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Class of 2014 graduates tip tassels to left

New DVM graduates Dr. Esther Greenbarg, Dr. Jamilah Cherry, Dr. Rachel Ashley, Dr. Kimberly Alexander, Dr. Helen Rudnick and Dr. Sarah Henry pose for photos in the Black Box area of the Phillips Center on May 25. (Photo by Sarah Carey)

By Sarah Carey

Members of the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine’s Class of 2014 tipped their tassels to the left and celebrated completion of four years of veterinary school during commencement exercises held May 24 at the UF Phillips Center.

Dean Jim Lloyd told the class, “Today’s ceremony represents an enormous amount of dedication.You have all endured and survived and what was all that concern of grades along the way? Today we will call you all doctor.”

The dean noted that the overall grade point average for the class was a “pretty remarkable” 3.32. He added that eight students graduated with high honors, 10 with honors, and three with a combined D.V.M.-M.P.H. degree.

The new graduates came to UF from a variety of backgrounds, Lloyd said.

“Nine had a master’s of science, one had a master’s degree in linguistics and one was an attorney,” he said, adding that the class also included a survivor of Hurricane Katrina and an immigrant from Cuba.

This is a great time to be a veterinarian, the dean said, adding that the future was “indeed bright” for the veterinary profession.

“Our career opportunities are expanding and emerging,” Lloyd said.

Dr. Michael Schaer, a professor emeritus of emergency medicine and critical care, presented the keynote address, exhorting the new graduates to “lead with a magnanimous heart and an open mind while never forgetting that many will be totally dependent on your good judgment and strength in character.”

“These past four years established the foundation of your very exciting futures,” Schaer said. “You have prepared yourselves so diligently in the classroom for your readiness for clinics, and now look at you: smarter, polished, technically capable and hopefully confident to take on many responsibilities that await you.”

Schaer told the students to be prepared for the painful moments that take place during their climb to success.

“Don’t forget for a minute that today’s triumph can soon be met by tomorrow’s disaster, as some of you have already witnessed in your clinical experiences,” he said. “Modifying the quote from that famous boxing movie, ‘Rocky,’ life, much like the fight, depends not only about how hard you can hit, but ultimately on how capable you are in getting up off that mat after taking the hardest of hits. Such will be your career and your lives.”

Now-Drs. Chris Simmons and Jesse Hinkle take a selfie  in regalia prior to the start of commencement exercises for the Class of 2014 on May 25. (Photo by Sarah Carey)

To view an album with photos from commencement on the college Facebook page, click here.