 This is, uh, right. No, I work in, uh, work for instructors. I create videos for students. Yeah, absolutely. No, it didn't help. Um, just, you know, there's, I'm just kidding, now I need you to, I know it's okay, but it's, you know, people kind of, you know, people kind of jump in at the end of the day because it's open. Oh yeah, yeah, that's great. That's all right. But it all does work. I'm reporting that. It'll be just fine. So you get the lights, you know, to turn them on. Yep. And I checked all the stuff. Yeah. Oh, yeah, I can't break it anymore. Do you want me to go if I took a follow-up? Oh, I need to go. Nice to meet you. Remember, I get that feedback. Yeah, you're also getting that. Yeah, I'll leave it for you. My little feet running away. So Mindy, so you guys saw how you guys remember to get on the hands, right? On the middle. Okay. Oh, yeah. Nice to meet you. I haven't met you. Nice to meet you. Hi, I think I've seen you before. Did you have to, when we opened up? I think we opened up the lab. Yeah, you were here. I remember. It's exciting. Can you show me your steps? Can you show them some? One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, out, two, three, five, six, seven, out. I know she did. Most of it's pretty good. Yeah. Except for her. She's a good woman. She's a good woman. I can't even, she told me to see her the other day. Yeah. It was wonderful to see you after the ceremony and everything. We've heard a lot about you too, I wasn't pretty well, but you know I wasn't sure that you existed, but there you are. Nice to have met you and we'll see you after we take lots of pictures. Everything will be fine. Hi! This is beautiful. And it's exciting. It is. Thank you for coming. I think we'd like for you to say whatever you think about it. Whatever you think about it. Thank you. Yeah, this is beautiful. Oh, yeah. She said it like this. Yeah, I've been seeing it. How are you? She said it like this. She said it like this. And then let's take the flowers. She said it like this. Yes, that's what it is. That's what it is. Oh, yeah. She said it like this. She said it like this. She said it like this. She said it like this. She said it like this. She said it like this. She said it like this. She said it like this. She said it like this. She said it like this. She said it like this. I am super excited to share with you. This is just a fantastic occasion for me. This is, of course, graduation for this class of respiratory therapists. So this is 17th, brand new respiratory therapists ready to come and work in the hospitals around town. Some of them are already employed. And I want to say congratulations to you all. Very fine job. I like college. Not only are they graduates of the respiratory program here, but they're also the inaugural graduates of our Bactoria in respiratory care program. So these guys are the first of the first. And that is a huge accomplishment. Emphasize to you all just kind of how big that really is. I mean, not only did they go through all of the struggles and the work to learn how to get out there and be respiratory therapists and save lives every day, but they also had to do it under some pretty adverse conditions. I don't know if you guys all know this, but sometimes these guys were studying in their living room. They were learning in their bedrooms. They didn't get to come to class. They didn't get to do all the normal things that they do with respiratory care students to help them train them in the craft. In fact, I've even been told that some of these guys were learning a lab movement in their living rooms. So don't be surprised. A few months from now, you might find a nasal canula or something underneath your couch. You won't know what that is. I think that just speaks to how strong a group this is, how dedicated they are, and how willing they are to sort of face up to whatever the task is to get the job done. They had to go through tremendous amounts of adversity to get to this point. We had to change the rules every five minutes about COVID. We had vaccination requirements. We had all these loops that they had to jump through. And you guys did an amazing job getting through all of that. Another sort of really important thing to point out is that behind each of them are all of you. So thank you very much to the friends, family, and loved ones that are in the room that helped these respiratory therapists get to the point where they're at today. So thank you. I wanted to share just a little story with you. This is just a story about a respiratory therapist. About 10 years ago, my daughter was 8 years old, and she was a normal, spherulated, little girl. And one day she got fever, and she was kind of sick. And so I stayed home from work with her when I was watching her throughout the day. And as I was watching her, she just was getting more and more sort of tired. Couldn't get up to the couch. Respiratory rate was increasing. Her heart rate was increasing. So about some of these guys were like, oh, some of the students. And so right about 8 o'clock, bad things always happen to parents. It's 8 to 10 at night. I brought her to the emergency department. And I'm sure many of you have been in this same position. And when we got there, they started to monitor her. She was technicardic, she was technic, so her breathing rate was fast. Her oxygen levels were quite low. They were about 90%. And when they examined her, we all kind of noticed she had some retractions. So then she was definitely having some respiratory distress. So we found chest x-ray. Low and behold, she had pneumonia. So my baby had pneumonia. This is kind of a hard thing for a respiratory therapist. Well, throughout this process, they started to give her some treatments. She got put on a continuous alfeterol set up. And these guys know what that is. And then, low and behold, at one point, her oxygen set went down. And the alarms were going off. It was like 85%, 84%. And it was after they had started this treatment. And so, of course, as a respiratory therapist, I'm kind of like, ah! But as a dad, I'm even more than anything. So it's very different to be a dad versus being a health care provider. But the thing that really sort of made that experience work for me was a respiratory therapist. And it was a young respiratory therapist only, you know, had been out for a couple of years. But she was so level-headed and so calm in that moment that it gave me confidence to be able to sort of sit there and be a dad while everyone else was doing their job to take care of my daughter. And so for those of you who don't know, I've been teaching for about 20 years. And most of that, I taught at a different college. But so it was amazing to kind of meet this young respiratory therapist and just jump right in and get that job done and give me the confidence in the system that I needed to be able to be a dad in that moment. And the reason I tell you this story is because I want to tell you that I know that these graduates are ready. They can do that. They're ready for those moments. They're ready to hear the voices call in the prayer. And I know they don't feel like they are, but they're ready. We've trained them. They've been through many, many hairy situations in the hospital. And they are ready to go. So, Brad, give yourself a pat on the back. I know that you're ready. I'm going to kind of wrap up my own comments because I don't want to occupy the whole night. But I do want to say that this is one of my favorite moments of teaching. And this is why I continue to do it. It's because today, I get to stand up here and I get to tell you all, you're no longer my students. Now you're my colleagues. Congratulations. This is something that nurses do. And that is true. This really is. Pienini is something that says, you are part of us. You have joined us. You are joining the profession that we have all of. And we're not proud of each and every one of you. And the other thing that I'd like to say before we get too much further through my list is that family, you that are out there that have supported our students and your students, we thank you. Because we know without you, they wouldn't have been able to come to school and get through it without your support, without your nine peers, without your way of loving them and knowing that they can do it. I know they greatly depend on you. And I've had the great privilege to have known them for all three years. And I can tell you that they are remarkable individuals and I know that you know that. But I'm not sure that you realize that they're going to be a little bit different than what any of you remember them as. They've gone through a lot, they've seen a lot. So without further ado, we would like to get the program underway and understand that when we are opening them and when you're opening them, that they are joining us. And for us, it is a huge honor. So, first pin tonight, a person that we all know. And that person is a professor of applied. This would not be a BAA program. I only saw a portion of what she did, but what she did to get us to this point is absolutely inscribable. And she couldn't be with us tonight, but I know that she's watching. So the first pin are the bachelors of applied science. And as a curator, it goes to Professor Nicky Law. Mr. Professor Bob Bonner, Professor Bonner. And so we would like to get the second pin to Professor Bob Bonner. Next, I'd like to introduce the administration at least by name. And we do have Professor Dr. Emily Larger here, who is the vice president of academic affairs. But we have a pretty amazing administration here. They've supported us all along. Without their support, we wouldn't be up here. And so, that is Dr. John Mosby, a larner, Dr. Paulette Lopez, Dr. Tyler Powers, and our division chair, Darren Smith. So, Dr. Larger, would like to say a few words. This is overflowing with gratitude. I heard Fred use the word. Graduates, I need to tell you that during the pandemic, images of you learning to be respiratory therapists, going into clinics, learning how to work with patients, showing us that we can live and learn and keep ourselves and each other reasonably safe in a pandemic that terrified everyone. Images of you helped our community know that we could go forward. So, I have just incredible gratitude to all of you students for showing us what courage looks like in action. I have as much gratitude for your teachers, who never signed up to teach you how to do these life-saving, life-changing skills in a pandemic. They never knew that they would become zoom masters and internet masters. They love people. They understand bodies. They understand our embodied bodies. They're brilliant with us as people. So, for them to be able to share their gifts and talents with all of you in a world they never imagined, I have huge gratitude for your teachers who have helped you learn these skills that save people's lives. And then, as my colleagues have said, to the families and loved ones who supported your students, if they worked so hard to learn the complicated detail, precise, doesn't come easy, but people's lives depend on you knowing it, learning all those things and the energy it took and the love you gave them that helped them get through my heart is full of gratitude for that. So, it is an honor to witness the celebration of your accomplishments. Thank you. So, without further ado, our teachers can't be here to work anymore. We do know that without the managers and the clinical instructors, we would not have a program. The students, they support the students. They help them to learn. We teach them the stuff in the books that they often know or just see, but the instructors are the ones who really help them grow. So, that's the director of clinical education. My job could be immensely worse, immensely harder if I didn't have the clinical instructors and the managers that have supported our program for all these years. So, we have two of those here now, one is Jenny Henson. She is the instructor from St. Anne's and then we have Ruth Scott and she is one of the instructors from Harvard Bureau. And so, it is my great honor and my privilege to at least give them a round of applause. The students will now get to hear the faculty, which is us. I will now teach you the faculty. I can tell you that it is one of the greatest things you can come up with before periods, as I am working with the most amazing thing in one of the state programs. And so, we will start with Jenny, who is going to be the professor of the faculty. You were a lifelong student at Harvard School. I apologize. I apologize. I apologize. A student who has always been very good-life and quiet until the day you start coming up on YouTube. And we found out, yes, I know. I remember. And we found out that she liked Steve Bob and she has a beautiful smile. You know, we've all seen them, your students, with their masks on, so we know who they are. And I realize if you saw the movies, you may not have recognized them, but that's how we've gone to know them. And so, there she is. Minnie Grant. I also found out that Mindy likes animal crossing. I know one. And being an inspiration to all of us. Congratulations. We're almost ready. It's a great thing. We'll follow any of you. She is kind. She's very well-rounded. She's never always been responsible for everything. She doesn't turn in papers. This is her great field. She's been asking her questions about the city, which I'm not sure that I have heard of her. She started the program and then she's worked a long time in the hospitals. But her kindness And so she would be okay with that, so congratulations, ma'am. And she doesn't tell me for three years that she's been pronouncing her name wrong. And when I tell everybody else, they go, really? That's what you say? She is a lovely, kind, considerate person. And she's going, she gets knocked down, she gets back up again, and she comes back stronger than she ever was. Congratulations. You didn't know what was going on. You went back into the hospitals during COVID. And yeah, we were afraid. We all were. And we worked with the hospitals, and made sure it was safe and good for any of you, not one of you would say no. I never heard any of you say that you didn't want to go, you were too afraid to go, even though that would have been understandable. It takes a lot of courage to become the person taking feet, taking part. And I know that we can talk forever about how bad COVID was. But it's just one thing, tremendous, I think, for this class. It showed in each and every one of you what you were made of. We may not have tested as much. We haven't had that period of time. And I cannot tell you how immensely proud I am of each of you, but seeing each of you. You've all been to my office. We shared lots of laughter. We shared some tears. But I knew that you have everything that you needed right there inside of you. And so as you go out and you join our profession, most of us are not Tuesdays. One of the things that we never did in the game, but she got me one. I want you to know that you will make a difference in the world, and we are better for knowing you. I am better for working with each one of you and for knowing each one of you. I'm not going to give you any advice, because you don't need it. You'll make mistakes, and you'll try something different. So congratulations, my friend, on each and every one of you immensely. And I know that you will make this job for the many years that you are in this career. Congratulations to everyone. So I'm going to take pictures of the best schools, and just kind of move around and do it myself. And thank you so much for coming tonight. Thank you for being part of this celebration. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.