It's Happening

This is an email I got from Emily almost 3 years ago.

IT'S HAPPENING!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Univ of South Alabama PT Department <ptdept@jaguar1.usouthal.edu >
Date: Jun 15, 2006 11:09 AM
Subject: Registration, booklist, schedule, orientationTo: Univ South Alabama PT Department <ptdept@jaguar1.usouthal.edu>
June 15, 2006

Dear New Student:

We welcome you into the University of South Alabama DPT Class of 2009, and look forward to getting to know you better. There are several things that we need to inform you of before classes start on Monday, August 21 st. The first day of class, August 21st , you will need to report to the small auditorium on the first floor at 8:00 am to meet with Dr. Fell for orientation.
---------
Regarding professionalism, the department faculty will view you as a professional from day one of PT school and are committed to maintaining high standards of professionalism and fostering professional behaviors. Therefore we encourage you to consider, beginning now, how you present yourself in all life-settings, including in and out of the classroom, particularly when you identify yourself as a PT student and as a student of the University of South Alabama DPT program. Finally, please email Jamie at ptdept@jaguar1.usouthal.edu, if you have any questions regarding the above information, or if any of your information has changed.

Sincerely,

Dennis Fell, M.D., P.T.Chair, Physical Therapy Department

Now, it's happening again, but this time the end is near. Tomorrow is the biggie, the final, the last day of school. While I don't think any one of the 30 or so students truly thinks he won't pass at this point, it's still a tense time. Many tears have been shed in these classrooms, much agony and sweaty palms, but also much joy and satisfaction, lots of laughter and a bond between these kids who have spent practically every waking hour with each other and their professors for nearly 3 years. They've seen each other at their worst - stressed, rumpled, and sleep deprived, hysterical and zombie-like - but they have also seen each other grow into professionals who will finally realize this dream they've had of being a Doctor of Physical Therapy (doesn't that sound nice?) and be able to put all this knowledge to the test.

Pray for every one of them tomorrow as they go into that room for the last time - that they will be calm and pull all that knowledge out of the corners of their minds and impress the heck out of their professors.

I'm going to be weepy from now until the weekend. Our family has gone through 3 kindergarden graduations, 3 middle school, 3 high school, 3 college and 1 law school (yay Stephanie) graduations, and this will probably be the last one (but no promises, I guess), so I think I can cry if i want to.

Maybe all my tears will be gone by wedding time, and I won't embarrass anyone further.