 |
LaKisha Williams, left, Yemi Smith and Anise Adams attended the reception. |
The reception is a special time for the graduates and their families, UNMC faculty and staff. The annual reception offers attendees an opportunity for fellowship and to meet some of the people who served as mentors and guides during the graduates’ years of study at UNMC.
Several of the 2003 graduates were previous recipients of the R.H. Davis Scholarship Fund, founded by Omaha entrepreneur and philanthropist Dick Davis, Ph.D. Dr. Davis received a special award for his foundation’s years of financial assistance to UNMC minority students. UNMC has five graduates who were Davis scholars, including Tunisia Ellis, who in 2002 became the first African American to graduate from the School of Allied Health Professions (SAHP) Clinical Perfusion Education program.
|
|
“No student who graduates from a medical education program does it on their own,” said John McClain, Ph.D., associate vice chancellor for academic affairs and chief student affairs officer for student services. “Dr. Dick Davis is a premier member of the Omaha community and has long been dedicated to minority youth and education. In fact, The R.H. Davis Scholarship is now available throughout the University of Nebraska
system. Dick is always there saying ‘Give them the money.’ He’s always trying to do whatever he can to reduce some of the financial burden accrued trying to obtain a college education.
“We present this statue of a of man pushing, because that is what Dr. Davis has done time and again for so many students. He pushes students, he pushes other community members to contribute and help them out – he just pushes open doors for minority students.”
Sharon Stoolman, M.D., a third-year resident in UNMC’s department of pediatrics, was the keynote speaker at the event. Dr. Stoolman will complete her residency in June and join the pediatrics faculty, serving as a clinician and supervising the clerkship for third-year medical students in pediatrics.
 |
Attendees at the reception included, from left, Kofi Sallar, Anise Adams, Sharon Stoolman, M.D., Vicki Reed, Wayne Tate and LaKisha Williams. |
Dr. Stoolman’s appointment to UNMC’s faculty will represent the second generation of her family to develop a career on campus. Her mother, Norene Stoolman, is a nurse with NHS University Hospital. Dr. Stoolman placed a lot of emphasis on one particular value she cherished as a student – flexibility.
“It’s hard for others to understand how many times in our medical education we can feel like quitting and giving up,” Dr. Stoolman said. “As I look back, I think it was a sense of flexibility that allowed me to maintain my sense of happiness and avoid the kind of bitterness I’ve seen fellow students succumb to during our years of training.
Dr. Stoolman, born and raised in Omaha, graduated from Central High School in 1990. She received a bachelor’s of science degree in foreign service in 1994 from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. After taking a one-year post baccalaureate pre-medicine certification program at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Ill., Dr. Stoolman obtained a four-year academic scholarship for minority students to UNMC. She eventually was honored at UNMC as Teaching Resident of the Year and Resident of the Year.
“When I graduated from Central, I had all these plans in my head about going to college then med school – non-stop,” Dr. Stoolman said. “But I wasn’t ready for med school after Georgetown. I took several years to get to UNMC and I needed those years to grow and mature and get ready for it.
 |
John McClain, Ph.D., left, presented a statue to Dick Davis, Ph.D., right. |
“Life is real and we have to stay flexible on how to reach our goals. I am a lifetime member of the Girl Scouts and I was leader of a troop for homeless girls during all four years at Georgetown. Those kids had to be so flexible and adaptable in their daily lives to stay positive about life, I found them constantly inspiring.”
Dr. Stoolman recalled her own adolescence and how many times she was a little difficult for her single-parent mom. She said she is grateful for growing up in Omaha because Omaha was big enough to have lots of different opportunities and take risks, but small enough to have people know you and watch out for you if you start down a negative path.
“My mother was very flexible with me, disciplined, but flexible,” Dr. Stoolman said. “I carry that same spirit in my profession, with my husband, and now hope to bring it to UNMC med students when I join the faculty.
 |
Brother Ray Breland and the Inspired Praise Gospel Choir. |
“I had visions of being a surgeon, but after a year as surgery intern, I changed my mind. It just wasn’t for me. And it was OK to change my mind. That’s my message to our graduates as they move on to their residencies, other advanced programs or new job positions. Continue to challenge yourselves, have new goals in mind, but accept the fact that life may force you to make some changes, and that’s OK.”
The reception also featured comments by Mary McNamee, Ph.D., director of the Office of Student Equity and Multicultural Affairs, and David Crouse, Ph.D., interim vice chancellor for academic affairs and interim dean for graduate studies, who spoke on behalf of UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D. Brother Ray Breland and the Inspired Praise Gospel Choir sang several musical numbers.
Oluyemisi M. Smith, president of the UNMC Student National Medical Association chapter, hosted the ceremony in which graduates presented roses to family members and faculty mentors – each year the most moving and endearing portion of the program.
 |
Taneya Horton and daughter, CeCe, who served as greeter. |
Taneya Horton, administrative technician in UNMC Student Services, coordinates the annual reception.