This reflection/”speech” was submitted to be read at the class of 2020’s virtual commencement celebration for Berkeley’s School of Public Health. Even if I don’t get the chance to share it next Sunday, I would like to share it in some capacity—so here it is:
Dear Berkeley School of Public Health faculty, staff, and fellow students,
You, somehow, simultaneously humble and empower me. I wrote this essay to reflect, to celebrate, and most importantly, to express my gratitude for everything this community has given me. I elected to share my thoughts because I hope it compels you to do the same.
We studied public health because we want to create a better world. However, most of you didn’t wait for graduation or a degree to fight the patriarchy or structural racism or neoliberalism . We have given so much to causes bigger than all of us, on the front lines of public health, bettering people’s lives in real time. As public health enthusiasts, we tend to focus on the socio-ecological model, but humor me for a moment as we zoom into the individual.
My yoga teacher, Toni Mar, often shares this Lao Tzu quote during our practice:
“If you want to awaken all of humanity, then awaken all of yourself.
If you want to eliminate the suffering in the world, then eliminate all that is dark and negative in yourself.
Truly, the greatest gift you have to give is that of your own self-transformation.”
If your time at Berkeley has been anything like mine, your experience has been transformational. Academic and extracurricular environments in our discipline integrate support, community, and self-care into its daily operations. Health, mindfulness, friendship, happiness — these are not just abstract concepts but practices to cultivate — something that SPH culture normalizes and champions. You inspire me to do better and be good — and to be better and do good — just by being yourselves. How cool is that?
Quantum physics posits that reality as we know it only exists through interaction. This includes the self. By bettering ourselves, we have a positive impact on those around us — which has a ripple effect. I can speak from experience: our community has compelled me to focus on my growth areas — such as emotional reactivity and impatience — by reminding me that my self-conduct shapes our environment and culture. In eliminating what is dark and negative in myself, as Lao Tzu so nicely worded, I am committing to putting forth positivity, empathy, and integrity into my environment. Just as we construct ourselves through our personal and environmental relationships, we shape others through our interpersonal interactions. It may seem selfish or indulgent, but bettering the self is public health.
I urge you now to take a moment and think about someone or a group of people whose belief in you gives you strength.
I hope that something I’ve said caused you to reflect on your own self-growth, or has brought up memories that made you smile — or even tear up. As I wrap up, I’d like to thank the SPH faculty and staff for educating and empowering us students, my classmates for compelling me to do and be good, my friends for the positive memories, and above all: my mom, dad, and sister.
When we speak on the phone, I can feel the sheer weight and power of their love from across the country when they tell me they’re proud of what I’ve done. Everyone deserves to feel this kind of love — especially you. Because you can never hear it enough, especially at a time like this, Class of 2020 I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished, of what we’ve become, and am incredibly privileged to not only call you my peers, but also my friends.
