President’s letter to graduates
Class of 2026,
Congratulations on arriving at this moment, your introduction to a world that knows you now as a health care professional committed to the well-being of your community. You have persisted. You have been true to yourselves. You have pressed on to your own high calling. And you have arrived as your truest expression as a Meharrian.
I believe we each are born to a purpose. Some go a lifetime without finding it. As a graduate of Meharry, you have the benefit of knowing which direction to look ahead into your future, or at least of being confidently pointed in the right direction. Whatever your specialty, this now is not an end, but a beginning.
There is a world out there that needs you and what you offer. For those engaged in medicine and dentistry, your skills will deliver you to the front lines of health care to render hope. For those beginning careers in research, your efforts will improve the lives of countless multitudes. For others receiving credentials in public and global health, computational fields, physician assistant studies or health sciences, your future awaits.
As you move forward into your careers, walk every day in the confidence of what you’ve learned here, and remember from whence you came. Remember why you chose this course, and the influences that brought you this far. Remember your mentors and the bits of advice they gave that kept you on the path. Remember the sacrifices and the price paid to bring you to this moment, and learn to appreciate it all.
I also want to impress upon you that now, in this sesquicentennial year of the College, you represent all Meharrians. Everywhere. When your patients look at you they will see the long line of health care professionals that came before you. You are now a lifelong ambassador of this institution. Many young men and women who are considering Meharry Medical College will look to you as an exemplar of what they want to be. And you owe it to them to contribute to their future through your own wisdom and finances as those who preceded you contributed to yours.
I hope this yearbook is a lasting tangible memory full of fond recollections, friendships, challenges and victories. And remember those within these covers that helped influence your life.
Once again, congratulations on your achievements. I wish you success and prosperity on the path ahead.
James E.K. Hildreth, Ph.D., M.D.
President and Chief Executive Officer