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WesternU College of Podiatric Medicine graduates ready to move forward and live life

by Rodney Tanaka

May 15, 2020

Read 2 mins

WesternU College of Podiatric Medicine Class of 2020 graduates.

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced clinical rotations to close, Western University of Health Sciences College of Podiatric Medicine Class of 2020 students did not panic, according to CPM Dean V. Kathleen Satterfield, DPM, FACFAOM.

“You could’ve panicked. You could’ve felt sorry for yourselves, but you’re not ‘could’ve’ kind of people,” Satterfield said. “You proved that you wanted to get on with life. That drive is what brought us to this Virtual Oath Ceremony, instead of a long online graduation. That was your choice.”

Satterfield presided over CPM’s Virtual Oath Ceremony May 15, 2020 on Zoom. The College welcomed 36 new Doctors of Podiatric Medicine into the profession. Each graduate appeared on screen as they were hooded by family and friends.

CPM Dean V. Kathleen Satterfield, DPM, FACFAOM.

Satterfield asked every graduate to care for themselves as conscientiously as they care for their patients. She also cautioned them that some patients will be difficult, while others will be kind and appreciative.

“Have compassion for them both,” she said. “Remember that each patient is just seeking some happiness and trying to avoid suffering, just like you.”

She closed with one more piece of advice.

“Don’t wait to live your lives, or you will reach the end having only gone through the motions. There is no perfect time to have a child, to travel, or to start a new venture,” Satterfield said. “Do not wait. As a friend of mine says, ‘Live deeply, not so fast.’ Savor the minutes because before you know it they turn into years. Go out and have a wonderful life, my friends.”

 

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