Abundance, Adventure, Bearing Witness, and Joy: Reflections on MPH Students’ Commitments Upon Graduation

The moment of graduation offers a unique opportunity for commitment to core principles of the public health profession and leadership for what lies ahead. Inspired by Noreen Clark’s 1992 speech and 1994 article “Health Educators and the Future: Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way,” our master of public health program has implemented a three-part learning activity with 20 graduating cohorts since 2000. The result of the activity is a set of “commitments upon graduation” that the master of public health program students affirm together during their graduation ceremony. This article describes the three components of the learning activity, with details on implementation that can be applied to settings beyond higher education. Results of content analysis of the commitments from the more than 450 students graduating between 2000 and 2014 are then presented. Six enduring themes are discussed: health, social justice, promoting and advancing the profession, holding a dream, relationships, and lifelong learning. In...