Graduate Medical Sciences Students Celebrated at May 15 Convocation
C. James McKnight, PhD, associate provost and dean of Graduate Medical Sciences (GMS) at the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine told graduate students receiving diplomas at the May 15 convocation that they were bright, ambitious, articulate and gifted.
“Your hard work here has prepared you and we are confident that you have the will, the courage and the tools that are necessary to make a difference in all of our futures,” said McKnight.
“Your community will be your anchor, your strength and your lifeline. As the old African proverb goes, ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.’”
Cynthia Ordoñez Salguero
“The diploma you get today is the credential that grants you entry to the next stage of your life,” said Karen Antman, MD, BUMC provost and dean of the school of medicine, speaking to graduating students, their families, friends and faculty assembled for the GMS convocation ceremony at BU’s Track & Tennis Center.
Makayla Harris, celebrates her MA in mental health counseling & behavioral medicine.
GMS awarded 35 master of arts, 322 master of science degrees, and five combined degrees.
“We all leave here with something in common,” said Joshua Kidwell, who graduated from the Master’s in Medical Sciences (MAMS) program and is headed to Creighton University School of Medicine to pursue his MD. He was one of three student speakers chosen by their peers.
“We’ve grown into people who know how to show up, especially when it’s hard. Who can make the leap, even when the outcome isn’t certain…Who trust ourselves and believe in our ability to make it happen,” Kidwell said. “Not because we are special, but because we believe anything is possible if we do the work and keep going.”
Master’s students from Graduate Medical Sciences line up in the hallway of BU’s Track & Tennis Center before their convocation ceremony.
Speaker Yousuf Al Naseri was born in Baghdad, Iraq. His parents immigrated to the U.S. to secure a better life for their children, Naseri said. Raised in Maryland, he graduated from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill with a BS in biology, received his MS in oral health sciences at the GMS ceremony and will matriculate into BU’s Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine.
“Everything in life is a privilege. It is a privilege to study, to be able to invest in yourself, and it is a privilege that a school like Boston University takes a risk on you and opens all its doors for you to succeed,” Naseri said. “During the difficult moments of your future studies, careers, or research endeavors, I urge everyone to shift their perspective from viewing tasks as obligations, to recognizing them as privileges.
“Shifting your mindset from ‘I have to’ to ‘I get to’ will transform your duties into opportunities.”
“We’ve grown into people who know how to show up, especially when it’s hard. Who can make the leap, even when the outcome isn’t certain…who trust ourselves and believe in our ability to make it happen.”
Joshua Kidwell
As an immigrant from Guatemala, Cynthia Ordoñez Salguero, felt she had to be cautious of others and pretend everything was okay.
“I developed all kinds of strategies to keep my family and me safe,” she said. Graduating with an MA in mental health counseling, Salguero noted that her role as a therapist meant letting go of those survival strategies. She found she had to change her internal script from survival to embracing the world, her community and the support they can give.
Snapping a photo of graduates.
“I believe the future will mirror the life you’ve already known: beautiful and brutal, marked by soaring highs and crushing lows, sudden losses that shake you, and moments of joy that remind you why you keep going,” said Salguero. “Your community will be your anchor, your strength and your lifeline. As the old African proverb goes, ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.’”
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