WesternU College of Podiatric Medicine Commencement: Live in the Present
Western University of Health Sciences’ College of Podiatric Medicine held its Commencement ceremony May 13, 2025 in Pomona, California.
Graduate speaker Donya Rabadi, DPM ’25, emphasized to her classmates that confidence isn’t about having all the answers, it’s about trusting their perspective and that their instincts do matter.
“Each of us brings something unique to this profession – not just our medical knowledge, but our humanity, our empathy, and our lived experiences. These are not things to water down. These are, in fact, our strengths,” Rabadi said. “So from now on, walk into every room knowing that your presence is powerful. Speak with the confidence of someone who has worked relentlessly to get where you are. Let your skills, compassion, and authenticity be what sets you apart. Don’t strain to make others comfortable. Don’t wait for permission to lead. And don’t let imposter syndrome talk you out of opportunities that were made for you. You’ve earned your place, now own it and don’t give up your seat at the table.”
In his Dean’s Charge, CPM Dean Jonathan Labovitz, DPM, FACFAS, CHCQM, took the graduates on a journey with their feet, from the nervous yet excited feeling of starting medical school to standing in the operating room or hospital with confidence and without arrogance during their residency. He asked them to reflect on their feet at this moment as they graduate.
“It is important to be grateful for what you’ve done in the past and to strive for greater success in the future, but always remember it is most important to recognize where your feet are right now, so you live in the present,” Labovitz said. “Be present for your patients. Show them respect. Treat them the way they should be treated and want to be treated. This requires you go the extra mile, with empathy, humility, integrity, and with the dedication that got you here today. It requires that you know where your feet are in your journey with each patient, keeping them right where you are, so your focus is on the patient you are with, when you are with them.”
The support of family and friends will keep their feet grounded, so be present for them, Labovitz said.
“Residency and the responsibility of being a doctor is a journey that brings about new challenges, but knowing where your feet are, making sure to keep your head where your feet are, allows you to live in the present so you can think clearly to face the challenges with the same dedication that led to the culmination of your success that we have witnessed today,” he said.
CPM graduate William Liu, DPM ’25, said reaching this milestone brings a mixture of excitement and pride, and a little bit of nervousness – in a good way – given they’re embarking on a new chapter and becoming doctors. He grew up playing basketball and has always dealt with foot and ankle issues. In addition, podiatric medicine appealed to him because of the guarantee of surgery as a DPM and because of the immediate relief you can give a patient with treatments.
“The wide variety of things we can do in podiatric medicine, the integrated curriculum, how intense it was, made us well-rounded physicians,” Liu said. “We know more than just the foot and ankle.”
He knows everyone will be busy with residencies, but Liu said he will keep in touch with his classmates.
“That’s what airplanes are for,” Liu said. “It won’t be as easy to hit up (his friends) to get some food, but we’ll still be in touch. That’s something I’m going to miss the most, the relationships and friendships we made with classmates and with our faculty.”
