Christine Hurley DerisoDear Readers,
I still vividly remember the excitement I felt as I prepared to enter dental school. I was both thrilled and apprehensive. I knew it would take determination, focus and perseverance to meet my professional goals. How true that turned out to be … yet dental school turned out to be one of the most fulfilling challenges of my life.
The memories of my dental school days were fresh on my mind as we welcomed a new crop of first-year students in the fall. What a privilege it was to help guide them through such a momentous threshold. I assured them at our Welcome Back Assembly in August that for all their jitters and apprehensions, they’re more than up to the task.
Just consider what they’ve already accomplished: Our incoming class of 90, a record high, logged a collective undergraduate grade point average of 3.63. Factor in the countless hours they’ve spent volunteering, shadowing, working part-time jobs and otherwise serving their communities, and there’s no doubt in my mind that the Class of 2020 will be one of our finest yet. I can’t wait to see what the world has in store for them — and what they have in store for the world.
You’ll see a photomontage of that ceremony in this edition of the magazine, as well as a plethora of accomplishments unfolding on campus. Even the most cursory glance at the talents, skills and innovations of our faculty, alumni and students will surely inspire those just starting out. We appreciate all of the efforts of those who paved the way for the Class of 2020 to be successful.
We hope these stories will inspire you as well. Here’s to a renewed commitment for all of us to set our deepest dreams in motion.
