Tara Katz, MS-CEM ’24 Hooding Ceremony Speech

New Master of Science in Community Engaged Medicine graduate Tara Katz was selected by her classmates to speak on their behalf at the Graduate Studies Hooding Ceremony on December 18, 2024. To follow is Tara’s speech.

 

Good afternoon, everyone. I would like to begin by expressing my appreciation for everyone being here today—our friends, family, faculty, and staff—as we come together to celebrate the MS-CEM graduate class of 2024. It is with deep gratitude and a profound sense of accomplishment that I stand before you, representing my fellow colleagues, or as we called ourselves, Team Eight, followed by a Purple Heart.

As I take a moment to look back on all the insightful, inspiring, and transformative moments that occurred throughout this program, I realize that I cannot begin to reflect on my own growth without first acknowledging where my path began. Before starting this program, I was complacent. I was too comfortable not approaching the painful truths about healthcare, the depths of health disparities, and the challenges faced within our systems. As I always wanted to embrace the notion of being optimistic or “seeing the good in people,” that is merely not enough and cannot be the foundation we rely on to provide meaningful change. We must dig deeper to understand why the world operates the way it does, why opportunities are stripped from individuals, why people are suffering at the hands of our own, and why lives are lost too easily. This program was more than just a wake-up call for me, it was a driving force for my perceptual pathway of promise. While I did learn some harsh realities, I learned that we can heal and grow together.

Now, I wouldn’t have been able to remotely understand my purpose in all this if it weren’t for my classmates and our experiences through this program together. Seven influential women with the passions to blossom and embrace all the things life has to offer. What is so incredible about a program like this is being able to truly connect with and appreciate the lives around you. Individuality is essential for human progress and the flourishment of society and being in a space like Furman that embodies these ideals, we can use the diversities of our thoughts to establish creative solutions. And we did that, with the help of our teachers and the task to write a 100-page thesis, we undoubtedly tested our caffeine tolerance and provided innovative and resourceful strategies.

It was everyone’s uniqueness that made these classrooms so special including the professors. Be it Megan’s timelines of experiences and profound wisdom, Ashley’s constant compassionate presence, Eva’s unyielding perseverance and constant inclusivity, or Jada’s active guidance and incomparable precision or what we called, “her two decimal points.” Or was it Destini’s softspoken yet insurmountable ability to spread kindness, Kailey’s ongoing determination and eagerness to learn, or Jordynn’s radiating energetic and determined voice (often characterized by her hand motions). 

These qualities help make the recollection of memories so powerful and why enduring the steps of this journey together were so impactful. Our journey sticks out to me in many ways, whether it was the six hours of Anatomy and Physiology on Tuesdays, or our vulnerable and honest conversations in health policy and implicit bias or learning how meiosis works for the 3^rd time in genetics, or our many debriefs after class or even during class as we can thank Dr. Rachel Bowers for allowing our class time to be used as our book club. These moments only signify a few ways we were woven together through the challenges and triumphs of learning.

As I reflected on these experiences, I couldn’t help but notice a theme. How was this all possible?

You see, I don’t think it was a coincidence that we labeled ourselves “Team Eight.” We knew that taking on the tasks of this program meant we were in this together. That our differences united are how we can thrive individually but can be unstoppable as a collective cohort. It is like how the molecule ATP synthase works, (and yes, we can thank Dr. Mina for why biochemistry was flooding my mind as I wrote this speech). ATP synthase has two subunits that both have significant functions when separated, but when they work together in harmony, they have the power to create the energy for our cells—and, in turn, powers our lives.

Ultimately, we are subunits working tirelessly to produce things, ideas, innovations, but can do so much more when we are one collaborative unit. This program has enlightened us to use the power of community health. Not only have our CEM professors and fieldwork hosts empowered us to develop the sense of unified compassion, but also, we have activated it within each other, and now we can ignite it within the rest of the world. I know you all will inspire change, using that collective approach to induce empathy and improve the health of others and the health of our Earth. I will leave you all with a quote from Donavan Livingston “Together, we can inspire galaxies of greatness for generations to come. The sky is not the limit, it is only the beginning.” Thank you, and congratulations class of 2024!