More than 150 welcomed at August matriculation

More than 150 incoming students were welcomed to UNMC Graduate Studies at its annual matriculation ceremony Aug. 17 at the Durham Research Center. Safety precautions like masks and social distancing were in effect as a result of the recent surge of delta variant COVID-19 cases.

Dele Davies, MD, dean for graduate studies, greeted the incoming students, whose names were announced by Pamela Carmines, PhD, and Kendra Schmid, PhD, from graduate studies leadership.

Paul Lovell, president of the Graduate Student Association, and Lisa Bilek, PhD, president of the UNMC Alumni Association’s Graduate Studies Engagement Council, also made presentations.

Rakesh Singh, PhD, professor of pathology and microbiology, honored multiple times for his mentorship of graduate students, gave the keynote address.

Dr. Singh, who has been at UNMC for 26 years, gave the incoming graduate students words of advice as they begin their journey, including, “Remember, not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.”

But his main message was in letting the new students know the five skills or practices that will give them a boost in their quests for success:

• Mindfulness.
• Entrepreneurship: You don’t think of this, when dreaming of becoming a scientist, but in order to manage a lab, principal investigators must learn financial management, and, yes, salesmanship.
• Creative thinking: “We must look at things differently, and find new ways to solve problems,” Dr. Singh said.
• Emotional and mental fitness: “Nobody prepares you to face failure.”
• Service: This is one of the most fun aspects of the career, Dr. Singh said. “It is always rewarding to serve people.”