 
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: “What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.”
My friends, today we officially gather to mark the end of what has been quite a phenomenal journey.
We cannot deny that it is a relief to finally be on this side of the academic fence but we can look back on our life at The University of the West Indies as quite an adventure.
Our Medical School afforded us the opportunity to learn from a variety of brilliant lecturers. We never knew what to expect, whether it was a discourse on the beauty of mitochondria or watching a scene from Grey’s Anatomy, each class was different from the last.
Seated in front of me are the lovely ladies and the handsome gentlemen of the class of 2012. We hail from the five schools which comprise the Faculty of Medical Sciences and we must admit that we do not always act like one faculty. We started together but as we progressed through the years we found ourselves somewhat socially segregated by degree.
Indeed we often tried to outdo each other in our social and charitable events coordinated by the various student organizations.
The fashion shows, concerts, fun-days, banquets and banquet after-parties showcased the beauty and talents of the students and allowed us to get dressed up and party like we didn’t have exams the next week.
As a family though there are parts of Mt Hope that will stay with us forever.
For some reason, the “blue thing” in the foyer has mysterious appeal. Whether it be to catch up with old friends, play a game of cards or finish a late assignment it was definitely the place to be.
If the endless PBLs were frustrating you, why not pass by the field to see the horses, or take a run around the hospital for exercise. Going to play an impromptu game of football on the field or going to watch MEDS play practice can all take your troubles away.
Mt Hope has become a second home. You tend to forget that it is actually a hospital because you can barely walk down the corridor without seeing the smiling face of a friend or lecturer. Each of us could never have made it this far without the help of some special people.
We must acknowledge the amazing role that our parents and extended family played in our success. Whether it is you kept us fed, washed our clothes, or reminded us of your love before an intimidating exam, we are so very grateful to you. You were our first and most important teachers. You developed in us the attributes which became the foundation of all our accomplishments and we hope that on this day you are proud of us.
We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the lecturers, associate lecturers, administrative staff and ancillary staff of the Faculty of Medical Sciences. Our teachers showed us that we have the tools, directed us to the knowledge and gave us the encouragement to excel in this noble field.
Our Faculty Administration is quite committed to the improvement of the quality of the education which the students enjoy. This has become apparent through their willingness to work with the various student groups as well as through the much needed upgrades which we have seen in recent years. I know that more is yet to come and I commend Dean [Samuel] Ramsewak and his very hard-working team on the strides they are making toward improving life at Med Sci.
When it comes to gratitude, sometimes we forget that the closest people to us may have been the most instrumental. We the graduands must thank each other. We spent days and nights together, roaming the wards, doing practice questions and having study sessions. Nothing breaks the stress like a midnight game of All Fours or a hot cup of corn soup with friends.
We should also thank some special people that some say are mythical creatures and are slowly becoming extinct: our non Med Sci friends. Thanks for understanding when we had to say no, we can’t lime because we have phase in a month. Most importantly thanks for standing by us when we were panicking before exams every two months. You remind us that there is a world beyond medicine for us to explore and that you are there to explore it with us.
Nobel Prize winner Jane Goodall said “What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of difference u want to make.”
We have chosen to take up a mantle of lifelong service to our fellow creatures. The professions we have chosen represent some of the most highly respected worldwide.
Along with this respect comes a mountain of responsibility which we have to be prepared to shoulder. The community now places its trust in us. We will be viewed as role models. We will find ourselves being confided in about everything from their personal relationships to their financial troubles.
My friends, when you find yourself frustrated and tired, as you will 80% of the time, think back to the beginning of UWI when you were asked why you wanted to be in the medical field. Do you remember the answer? Has it changed?
You should take the time to figure out what are your reasons now and let your actions reflect this. Your patients should not be the targets of your frustration. Many of them only require a smile from you and a kind word to begin to feel better so remember that what you do for your patients makes a difference. You have to decide what kind of a difference you want to make.
And so my friends now we have reached an amazing point in our lives. We have passed our final exams and for many of us our lifelong dreams have come true.
You will never have more potential than you have right now and never have more dreams than you have right now because from this point on you have begun to fulfill your potential and are a step closer to living your dreams.
So the question is what now? Our lives are no longer about surviving from one exam to another. We are not students by profession anymore. We now begin to build our lives and to spend time creating our futures.
The usual purpose of a valedictory address is to give a farewell and to leave those who hear it feeling inspired, but given that you, the Class of 2012 are the newest healthcare professionals, to have gotten this far you must have already been inspired.
So how do I inspire inspired people?
My message today fellow graduands is to remain inspired.
Napoleon Hill once said “If you can’t do great things, do small things in a great way.”
We may have dreams of changing the world but many of us may not go on to cure cancer or find a vaccine against HIV. Many of us may turn out to be family practitioners or hospital consultants. At the end of the day whatever you choose to do from this point on makes an impact, whether big or small. I urge you therefore to be an example of how to do small things in a great way. If we all follow this advice then we collectively change the world.
In order to do this we must strive to be more than our professions. It is not enough to just be a good doctor or a good dentist. You must find the time now to be a neighbour, be a friend, be a citizen, be a mother, be a husband. Make the time to live and experience what the world has to offer. You make a bigger contribution to the world by participating in it than by just doing your job.
Today we officially celebrate the hard work which we have put in for the last five years. Tomorrow we put all the knowledge we gained into practice.
|
