Joanna Z. Ye of the School of Medicine talks of conquering challenges and embracing the responsibilities ahead during the Universitywide commencement ceremony.
Joanna Zhao Ye, a graduating student in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, served as the Student Speaker for the University of Maryland, Baltimore's (UMB) 2023 commencement May 18 at Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena on the campus of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Read her speech below and learn more about Ye by clicking on this link:
Hello, Class of 2023, and welcome, friends and family. It is such an honor to stand here and congratulate you all on what you have accomplished during your time at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.
Although we’re graduating from different programs on different timelines, we’ve shared some of the unique challenges of being students during a global health crisis. For many of us, life as we knew it changed completely while we were students at UMB. We have overcome challenges in the classroom and out in the world under unprecedented circumstances. On top of that, many of us have started families, grieved for loved ones, or persevered through seemingly impossible obstacles. Every graduate here today has a remarkable story to tell, which deserves recognition.
Let me share a quick story of my own. I started my doctorate in physical therapy at UMB in May 2020, which meant that it was about three months before I had a chance to meet the people in my own class. Even though I’ve had a lot of practice talking in big Zoom meetings, it was another almost three years before I had my first opportunity to speak in front of a physical audience. That opportunity was at a physical therapy conference earlier this year, which had 14,000 people in attendance. A whopping 20 people out of 14,000 showed up to my presentation. But still, I was nervous! It was my first time having a real platform and the chance to put my ideas out in the world, and I agonized over it. I wondered: Are these ideas even important enough to talk about? Do people even care?
And so, I timidly voiced my ideas for how to improve the field of physical therapy to this room of professionals with far more knowledge and experience than me. The next day at this same conference, I attended a must-see panel with very experienced and well-known speakers. There were hundreds of people in this audience. One of the speakers said the exact same thing I had said a day before, just to a much bigger audience. I looked around the room, and people were nodding their heads like it was a revelation. I realized at that moment, even though I was “just a student” and even though my platform was much smaller, I still had a valuable truth to share.
But now, we’re not just students anymore. We’re here today because we have proven that we have the skills, knowledge, and experience to excel in our disciplines. And now we have the responsibility to pursue the truth and speak it as loudly as we can so that we can push our disciplines — and society — forward.
Even though we are graduating into many different professions and embarking on different paths, I hope that we will continue to support and learn from each other when we cross paths again in the future.
I want to thank my family including my parents, sisters, and husband for all the ways they have supported me. Thank you to UMB faculty, staff, and administrators, especially those over at the UMB Writing Center and Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science. University Student Government Association senators and Cindy Rice: Thank you for all your hard work and service to UMB. And to the graduating Class of 2023: Thank you and congratulations once again.