School of Health Commencement Ceremony Celebrates Graduates’ Perseverance and Dedication

(May 19, 2025) — By persisting and excelling in the face of challenges including political polarization and instability in the U.S. and abroad, the School of Health Class of 2025 was celebrated for demonstrating that they have the tenacity they will need to be successful in their professional lives.

“Some of you experienced the loss of a loved one, or perhaps you navigated rifts between family or friends, or maybe you come from a community that’s been ravaged by fires or natural disasters caused by climate change,” said Christopher King, PhD, FACHE, dean of the School of Health, during the May 17 commencement ceremony in Gaston Hall.

“But look at you,” he added. “You persevered. You did it. The human spirit conquered once again.”

The COVID-19 pandemic was a tragedy that forced those interested in health equity and social justice to recognize the way that social, economic, environmental and political factors impacted human health, King said.

“Now that we are on the other side of this wave, it is time for us to mobilize,” he said. “It is time for us to do better. We must do better. And I feel good about it. Because each of you have impressively demonstrated that you are postured for the challenge.”

King called the 106 graduating students “a new generation of trailblazers who realize that if we care for the most vulnerable, whether it’s a person or a community, the whole world will benefit.”

“As the third class to graduate from the School of Health, the pressure is on,” he said. “The challenge of today’s sociopolitical climate is a profound reminder of the relevance and the importance of the degree for which you have studied. We know you will make us proud.”

‘You Don’t Need a Perfect Plan To Do Meaningful Work’

After receiving the honorary degree doctor of science, honoris causa, Maria D. Van Kerkhove, PhD, interim director of the department of epidemic and pandemic threat management at the World Health Organization, spoke about her career path and the values that have guided her.

Van Kerkhove planned to go to medical school after earning her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, then found herself drawn to ethnobotany and zoopharmacognosy, the study of the ways in which animals self-medicate with plants and insects. Similarly, at Stanford University, Van Kerkhove earned her master’s degree, but the program “wasn’t where my heart was.”

However, when she started working at the WHO, Van Kerkhove knew that was the place for her. “Once I knew of WHO, I was unashamedly desperate to work there,” she said. “It’s what mattered to me. It was the space I wanted to be in. It is still the space I want to be in.”

“I share this not to suggest a perfect trajectory, but to give you something more valuable — permission not to have it all figured out,” Van Kerkhove added. “You don’t need a perfect plan to do meaningful work, but you need grit, persistence, hard work and a thick skin.”

Van Kerkhove encouraged students to invest in their relationships with classmates, colleagues, friends and family. “Whether you’re responding to COVID, Ebola, cholera or the next pandemic threat, it’s the people beside you that will make that possible,” she said. “And that starts now, with the people sitting next to you today.”

Acknowledging the difficult environment that public health professionals are facing, Van Kerkhove urged the students to believe in the importance of their work and themselves. “You may wonder whether you made the right decision,” she said. “You did. Political winds shift. But the health needs of people remain.”

Kat Zambon
GUMC Communications

Scenes From Commencement 2025