A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to participate in the first University of Minnesota Maroon and Gold Walk, welcoming new undergraduate students as they began their University journey.
There was an unmistakable sense of excitement and possibility! Music, cheering, maroon and gold everywhere, and thousands of students taking their first steps into a new chapter of their lives. As I watched them walk by, I couldn’t help but think about the new academic year beginning across our health sciences as well, and all of the people who make that sense of possibility real.
New learners arrive on our campuses ready to learn and discover. Returning learners reconnect with classmates, faculty, and mentors. Our faculty bring their expertise and passion back to classrooms, laboratories, clinics, and research teams. And our staff, whose work makes so much of our mission possible, create the environment in which our learners and faculty can thrive.
There is something powerful about a new beginning.
A beginning represents possibility. It asks us to be curious, to imagine what could be, and to recognize that even the first step can ultimately lead somewhere we cannot yet see.
That is what Elevate Beginnings means to me.
Across the University’s health sciences, what begins here has the potential to reach far beyond our campuses. A learner who discovers a passion for rural health may one day care for patients in a community that desperately needs them. A question asked in a laboratory may lead to a discovery that changes how we prevent or treat disease. A connection made with a mentor may shape an entire career. A partnership built with a community may help us rethink how and where we educate the next generation of healthcare professionals.
Those beginnings become the physicians, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, veterinarians, public health professionals, and other health professionals who care for people throughout Minnesota and beyond. They become discoveries that change what is possible for patients and families. They become partnerships that strengthen communities and improve health.
And none of that happens because of one person.
It happens because learners bring their curiosity and aspirations. Faculty challenge, teach, mentor, discover, and care. Staff create the foundation that allows our mission to move forward. Patients and communities share their experiences and place their trust in us. Each of us contributes something different, but together, we have the opportunity, and the responsibility to make a difference.
That may be what I will remember most about the Maroon and Gold Walk. Yes, there were thousands of students walking forward. But lining their path were hundreds of people cheering them on.
Every beginning needs people who believe in what is possible.
As we begin this academic year, I hope we carry some of that joy with us. Let’s continue to cheer one another on, remain curious about what is possible, and remember that we may not always know where a beginning will lead.
Other News
