23 May 2007

Saying Adios to Palmer FL

Tomorrow, I'll wear my clinic jacket for the last time when I check out. Hopefully, that process will go smoothly, and I won't need to do any more last minute hours or requirements. We'll pack up our stuff and move to PA by next Wednesday. Yay!

We already took our graduation photos. I'm posting mine now since there's a very strong possibility that I won't make it to the graduation ceremony, which is due to the fact that I'm due with the baby 3 weeks after our ceremony. Graduation is sort of a big deal here, but not really. I mean, it's not like the 3-day event that it was at UT Austin complete with fireworks, live concert performances, and buildings on the mall awash with lights displaying the 6 flags of Texas. It's nothing like that. In fact, at Palmer FL, the whole ceremony is usually conducted in the middle of the afternoon at a local college's auditorium and it's over in less than 45 minutes. However, it is a small college, so instead of a glorious commencement, it's more of a small, "say goodbye to your Palmer family" type of deal. Considering we have such small graduating classes, I'd expect a more personalized ceremony for each of the 50 graduates, but again, they don't do that here. What will be different for our class, thanks to a rockin' class council, is that we're taking huge strides to change the location of the ceremony. Hey, the charter class of Palmer FL was going to graduate in a local high school's cafeteria, so considering we have something more than that is a huge step up. We've been trying to do the ceremony in a different and classier location for the past year, but there's something about going through administration and getting them to approve it (money), so, we don't know the final word on that just yet.

But, we did vote on graduation speakers, and as long as our top choice says "Yes", we have an incredibly captivating speaker and leader in the chiropractic profession lined up to provide the keynote address. If his schedule isn't open, we've also voted on 2 faculty members to speak at the graduation banquet and/or 1 of them to speak at the ceremony as a back-up. I'd hate to miss Dr. Dan Murphy, and the opportunity to celebrate and say goodbye to my classmates, but I'm not going to risk my health nor this pregnancy and fly 3 weeks from my due date. But hey, I could deliver early and that could change everything. So, my last chance to see everyone will be at class next Tuesday morning. I think most of us are just itching so bad to get out of here and start our preceptorship that we just really don't care about much of anything at all around here.

To Class 073:

We've come a long way since July 2004 when we were just a lecture hall full of strangers. We've since grown so much as doctors and professionals. We've participated in 3 Student Olympics, 3 Homecomings, 2 Chiro Games (with 2 gold-medal teams), at least 3 sets of national boards, countless seminars, 1.5 years worth of anatomy labs, almost 1 year at the clinic to date, way too many classroom hours (most of us sitting in the same seats since 1st quarter), picnics, parties, & fundraisers.

We made it through 9th quarter, and we all know that NOTHING in an academic setting can EVER compete with the stress and chaos of those 3 months of pain. We'll never forget J-Pags' robot voice, Victor's contagious laugh, Barney's off-topic comments, nor Stew's Student Council announcements. OK, maybe scratch the last one. Through the ingenuity of really smart and talented people in our class with great movie-making skills, and numchuck skills (Rob), our class paved the way for filming lab demos to create incredibly smart study tools. We started over 8 new clubs and organizations on and off campus and have left a legacy at Palmer Florida.

Congrats to everyone for making it thus far . . . only 4 more months! I wish you all the best in 13th quarter and beyond graduation as you serve your patients and blaze new trails in our profession. Our most challenging classroom is yet to come, working in a real-world practice and making ends meet.

I hope you'll keep in touch (e-mail, myspace, even good ol' WebCT). Perhaps we'll see each other in the future at seminars, Homecoming, weddings, or reunions. By the way, I think having a class reunion in Puerto Rico would be fabuloso. Serve well, and God bless you all.

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