FAIRFIELD, Conn.—Students, faculty and staff celebrated the academic successes of Sacred Heart University’s inaugural master of physician assistant class at an intimate commencement ceremony last week.
The 26 students in the cohort, who spent the last 27 months in intense courses and clinical work, sat in the front row of the Edgerton Center for the Performing Arts listening to the encouraging and congratulatory words of professors and guest speakers.
“Five years ago, this was merely a dream,” said President John J. Petillo. “We have made it a very rich reality.” Petillo thanked Teresa Thetford, director of the physician assistant program, for leading the journey from concept to reality. “The University is grateful,” he said.
Petillo also praised the students’ knowledge and skills, saying they truly were pioneers as they were the first in the program. “I am proud I can stand with you on this day,” he told them.
When Thetford took the podium from Reynold Jaglal, director of clinical education and moderator of the ceremony, she said was thrilled to have the students and their friends and family gathered to celebrate. “I am excited to have you here…I can’t stop saying that,” Thetford said.
She told the audience that the class of 2018 emerged from nearly 800 applicants. Of that group, 150 were interviewed. “It has been an arduous journey,” Thetford said, addressing the faculty and families. “Many of you know how challenging and grueling this has all been. Without your patience and sacrifice, they may not have been successful.
“This is a special group of graduates,” she continued. “This commencement is the culmination of all your hard work.”
Rohit Bhalla, vice president, quality and chief quality officer at Stamford Hospital, was the keynote speaker. “I wanted to start by saying congratulations,” he said. “I had the privilege of watching this program from its inception. I’ve seen the faculty in action…I had the opportunity to bear witness to the program and its degree of innovation…It was developed with a great deal of care.”
Bhalla said the students’ road to earning their degrees was “very long” and “not very easy.”
“This is an extraordinarily accomplished group,” Bhalla said. The “elite group” hails from seven states and has accomplished more than 500 hours of community service, as well as hours of rigorous training, he said.
Bhalla said he was confident the graduates were well-equipped to face the challenges in health care and were poised to benefit from the changes. “You will help define what health care of the future will look like,” he told the graduates.
After a choral arrangement, the graduates received their degrees and Pat Walker, dean of the College of Health Professions, presented awards.
Christopher Marks, class president, then spoke about the program’s importance and all he learned, but also focused on the relationships that formed. “Anyone who needed help would get it,” Marks said. “There was always one person who had your back.”
Once Marks concluded, the graduates stood to recite the physician assistant professional oath with Henry H. Yoon, medical director of the physician assistant program.
Thetford returned to the podium. “I couldn’t be prouder of you,” she said. “I feel like a parent letting go…Thank you for your trust in us.” Thetford also provided the graduates with some advice, telling them to acknowledge good work and good people, never doubt what a small group of people can accomplish, keep the care in health care and much more. “Thank you for choosing us,” she concluded. “Now go out there and make a difference. Make us proud, but more important, make yourself proud.”
“It’s an amazing feeling,” said Kathryn LaFleur, 30, of Plainville, of receiving her diploma. “We accomplished so much hard work over the last 27-months. It does seem surreal.” Before joining the program, LaFleur said, she was a nursing assistant at a hospital.
Shannon Carroll, 27, of Wilton, said she was happy for all her classmates and their accomplishments. “I wouldn’t have gotten through it without them,” she said.
Carroll explained that she always wanted to pursue a career in health care and she thought the best way to provide care to patients was to become a physician assistant. She is looking for a job in primary care because she would be helping people of all ages.
Carroll’s father, Sean Carroll, said he was “awfully proud” of his daughter and that having a “highly successful” program “right out of the gate” was a great step for SHU.
Meredith Braga, 33, of West Hartford, worked per diem and raised three children while in the program. “It was hard,” Braga admitted, but she said she is proud of herself.
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About Sacred Heart University
As the second-largest independent Catholic university in New England, and one of the fastest-growing in the U.S., Sacred Heart University is a national leader in shaping higher education for the 21st century. SHU offers more than 80 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs on its Fairfield, Conn., campus, which is located about an hour from Manhattan and 2.5 hours from Boston. Sacred Heart also has satellites in Connecticut, Luxembourg and Ireland. More than 8,500 students attend the University’s eight colleges and schools: Arts & Sciences; Communication, Media & the Arts; Computer Science & Engineering; Health Professions; the Isabelle Farrington College of Education; the Jack Welch College of Business; Nursing; and St. Vincent’s College. Sacred Heart is rooted in the rich Catholic intellectual tradition and the liberal arts, yet at the same time develops students to be forward thinkers who enact change—in their own lives and professions and in their communities. A spirit of service, entrepreneurship and social justice is the essence of who we are and can be seen inside and outside the classroom as students learn how to make a difference far beyond Fairfield. The Princeton Review includes SHU in its Best 384 Colleges–2019 Edition, “Best in the Northeast” and Best 267 Business Schools–2018 Edition. It also placed SHU on its lists for “Happiest Students” and “Most Engaged in Community Service,” each of which comprises only 20 U.S. schools. Sacred Heart has a Division I athletics program. www.sacredheart.edu