Junie Mertus, MS-CEM ’26 Hooding Ceremony Speech

New Master of Science in Community Engaged Medicine graduate Junie Mertus was selected by her classmates to speak on their behalf at the Graduate Studies Hooding Ceremony on May 8, 2026. To follow is Junie’s speech.

 

Good evening to Furman faculty, staff, alumni, community partners, families, and guests and most importantly, to my classmates, my community, my family—Cohort 11.

They told me I only had five minutes to speak about our journey…
but if we’re being honest, after everything we’ve been through this speech could easily be another thesis.

When we first walked into orientation…
we thought we were just stepping into another program.

We didn’t realize…
we were stepping into something that would challenge us, stretch us, and shape us in ways we didn’t see coming
and somehow it turned a room full of strangers…
into a community we would carry with us long after this moment.

David Spangler once said, “Some people think they are in community, but they are only in proximity. True community requires commitment and openness.”

And looking at us now…
I know we were never just in proximity.

We came here thinking we were going to learn medicine.
To prepare for our next step.
To become professionals in our fields.

But what we didn’t realize…
was how much this journey was going to demand from us.

We were thrown into fire hydrant-type summer courses
trying to absorb everything at once.
Trying to write a thesis in a year.
Trying to understand concepts that didn’t always make sense the first time…
or the second time.

And it wasn’t just the pace, it was the depth.

We were pushed to think differently.
To question what we thought we knew.
To go beyond memorizing and actually understand.

There were nights where nothing made sense.
Where the material didn’t click…where the clock kept moving…
and where 11:59 didn’t feel like a deadline.
It felt like a test of who we were.

And in those moments…
we had a choice.

We could either shut down…
or choose to lean on each other.

And Cohort 11…
we leaned in.

Study groups became more than just studying.
They became spaces where we showed up for each other…
where we challenged each other…
where we reminded each other that we were capable, even when we didn’t believe it ourselves.

And somewhere in the middle of all that pressure…
something shifted.

Because this program was never just about medicine.

It was about people.

Through our fieldwork in clinics, in hospitals, in communities
we began to see what health really looks like.

Not just symptoms.
Not just diagnoses.

But access.
Environment.
Lived experience.
Trust.

We stopped just asking, “What is the diagnosis?”
And started asking, “What is their story?”

We challenged our professors.
We challenged the curriculum.
We advocated for ourselves as a cohort.

And that takes courage.

Because growth doesn’t happen in comfort.
It happens when you’re stretched…
when you’re uncertain…
when you’re forced to think differently and show up anyway.

And that’s exactly what we did.

There was no Plan B in this room.

No backup version of ourselves we were willing to settle for.

There was only forward.
Only growth.
Only becoming.

We sharpened each other.
Iron sharpened iron.

And even in the moments when the storm felt overwhelming…
we didn’t turn away from each other.

We showed up.

For me… this journey has always been personal.

I come from a family that understands sacrifice.
Not as an idea…but as a reality.

To my mother Marie and my father Jean—
you came here with nothing but the clothes on your backs, working tirelessly to create something greater.

And my mom once told me something I will carry for the rest of my life:

“People can take everything from you in this world, but what they can never take is your ability to learn and to go further with the lessons you have learned.”

And I carried that with me…
through every late night…
every moment of doubt…

Every tear…
and every time the pressure felt like too much.

I leaned on my village—my family, my amazing partner—who reminded me that I didn’t have to do this alone.

My siblings…especially my brother Emmanuel…you have always been my why.

Watching you navigate your diagnosis showed me what patient advocacy truly looks like not in theory, but in real life.

And it was through this program…
that I began to understand how community shapes not just outcomes—
but lives.

So, as we stand here today…
preparing to step into our next roles whether in medicine, dentistry, mental health, or beyond—

We carry something greater than just knowledge.

We carry perspective.
We carry resilience.
And we carry responsibility.

Community was built among us.
Not just in proximity but in commitment, in growth, and in showing up for one another.

Over these past 11 months, we didn’t just learn medicine…we learned people, purpose, and perspective.

And that is what kept us running this marathon.

So no, this is not goodbye.

This is the beginning of walking into the next chapter…with more people on your side than you started with.

Cohort 11…

I challenge us to never forget what this program taught us…to see people before we see problems, to listen before we assume, and to show up even when it’s uncomfortable.

So go be great.
Go succeed.
Excel in every way
BUT never forget… it takes community.

Congratulations!

We did it.

Thank you.