely recognized for his brave, hard-hitting investigative journalism and gripping documentaries for networks like ABS-CBN and GMA Network's The Atom Araullo Specials.

In another report, Karen Davila questioned the circumstances surrounding the reported “escape” issue involving Senator Bato and called for greater accountability. She pointed to apparent inconsistencies between public statements and claims that the senator remained within the Senate premises. NBI Director Magtibay later explained that Senator Bato had been placed under “protective custody” inside the Senate. The incident subsequently fueled public discussion over whether security measures within the Senate had been properly enforced.

Meanwhile, the administrators of a well-known social media page publicly apologized for altering statements attributed to veteran journalist Kara David. Kara accepted the apology, effectively putting an end to the online controversy. Reports also confirmed that the misleading quote graphic was immediately removed from the platform after the issue surfaced. The award-winning broadcaster underscored the importance of accountability and reminded the public that discussions should always be grounded in accurate and factual information.

Source: KAMI.com.gh