Goodbye, Online Learning. Hello, New Students
As a first-year student at the , Brianna Thewsuvat was eager for Aug. 11, 2021, to arrive 鈥� the date of new student orientation at the school on the 91大神, Baltimore (UMB) campus. In-person orientation.
91大神, Baltimore President Bruce E. Jarrell welcomes new dental students to campus.
鈥淭o finally have some in-person interaction and not be seeing people on a computer screen 鈥� honestly, I feel really, really happy,鈥� said Thewsuvat, donning graphite scrubs, the uniform of incoming dental students. 鈥淚 do much better with the learning styles of in-person learning, and especially as a commuter student, I look forward to making new friends. I was so glad when I learned we wouldn鈥檛 be going virtual.鈥�
Thewsuvat, who lives in Owings Mills, was one of 130 masked students occupying every other seat of the school鈥檚 auditorium to keep with physical distancing protocols. Throughout the day, students met each other, faculty, and staff, and learned about the roles of the offices of academic and student affairs and other information as they embarked on their four-year program. (See photo gallery below.)
鈥淲e鈥檝e had quite a year, haven鈥檛 we?鈥� said Judy Porter, DDS, MA, EdD, associate dean for admissions and recruitment, as she began the orientation session. 鈥淐OVID has affected us all, in a lot of different ways. The isolation has affected us. But you know what we鈥檙e going to do? We鈥檙e going to get through this together. We鈥檙e going to remember self-care. We鈥檙e going to make friends. Watch for people who need help. Build community. I think this is the great challenge of our generation right now 鈥� to build community because we are so tied to technology. Help us build the best UMB.鈥�
Students were welcomed by UMB President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, who said he was delighted to be greeting students in person. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a pleasure to be here,鈥� he said.
Jarrell encouraged students to put their college days behind them and focus on what it means to be a student at one of UMB鈥檚 six professional schools.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e about to shed your college mantle. Whatever you did in college, that鈥檚 fine. But what you do here is very different,鈥� he told the Class of 2025. 鈥淵ou are no longer a college student, you are now a professional student, about to become a professional. And when you become a professional, that means things are very different. You will be a source of knowledge. People will look up to you. I know that鈥檚 hard to believe today. But that will happen. They鈥檒l say, 鈥榃hat do you think?鈥� Your opinion will be important.鈥�
While facing challenges due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, UMB also rose to the occasion by performing critical services, Jarrell said, from receiving some of the first samples of COVID-19 for research, to operating a statewide lab for processing test results.
鈥淚f any of you who went to a Maryland university and got tested for COVID, it is highly likely your test came here and we did the results,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e did over a million tests here.鈥�
UMB also operated a vaccination clinic where more than 40,000 people were vaccinated, assisted in the development of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, and conducted numerous trials, including one in which Jarrell still participates.
鈥淚 would urge you all to know that it鈥檚 important also that you participate, not just as an investigator, but as a participant in some of these trials. To me, that was really important,鈥� he said.
In addition to welcoming students to UMB, Jarrell welcomed them to Baltimore and emphasized the important role the University plays in its partnerships with West Baltimore neighborhoods on the other side of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
鈥淭hose people have suffered. They鈥檙e our neighbors, we鈥檙e their partners,鈥� he said, urging students to get involved in activities at UMB鈥檚 new Community Engagement Center at 16 S. Poppleton St. 鈥淲e鈥檙e there to help the community in whatever ways they need. Dental care is one of them, but you offer more than dental care.鈥�
UMB鈥檚 core values of knowledge, leadership, excellence, and civility, among others, are important to each student鈥檚 success, continued Jarrell, who will welcome students from all of UMB鈥檚 professional schools during a series of events next month.
鈥淚 look forward to your graduation in four years. I certainly look forward to how you鈥檙e going to make me proud. So, congratulations on being here. And have a good year this year. Maybe it鈥檚 going to be different than last year,鈥� he said, glancing over to Porter, who raised her hands, fingers crossed.
Student Sydney Goertzen echoed her classmate Thewsuvat鈥檚 eagerness to begin her higher education journey in a non-virtual setting.
鈥淚t is so good to see everyone,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 glad we鈥檙e in person.鈥�
鈥淭his feels really exciting. I鈥檓 ready to go. And I am excited to get to know a new city,鈥� added a classmate from Florida who goes by T.K.
Other speakers helping to get new students adjusted to their surroundings and class schedules included Patricia E. Meehan, DDS, associate dean of academic affairs, and Karen Faraone, DDS, MA, associate dean of student affairs.
鈥淚t is just a pleasure to have all of you guys here in person,鈥� Meehan said. 鈥淲e鈥檒l look forward to when you get your headshots done, so we can look at the composites and actually see your beautiful smiles.鈥�
