When I got the cards in the mail, I was so jazzed. I know that person! Wait, I knew them when they started! I’ve gotten to journey with them. So cool! I was so excited for them that I felt like I graduated with them.
Having been around higher education for a decade and a half, I know that the accomplishment of graduation includes a feeling of community behind you supporting you & helping you finish. 90%+ falls on the student, but no one does it alone. We used to make cute diplomas for graduates to give their family members.
– Graduate of Making my Lunches
– Graduate of Proofreading My Papers, etc.
It was cute, fun, and something I know our grads appreciated because they knew they could not have done it without their communities.
Match Week this year brought so much excitement for me because I of the relief I know they felt and the excitement of taking the next step. I’m so proud of them. And yet I’ve heard enough about residency, intern year, moving, and the challenges therein that I care deeply for them remaining connected.
In years past April-June was filled with connecting grads to others through emails and texts. I was somewhat surprised that I did not spend as much time doing that as in years past. People say residency can be a “Black Hole” where we lose contact with our CMDA student members. Whether it’s the email address they gave that was shut off by the school, the lack of contacts where they are going, or even just the busyness interns find themselves, we lose students.
I’m hopeful & welcome ideas as to how to keep our graduates engaged. We have community chapters in the West, but we also have them country-wide. It’s a huge opportunity. Would you help?