Questions · Graduation
Questions for graduates that aren’t “so, what’s next?”
Graduation party questions for the grad, their friends and their family: about the school years, the people who helped, and the next step without the pressure.
- 22 questions
- EN + TL on every card
- Free in the app
Kumustahan is a bilingual conversation card app: 1,200 questions in English and Filipino across 7 decks, with a short reflection on the back of every card.
What have you done recently that you are pleased about?
Anong nagawa mo kamakailan ang ikinatuwa mo?
If your win had a tiny trophy, what would be written on it?
Kung may maliit na trophy ang nagawa mo, ano ang nakasulat dito?
The questions
22 questions for graduates
Every question in English and Filipino/Tagalog, word for word from the Kumustahan decks. Open “Back of the card” for the reflection printed on the other side.
At the party
6 questions
Easy, celebratory questions anyone can ask the grad, or each other.
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Design a celebration just for you. What would make it feel special?
Magplano ng celebration para sa sarili mo. Ano ang magpapaspecial dito?
Back of the card
Which part of the celebration would you happily repeat the next day?
Aling bahagi ng celebration ang masaya mong uulitin kinabukasan?
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What goal would you like to reach and celebrate with friends?
Anong goal ang gusto mong maabot at i-celebrate kasama ang friends?
Back of the card
Pick the celebration's mood: quiet, silly, or a little of both.
Piliin ang gusto mong celebration: tahimik, makulit, o kaunti ng pareho.
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After finishing something hard, how do you usually celebrate or recover?
Kapag natapos mo ang mahirap na bagay, paano ka usually nagse-celebrate o nagre-recover?
Back of the card
Finishing something hard deserves a landing. Some people mark it loudly; some just need a quiet exhale.
Kapag may natapos kang mahirap, kailangan din ng landing. May nagse-celebrate nang malakas; may tahimik na hinga lang.
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What have you done recently that you are pleased about?
Anong nagawa mo kamakailan ang ikinatuwa mo?
Back of the card
If your win had a tiny trophy, what would be written on it?
Kung may maliit na trophy ang nagawa mo, ano ang nakasulat dito?
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Which kind of task makes you lose track of time?
Anong klaseng task yung nakakalimutan mong oras kapag ginagawa mo?
Back of the card
The tasks that make time move fast can reveal what absorbs you, energizes you, or quietly fits how your mind works.
Yung tasks na nagpapabilis ng oras pwedeng clue kung ano ang kumukuha ng focus mo, nagpapagana sa'yo, o bagay sa utak mo.
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What is one thing you like that you no longer feel the need to explain?
Ano yung isang bagay na gusto mo na hindi mo na kailangang i-explain?
Back of the card
Some preferences do not need a courtroom defense. They can simply be yours, confidently and without a long speech.
May preferences na hindi kailangan ng courtroom defense. Sa'yo lang siya, confident, walang mahabang explanation.
Looking back on school
8 questions
Friends, teachers, first times and the things that got easier.
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Who taught you a work or school habit you still use, and what was it?
Sino yung nagturo sa'yo ng work o school habit na gamit mo pa rin, at ano yun?
Back of the card
Some habits come from people who modeled them first. Their way of doing things can quietly become part of yours.
May habits na galing sa taong nauna lang magpakita. Tahimik mong nadadala yung style nila hanggang maging part na rin ng style mo.
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Tell us about a friend who made you feel like you belonged.
Ikuwento yung friend na nagparamdam sa'yo na belong ka.
Back of the card
Inclusion can happen through one seat saved, one question asked, or one person making room on purpose.
Minsan isang upuang tinabi, isang tanong, o isang taong sinadyang magtabi ng space ang nagpaparamdam na kasama ka.
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How could you help a friend who was new to a school or neighborhood?
Paano mo matutulungan ang friend na bago sa isang school o lugar?
Back of the card
Being shown where things are or having someone stay nearby — either might help.
Puwedeng makatulong ang ituro kung nasaan ang mga bagay o ang samahan lang sila.
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What useful skill did someone patiently teach you?
Anong kasanayan ang matiyagang itinuro sa'yo ng isang tao?
Back of the card
Imagine you are teaching the skill now. What would you show a beginner first?
Isipin na ikaw naman ang nagtuturo nito. Ano ang una mong ipapakita sa baguhan?
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Recall a moment when talking to a new friend started to feel easy.
Kailan ka nagsimulang maging komportable sa pakikipagkuwentuhan sa bago mong friend?
Back of the card
Remember the first thing you no longer felt shy about saying.
Balikan ang unang bagay na hindi ka na nahiyang sabihin.
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What is something you can handle better now than before?
Ano yung mas kaya mo nang i-handle ngayon kaysa dati?
Back of the card
Growth is often noticed in comparison. What used to shake you may now take less from you.
Madalas napapansin ang growth kapag may comparison. Yung dati kang kinakabahan, baka ngayon mas kaya mo nang harapin.
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Tell us about something you used to avoid that feels less scary now.
Kuwento mo yung dati mong iniiwasan pero hindi na ganun ka-scary ngayon.
Back of the card
Less scary is still movement. You do not have to be fearless to know something has changed.
Movement pa rin ang less scary. Hindi mo kailangang maging fearless para malaman na may nagbago.
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Share the first time you did something on your own and felt more capable afterward.
Ikuwento ang unang beses mong gumawa ng isang bagay mag-isa at naisip mong, "Kaya ko pala."
Back of the card
Finish if you like: "That was when I realized I could..."
Kung gusto mo, ituloy: "Doon ko naisip na kaya ko palang..."
What’s next, gently
8 questions
About hopes and courage, not job offers.
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Which small adulting skill are you proud you can do now?
Anong small adulting skill ang proud kang kaya mo na ngayon?
Back of the card
Adulting skills can be funny and real at the same time. Paying, fixing, calling, cooking, asking: they all count.
Nakakatawa pero real ang adulting skills. Magbayad, mag-ayos, tumawag, magluto, magtanong: counted lahat yan.
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Where do you need a little more courage this week?
Saan mo kailangan ng konting dagdag courage this week?
Back of the card
Courage does not always look big. Sometimes it is one honest message, one boundary, or one careful next step.
Hindi laging malaki ang courage. Minsan isang honest message, isang boundary, o isang maingat na next step lang.
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Say one brave thing you can admit you want.
Sabihin ang isang brave na bagay na kaya mong aminin na gusto mo.
Back of the card
Wanting can feel risky when the answer is not guaranteed. Naming the desire is already a brave kind of honesty.
Risky minsan umamin ng gusto mo kapag walang guarantee. Pero courage na rin yung kaya mo siyang sabihin nang honest.
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What would you try if failure felt less embarrassing?
Ano ang susubukan mo kung hindi gaanong nakakahiya ang pumalya?
Back of the card
Embarrassment can make the room feel smaller than it is. The thing you would try may still be worth naming.
Kayang paliitin ng hiya ang mundo mo. Pero yung bagay na susubukan mo, baka worth pa ring pangalanan.
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Pick one value you want to show up in your week.
Pumili ng isang value na gusto mong makita sa week mo.
Back of the card
A value becomes real in small choices. One week is enough space to practice it gently.
Nagiging real ang value sa maliliit na choices. Sapat na ang isang week para i-practice siya nang gentle.
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Name something you want to be known for by people close to you.
Magsabi ng isang bagay na gusto mong maalala sa'yo ng mga taong close sa'yo.
Back of the card
The way you want to be known can reveal what you value. It can also guide one small choice today.
Yung gusto mong maalala nila sa'yo, may pinapakitang value. Puwede rin siyang gumabay sa isang maliit na choice today.
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Name something you are outgrowing, even if you still care about it.
Magsabi ng isang bagay na parang ino-outgrow mo na, kahit may care ka pa rin doon.
Back of the card
Outgrowing something does not always mean rejecting it. Sometimes it means honoring what was real while making room to change.
Hindi laging rejection ang pag-outgrow. Minsan pag-honor siya sa naging totoo, habang gumagawa ng space para magbago.
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Name one hope you are protecting because it matters to you.
Magsabi ng isang hope na iniingatan mo kasi mahalaga talaga sa'yo.
Back of the card
We often protect the hopes that feel tender. You can hold it carefully without pretending it does not matter.
Madalas nating ingatan ang hopes na tender. Puwede mo siyang hawakan nang maingat nang hindi nagkukunwaring hindi siya mahalaga.
How to use them
Before you ask
Every graduate hears the same question fifty times: what’s next. Some have a neat answer, most don’t, and all of them are tired of it by dessert. Better questions ask about the years that just ended, the people who got them through, and what they hope for without demanding a five-year plan.
At the party, keep it celebratory: how they’d design their own celebration, a goal they want to toast with friends. With family or close friends, ask them to look back: the teacher whose habit stuck, the friend who made them belong, the thing that used to scare them and doesn’t now. The what’s-next set is about courage and values, so a grad with no plan can still answer.
These work for high school, college and grad school, and for the graduate’s friends, who are going through the same thing. For a class or homeroom, see questions for students.
Good for
Tips
- Never ask about salary, grades or job offers at the party.
- Ask the parents a look-back question too; they lived the school years alongside.
- Give the grad one card to answer in a toast instead of a speech.
- Let classmates answer the same card and compare memories.
- Anyone can pass, especially on the what’s-next set.
Decks for this
Graduation
Frequently asked questions
What are good questions to ask a graduate?
Ask about the school years and the people in them: a teacher whose habit stuck, a friend who made them feel they belonged, something that got easier. For the future, ask about hopes and courage rather than job plans.
What do you say to a graduate who doesn’t know what’s next?
Ask what they want to try rather than what they have lined up. Questions about values, courage and what matters to them now give an honest answer even without a plan.
What are fun graduation party questions?
Celebratory ones: how the grad would design their own celebration, a goal they want to celebrate with friends, or how they recover after finishing something hard. They keep the party light.
Are these graduation questions available in Tagalog?
Yes. Every question has an English and a Filipino/Tagalog version, so lola and the graduate can each read their own. They come from the free Kumustahan app.
Bring a better question to the table.
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