Medical School Graduation

So I'm back and I graduated! Yay!!! I was blessed to have 7 pre-graduation guests (4 Family Members!!!) and 6 graduation guests (Great Friends!!!!) that traveled all the way from different parts of the Unites States down to Cuba to be there to support me which I will always and forever appreciate. Also my fiance, Kareem, was there who forewent his own graduation party to be at my graduation ceremony and party (Kareem graduated the same day at 10am and my graduation was at 3pm so my ceremony was at the same time as his party.) I barely slept the night before preparing for graduation, then I was up to an early start for my $1 manicure/pedicure appointment and trip to the drycleaner to get my white coat pressed for 10 cents all before we headed out to Kareem's graduation at 9am.

I want to make everyone who wanted to be there, but couldn't make it, feel like they were there, so if you want to feel like you were there, and can find the time to read this, here's how it went:

The ceremony consisted of around 1500 graduates from all the medical sciences including medicine, nursing, dentistry, and other medical professions. There were 21 graduates from the US, all from medicine. The majority of the graduates were Cuban, but there were around 40% of us who were foreign students from 80 something countries from all over the world. The largest group of foreign students was from China with close to 400 graduates. The ceremony consisted of a number of inspiring speeches, poetic performances and musical numbers all dedicated to us and loving work we will do through the medical sciences. We were all seated on the lower level of a theater that seats 5000, while our family and friends sat in the upper levels of the theater. We are often referred to as an "Army of White Coats" so the ceremony was really the culmination of all of our success and not the success of each individual student.

At the end of the ceremony, we were all given our diplomas as a group after the Rector said this catchy line (even in Spanish it sounds catchy) "And now, what we've all been waiting for..." (the crowd goes wild) And he then says "The giving of the diplomas" That's when everyone stands up and finds their diploma giver, which for me was my professor and mentor Dr. Ana Maria Andreu. A woman who has mentored and taught me over the last 4 years, to whom I am eternally grateful for all the hours of dedication to my personal and professional growth.

Following the official ceremony, there was a long photo shoot, that was really more exhausting than anything else, but I'm grateful that I will soon have lots of pictures to share with you all. After the official ceremony and photo shoot, we were invited to a celebratory dinner hosted by IFCO/Pastors for Peace, the organization through which I applied to attend medical school in Cuba more than 7 years ago!

At the dinner, each graduate was invited to say a few words, and of course I cried reflecting on my journey, the support I've received from you all, and how unprecedented my graduation is in my family. We were then individually given a gift from Pastors for Peace and a gift from Congresswoman Barbara Lee. A series of photos followed, and we danced and were marry for about 10 minutes before we were absolutely exhausted and had no other choice but to go home and rest to plan for my good friend Tia's wedding, which was the next day.

It was a long day, but passed by so quickly, that I can't even imagine that I spent so many hours outside my home celebrating on that one day. I was not emotional until the party, when I realized, wow, this is over! I did it! Even still being home now feels like a summer vacation. Other graduates have told me that it feels more real when September comes and instead of preparing to go back to Cuba, the same as the last 6 years, I'll just be here lol. We'll see though...

So yea, that's the graduation!