On the morning of Thursday, May 16, 2019, the CHHS Class of 2019 and their guests took part in the College of Health and Human Services Degree Celebration at EagleBank Arena. A total of 675 CHHS graduates represented six fields of study, five undergraduate programs, seven master’s programs, and four doctoral programs.
Dr. Germaine Louis, dean of CHHS, opened the ceremony with encouragement to all graduates to make a difference in their profession, whether it is in delivering health care, setting new national policies in health, or something in between. “By working together, we can be the change,” she said. “As you leave here today, prepared with the knowledge, skills, and competencies, work to make health visible for all the people. This will produce healthier communities, which in turn will make stronger economies, and I believe, happier populations.”
Dr. Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable, director of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health (NIMHD) Disparities delivered the keynote speech. He highlighted the urgency of addressing minority health and health disparities and that there is no single path to address these disparities. He encouraged, “By implementing the best practices of what we know today, we can make a difference in the most vulnerable that will lead to health benefits for all.”
For the second year in a row, the ceremony featured a student speaker from the graduating class. Misky Sharif, BS Community Health ’19, encouraged her fellow graduates that the world needs each one of them. “[The world] needs us for our education, our talents and our flaws,” she explained. “Our flaws will lead us to our purpose and our challenges will help show us the way.”
About to embark on new journeys, members of the Class of 2019 reminisced about their time at Mason. Liwei Xu, BS Community Health ’19 explained, “I wouldn’t have achieved this and had such a wonderful time here without all the support from my professors, program advisors, and friends. The College is like home to me.” Xu will continue her studies in a graduate program in health administration at John Hopkins University.