Valedictorian Speech
To the Class of 2020,
You’ll have to forgive me if this does not sound like your typical valedictorian’s address because, to be blunt, nothing to do with this year’s graduation is typical. In fact, it’s probably more accurate to say that this is the most unorthodox graduation in the history of graduations.
I’ve been given a pretty big job. It’s no secret that the last four years has been incredibly challenging for our class, and I’ve been asked to write something inspirational to share with you all. Allow me to recap, for the sake of those listening who aren’t privy to the adversities that we have faced, several from the last two years using as few words as possible.
Salud. Lottery. Fourth-year priority. Alphabetization. OD bottleneck. Alphabetization again. Recalls. Fourth-year priority. Strike(remember that?). Watergate. Evening clinic. Retirements. Coverage. June clinic. Buddy system. Requirements.
COVID.
The truth is, our class proceeded through our clinical years of dental education during a time of massive change at our school. We were asked to grit our teeth and told that it would pay off. Then, as we approached the finish line, a world pandemic showed up and, out of necessity, the celebrations that we worked so hard for had to be cancelled. Things like graduation formal, convocation, and for some graduation itself.
It doesn’t seem fair that, after so much compromise, things should end this way. To be honest with you, when I heard that I had been named valedictorian several months ago, I did not envision myself sitting inside my apartment typing a speech into Microsoft Word and having to make a decision between whether I wanted to read it to my laptop with or without video.
It’s a shame that we aren’t going to get a chance to celebrate with our friends. It’s a shame that we aren’t going to get a chance to walk the stage in front of our family, and it’s a shame that we aren’t going to get a chance to say goodbye to one another.
It’s pretty easy to look back on the last four years and see the difficult times only, but you know what, I remember a lot of good times, too.
I remember our white coat ceremony, where I was so nervous to meet the rest of you because I truly believed that Western had made a mistake by letting me in. I remember seeing all of you dressed to the nines and thinking to myself that there was no way I could possibly be as smart or sophisticated. On top of it all, it was so hot and humid that I had to hide beside alumni hall and towel myself off before going inside with the rest of you. After controlling the damage, I followed the crowd indoors and took my seat behind David Nguyen. David also happened to be sweating through his shirt, but he was laughing about it. He doesn’t know it, but that was when I realized that maybe you weren’t all robots after all.
It didn’t take long for our class to become the one that every other year liked to be around. We worked hard, but we didn’t take ourselves too seriously. We supported one another and we liked to have fun. All that it took to bring us together was one tub, several freshwater crabs and one cake that was a lot stronger than anticipated. Over the next four years the camaraderie continued, and we propped up every formal, med vs dent soccer game, ODA Cup, ski trip, holiday party, softball tournament and get-together in between.
To be clear, our class was not only known for being the life of the party but for being hard workers, too. Many of you entered dental school after completing master’s degrees and PhD’s, and more students from our class are pursuing postdoctoral training than the three before us. Numerous of you have been published and won awards for your research in the field of dentistry. Members of our class helped organize the inaugural Canadian Dental Student Conference in 2018 and the following conference in 2020. Others spearheaded a mentorship program that has continued to evolve and will continue to support future dental students when we are gone. For four years our class made up half of the roster of the Mighty Dents hockey team, helping raise over $40,000 for charity, while others selflessly volunteered to help with faculty recruitment both in and outside of London, resulting in the hire of numerous clinical instructors at the school. Several instructors, many of whom have been at the school for decades, have told us repeatedly that our class ranks as one of the best they have had the pleasure of teaching, and whether we liked it or not, we are the first fourth-year class to be actively engaged in the clinical education of our third-year companions.
We accomplished all of this despite the additional demands, challenges, adjustments and compromises placed on us by our school and I truly believe that, because of these efforts, we have contributed to changes that will positively influence the education of the students that follow us.
You should all be proud.
A lot of you don’t know this about me, but I almost didn’t come to my interview at Western. I almost didn’t come because, as an out of province applicant, I didn’t think that I stood a shot in hell at getting in. It was a tough time in my life, and I had to choose between paying for my flight to Ontario or fixing the car that I was using to drive myself to university at the time. I was leaning toward fixing my car, and if it weren’t for one of my close friends, I probably wouldn’t have come to London.
I nearly made the biggest mistake of my life over six-hundred dollars. Looking back on that now it seems crazy, but at the time it felt like it was all that mattered. What I am trying to say to you all is that sometimes the things that seem like a big deal in the moment will be nothing but a good story four years down the road.
It may not feel how we expected it to feel, but we have achieved something that we have been pursuing for the better half of a decade. We may not have a graduation ceremony or a convocation, and some of us may have to wait a bit longer before they can celebrate, but it does not matter. We are dentists.
The saying goes that without pressure there can be no diamonds. I believe that this is true, because our class is full of them.
I’d like to finish by saying thank you to the faculty who worked tirelessly to ensure that, against all odds, we made it to this point in our careers. Several of you literally carried our class across the finish line, and your continued support, open door policies and tireless efforts will not be forgotten. I won’t name names, but you know who you are, and every student in the Class of 2020 does too.
And, most importantly, I’d like to thank you, my classmates. The Schulich Dentistry Class of 2020. I’d like to thank you for supporting me for two years as your class president, for putting up with my chalk-talks and class meetings, and for choosing me to represent you as your valedictorian. Most of all, however, I’d like to thank you for making the last four years so special.
Congratulations. I wish you all nothing but the very best in the future, and I look forward to seeing you sometime again soon.
Until then,
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