Doctor Shaun Palmer

I have to admit, I got tears in my eyes a few times during the graduation ceremony. I still get teary-eyed when I watch the videos, both of me walking across the stage to get hooded and when the president of the school confers the degree of Doctors of Physical Therapy on my class. You would get teary-eyed too if you went through what I did. To tell you that those 3 years were no big deal would be an outright lie. During those 3 years: I was almost set back a year in the program, I was diagnosed with a cyst in my brain, I struggled with light-headedness, difficulty concentrating, and on-going flu-like symptoms, I spent more than a year trying to figure out medical issues that are still being looked into, I worked sometimes up to 25 or 30 hours on the weekends and attended class full-time during the week, one restaurant that I worked for was shut down and I had to transfer to another location, I volunteered with the Milwaukee Brewers, I moved...twice, I lived in Oakland, CA for 6 weeks, I failed one class and had to retake it, and then I was newly married and had all the other normal stresses of life to deal with. On the scales that measure the most stressful life events, I think I covered most of them...some of them multiple times.

So to hear my name called and to have the degree and title of Doctor of Physical Therapy conferred upon me is something that, at times, I didn't think would ever happen. As I sat up in the front of the auditorium watching the graduation proceedings, my mind wasn't completely on what was happening. I was thinking about the last 3 years. I was thinking about all of those events that took place. I was thinking of all the times when I thought I wouldn't make it - including the times I didn't think I would be alive to make it through.

It still doesn't seem completely real that it's over. It mostly seems that way because I still have things to accomplish before I can practice as a physical therapist. I still have two exams to take and pass in order to become licensed to be able to practice in this state. Then comes the problem of finding a job. Until all of that hits, I will continue to savor the moment and remember what I accomplished and what I went through to finish it.