COPH honors 2022 graduating class both virtually and in person

After two years, the USF College of Public Health (COPH) was able to celebrate the 2022 summer graduates virtually and in person on August 5.

This semester, 234 undergraduates, 50 students seeking their master’s degree and seven doctoral students graduated and entered the public health profession.

Beginning at 9:30 a.m., students earning their BSPH and/or their BSHS degrees were able to drop in at the COPH to take grad photos, pick up a COPH pin, decorate their caps, reminisce with faculty and staff and speak to a USF Alumni Association representative.

Then, at 1 p.m. the COPH welcomed master’s and doctoral students to a graduation ceremony presented in person and virtually to family, friends, students, faculty and staff. (Click here to view the full ceremony)

The ceremony began with a few remarks from Dr. Jay Wolfson, distinguished service professor of public health, medicine and pharmacy, on the importance of public health in today’s world.

“We have a lot to recognize these days in public health. Public health has become a headline word across the world. Public health is not just restaurant inspections and venerable disease prevention, it’s the financing and management of health care institutions, the study of diseases, both communicable and chronic, the development of policy and the understanding of how we can inform policy makers on how they can make life better for our communities,” said Wolfson. “This college has done an incredible job in achieving that over the last many years under the vision and leadership of Dean Donna Petersen. She’s responsible for having turned this college into one of the highest-ranked public health programs in the nation. She can’t join us today, but I know that you are thinking of her, and she, I know, is thinking of all of you.”

Every year, the COPH Excellence in Teaching awardee offers words of inspiration to the graduating class. This year’s speaker was Dr. Dinorah Martinez Tyson, associate professor.

“My message to you is to be persistent, don’t let the fear of ‘what if’ ruin the joy of ‘what is’ or diminish what you are capable of. The world is full of possibilities, even the ones not planned,” Martinez Tyson said. “As public health professionals and advocates, you are pursuing opportunities where you can have an impact on the world, where you can have meaningful careers that prevent illness, educate and inform policy, help those who are sick manage disease and keep our workplace and communities safe. While these are challenging times, I know that you have the knowledge, skills and passion necessary to create positive social change!”

Dr. William Sappenfield, USF distinguished professor and director of the Chiles Center, rounded out the ceremony, presenting the Class of 2022 with their degrees and class gifts.

“It is truly a pleasure to be here with you all at this exciting time. On behalf of the faculty and staff, we want to congratulate you on all your work and commitment,” Sappenfield said. “We look forward to seeing you out in public health, to seeing your many contributions and to seeing the new generation take off where we left off and go even further than we were able to.”

Here Are Some of the Stories From the Class of 2022:

Natalie Nagib is driven by her passion to support women in STEM and teach others about public health and medicine. Her motto is to embrace the unknown and replace fear with curiosity. Originally from Canada, Nagib was drawn to USF because of its diverse students and staff aand for its academic opportunities. Enrolling in an undergraduate-to-graduate pathway program, she graduated in the spring with a bachelor of science in biomedical sciences, was recognized as a Golden Bull and King O’Neal Scholar and was awarded the Dean’s Circle of Merit for Global Citizenship from the Judy Genshaft Honors College.

Nagib walked the stage again this summer with her master of public health in global health practice. For her international field experience, Nagib traveled to Japan and served as a research assistant at Gifu University, analyzing student health data to understand how students’ physical health, mental health and lifestyle have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nagib attributes her experiences at USF with shaping her into the lifelong learner, passionate researcher, global citizen and well-rounded person she is today. Next stop is medical school at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Bradenton. Once she earns her doctoral degree in osteopathic medicine, Nagib hopes to serve with Doctors Without Borders. As a physician, she plans to use her knowledge of public health to provide her patients with proactive care in addition to the reactive care they are seeking.

After struggling with epilepsy since 2019, BSHS student Annelise Meyer is excited to be graduating from the COPH after a long and hard journey from the long-term impacts from her seizures.

After her first tonic-clonic seizure, Meyer had to make the tough decision to unenroll from USF.

“My memory was almost non-existent to a point where I couldn’t even remember that I was enrolled in summer classes,” she said. “My episodes continued to worsen over time leading to small seizures almost every day. I was struggling to take classes at Hillsborough Community College to finish an associate degree in hopes of transferring back to USF as a full-time student.”

In January of 2020, Meyer had her second tonic-clonic seizure where she was officially diagnosed with epilepsy. Since March of 2020, she has been on medication to prevent any seizures along with ADHD medication, which both improve her quality of life and mental health. 

In the spring of 2021, she was finally transferred back into the COPH and was able to complete her BSHS degree.

“My family and husband have stood by me and supported me on this long and hard journey to get to where I am today. I still struggle daily from the effects that come along with epilepsy, but I am so proud of myself for working to push through this hardship,” she said. “When you develop a disability as an adult it can impact many aspects of your life, but it should never hold you back from accomplishing your goals. Though challenging to see at times, I am grateful for the life lessons I have learned and continue to learn through this hardship. I have learned the importance of asking for help, to embrace my struggles and to persevere, no matter the challenge.”

Story by Caitlin Keough, USF College of Public Health