Dr. Anita Somani's Speech to the 2022 YAC Graduating Seniors

Every year June seems like the month of transitions. Like you all who are graduating from high school, my niece recently graduated from college and as a physician I had the honor of hooding one of the graduating medical students who I had mentored for the past 4 years. I will also be celebrating our chief residents tomorrow evening who will be leaving residency to start their careers as practicing physicians. This transition is conveniently packaged into a 4 year process that leads to moral, intellectual and emotional growth. We all start out excited and a little overwhelmed but before you know it the 4 years have sped by and you are now the one giving advice.

As you start your journey to college you will meet many people along the way and it may be intimidating to go out of your comfort zone but take the time to do it. We have all been the awkward one in the room who felt like they had nothing to say but that person next to you may be thinking the same thing. SO be curious and ask them a question as simple as how are you or what brought you here? You may find that you both want to try a new activity or sport at college. For you all who went through zoom school it may feel even harder since we all spent so much time in the virtual world. But I guarantee you the real world is far more rewarding than sitting on social media watching others live life.

Recognize that we all have implicit biases that we have grown up with. I used to think that anyone who had tattoos was a biker or came from “the wrong side of the tracks” or someone with piercings might be a druggie or Emo. But as I have learned superficial things like tattoos or piercings do not define the person. It is only after you recognize that in yourself that you can open yourself to other opinions. We live in a world right now that is very polarized in so many ways when it comes to politics, sexuality, education and morality. We will never find common ground with others if we “stay in our lane” and don’t take the time to hear opposing points of view. So as someone wiser than me once said we are given 2 ears and one mouth so listen twice as much as you talk!

You all are at the cusp of your next phase of life and like many high school graduates you may think you know it all. When my kids left for college I was the dumbest person they knew but when they came back after freshman year I had suddenly become one of the smartest people they knew. Clearly I wasn’t the one that went to college but they had changed and that growth helped them to see their parents in another light. The push to ban books and critical thinking will lead to a world where people don’t grow and change. It is up to you all to use your voice and speak out against these restrictions.

I’m not the same person I was at the start of college or at the start of my career. As you go through each phase of your life you will be influenced by those around you and those ahead of you so that you also grow as a person. One of the most important lessons I learned as a resident was to be kind to everyone from the housekeepers to the lab techs to the nurses and everyone else I interacted with. Everyone in a hospital has something to teach you just as everyone you cross paths with in life will teach you.

Just as our educational life is divided into 4 year blocks so too are American Politics. When I was young I thought it was important to vote in the Presidential elections but as I got older I realized that all politics are local. All of you will be able to vote soon and you may think why waste my time voting when nothing changes but if you don’t vote your voice won’t be heard. Your generation is currently the biggest voting bloc and the laws that are passed now will impact you all more than any other group. So take the time to get involved in a campaign and know that right now there are people out there that are threatened by change and by those that are different so they are busy restricting voters, passing laws that would hurt the environment, people of color, LGBTQ+ folks and women. One person can’t change the world but working together we can change the world. As John F. Kennedy said - there are risks and costs to action but they are far less than the long range risks of in action.

You all have already started on the path to action with your involvement in the CMA Youth Advisory Council and I look forward to seeing your accomplishments in the future. Congratulations and don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone!