At each graduation, the College of Science designates one student as the "Outstanding Senior." This is a student who has achieved excellence in academics and in service and who has taken full advantage of the many opportunities afforded by the University of Arizona. The "Outstanding Senior" gives a talk at the College of Science Commencement Ceremony. For the December 2005 graduation, Melba Jaramillo, UBRP and BRAVO! alumnus, was selected to be the Outstanding Senior. Melba graduated with a bachelor's of science degree in molecular and cellular biology and with a bachelor's of arts degree in Spanish. She worked through UBRP in Dr. David Harris's laboratory in microbiology and immunology and she was a BRAVO! student to Australia where she worked with Dr. John Lowenthal at CSIRO Animal Health. Melba spent hours volunteering her services as a hospital translator and became involved in clinical research studying the depth of understanding of medical procedures by non-English speaking patients. What follows are the remarks she made at the 2005 December Commencement Ceremony for the College of Science:
In the jungles of Guatemala there is a small bird know as the Quetzal. The Quetzal has a special relationship with all the flowers of the jungle. He feeds off of them; but at the same time with each feeding, the pollen of the flowers spread to other areas of the jungle. Each one helps each other. Legend has it that one day the Quetzal came to feed from a large flower. But when it tried to fly away, it could not move. Its small transparent feathers were caught between the petals. The Quetzal tried, and tried to get loose, but all its attempts failed. The flower noticed how tired and weak the Quetzal had become; “You can stay here tonight,” the flower told the bird. “Do not stress yourself any longer.” The bird at first hesitated, but their relationship had been so strong for years that it agreed to stay. And so when morning came and the bird had rested it was able to fly away. And when it did, its wings were no longer colorless; they were bright like the colors of the rainbow.
Graduates of the College of Science, I hope that you realize that our journey at the University of Arizona resembles the story that I just shared with you. As incoming freshmen most of us were inexperienced, sometimes we were lost, and often we felt transparent like the wings of the Quetzal. Often, we struggled to survive in a competitive atmosphere. But by establishing a relationship with our advisors, faculty, mentors and other classmates we were able to survive like the small Quetzal bird in the vast jungles of Guatemala. The symbiotic relationship held between the flower and the bird led to changes in the bird’s plumage; with our experiences here at the University of Arizona we have all undergone a transformation, hopefully we have become diverse like the colors in the Quetzal’s feathers. Because that is what makes those of us sitting here special, we are all unique and we all have our own talents to share with the rest of the world.
Along with this idea, I would like to share with you another story that I learned as a young child: Long ago the king of the forest wanted to pick some animals for a new palace he had built. All the animals came for an interview. The bee came in first. “Well” said the king to the bee, “You’ve been in the forest long enough. What can you do?” “I can buzz around,” said the bee, “And I am a good worker.” “No” said the king. “It’s not enough. Stay where you are. You’re not chosen.”
The monkey came in next. “What can you do?” said the king. “I can jump and make funny faces,” said the monkey. “No” said the king. “It’s not enough. Stay where you are. You’re not chosen.”
Then the cow wandered in. “What can you do?” said the king. “I chew the cud and listen to the people all day long.” “No” said the king. “It’s not enough. Stay where you are. You’re not chosen.”
The wise owl came in next. “What have you to say about yourself?” said the king. “I’m wise,” said the owl. “I read encyclopedias night and day. I’m full of knowledge.” Knowledge and wisdom,” said the king. “That’s great. You’re chosen. Come into the new palace.”
The giraffe was next. “What have you to say for yourself?” said the king. “I’ve learned to solve problems,” said the giraffe. “That’s why I have a long neck. I feed from areas where other animals aren’t able to reach for food. Nothing is out of reach for me. I can handle anything.” “You can solve problems,” said the king. “That’s enough. You’re in. You’re chosen.”
The king installed the giraffe and the owl in the new palace and later on came to visit. He found the place very dull and tiresome. The owl was reading encyclopedias and the giraffe was solving problems. “There is no life in this place,” said the king. He thought deeply for a while. “I’ve made a mistake,” said the king. “I know what I’ll do.” He sent his men to every corner of the forest to bring in the birds and the bees, the cows and the wild animals. “We need them all,” he said. “They’ll all add their own bit to this place.”
And so you see we all have our own special gifts, and we are all unique. Some of us are like the owl that is very good at academic subjects such as math, science or languages. Some of us are like the bees; we have labored away asking questions by conducting research in laboratories across campus. Others among us have compassionately given our time at local hospitals, clinics and hospices listening to others just as the cow did.
The truth is that we have all shared our talents to make our experiences here at the University of Arizona memorable. We have given in many ways, but there is still much more that we can do. While I was in Australia, a very wise aborigine told me “Scientists are smart, but intelligence is not all in life; in my community science involves nature, it involves plants, it involves humans, it is an interconnection between nature and the community.” I was there doing research through the BRAVO! Program; I had naively thought that I was resolving major problems by conducting immunological assays and making small steps to help the current situation in Australia, but I was missing the bigger picture. Just as we heard in the last story there is more to life than academia, or problem-based learning. I was too focused and too determined to get the task at hand done that I had failed to look past beyond the lab bench and communicate with others the value of science.
What is our responsibility then, as graduates in the College of Science? I think we need to step outside of our comfort zone and remember that science is humanistic at its core. Science is not just about the scientific process, pipettes, or long hours of studying and work at the library. Science is a constant discovery, but it is a discovery that must be shared with others, especially with underserved populations. There are many people to help, many discoveries to be made, and illnesses to treat -- but we must always remember that whatever we do, or wherever we go, we must find a way to serve our community. Therefore, as we embark on this new phase of life let the education that we have received be a tool to help us reach out to our communities and families.
If there was ever a time to dare, to make a difference, to embark on something worth doing, it is now. Not for any grand cause, necessarily but for something that tugs at our heart, something that is worth our aspiration, and something that is our dream. We owe it to ourselves to make our days count. We must dig deep. Stretch. But most importantly dream big.
We should always keep in mind that things worth doing seldom come easy; there will be times when we will want to turn around, pack it up, and call it quits. Those times will tell us that we are pushing ourselves and that we are not afraid to learn by trying.
Persist: Because with an idea, determination, and the right tools we can do great things. Let our instincts, our intellect and our heart guide us.
Trust: Believe in the incredible power of the human mind, of doing something that makes a difference, of working hard, of laughing and hoping, of lasting friends, of all the things that will cross our path. Next year will be the start of something new that will bring the hope of something great.
Finally, I would like to thank the College of Science, the University, the faculty, our advisors, our mentors and especially our parents, family and friends because without your help and encouragement none of this would have been possible. Now, the responsibility belongs to us; we must continue to work hard like the bee, acquire knowledge like the owl and approach all that comes our way with an open mind, like the giraffe.
Congratulations Class of 2005.
Melba Jaramillo, UBRPer and BRAVO! Participant in Dr. David Harris’s lab, Microbiology & Immunology
