Nearly 400 Master’s Students Celebrate at GMS Convocation

C. James McKnight, PhD, associate provost, and dean of Graduate Medical Sciences welcomed students, their families, friends and faculty to the May 16 commencement with an appeal that these new graduates make an impact on the world and in their own lives.

“You must continue to make a difference with the education and training you have received in your time here,” said McKnight. “Not just professionally. You should continue to make a difference in your families and your communities. Be involved, take care of the world, be engaged and speak out.”

Forty-three master of arts and 323 master of science and 10 combined master of science/master of public health degrees were conferred this year.

“The diploma you get today is the credential that grants you entry to the next stage of your life,” said BUMC Provost and Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine Dean Karen Antman, MD.  “The faculty have great confidence in your creativity, resilience, collaboration and commitment.”

Brent Leung was the first of three student speakers chosen by their peers. Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, Leung graduated from the Master of Science in Medical Sciences (MAMS) program and is headed into BU’s MD program this fall.

MAMS is one of the oldest and most successful Special Master’s Programs in the U.S. and has prepared more than 3,000 students for medical school since 1989.

Leung recalled a favorite memory in which he was studying electron microscope slides on his laptop. Friends and other MAMS students spontaneously gathered around to help him study, and to study themselves. These sessions continued throughout his two years.

“Bonding over practice questions, writing out pathways on whiteboards, going out for drinks after an exam – these are the memories that come to mind when I reflect on the past two years,” said Leung. “While I don’t know what the future holds for all of us, I do know that we all have the capacity to succeed.”

Student speaker Ellie McIntosh, representing the physician assistant program, led off her speech with the admission that she fainted in the first surgery she attended as a high school student. “Soul searching” was how she described an undergraduate journey that shifted through four majors, from biomedical sciences to “undeclared,” finally graduating with a degree in finance.

Working in an OB/GYN clinic in Dallas brought her back into medical science and healthcare and this Texas native will be remaining in Boston as a practicing PA. Like Leung, she said she wasn’t alone on her journey, but was supported by classmates, faculty, family and friends.

“My charge to you is to not let this fervor for life dissipate on those grueling days that will inevitably come as we continue this rollercoaster of life,” McIntosh advised. “We can treat, heal and interact with people of all different backgrounds and socioeconomic status…and help them fight for a truly better tomorrow.”

Like McIntosh, student speaker Aris Desai is a Texas native. Representing master of science students, Desai invoked iconic New England poet Robert Frost.

“The road less traveled is often rugged, and less signposted perhaps, but it is ripe with the promise of personal growth and discovery,” said Desai, who will be returning to Texas to do research.

“Each lab experiment, each patient case study and each research project was an opportunity to choose resilience over resignation, curiosity over complacency, persistence over surrender,” he said. “It is a testament to the idea that success is not just in the destination, but also in the journey.”

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