Starting the next chapter
The Class of 2026 walks the stage at the College of Veterinary Medicine’s annual Commencement Ceremony
- Issue:Published:Photo(s) by:Holly Stedman
Each step College of Veterinary Medicine graduates took across the stage this past Saturday, during its annual Commencement Ceremony, brought them closer to realizing dreams and the start of a new chapter.
Held May 9 at Ted Mann Concert Hall in Minneapolis, the ceremony awarded more than 100 degrees across the College’s Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM), Veterinary Science, Comparative and Molecular Biosciences, Master of Science and DVM/Master of Public Health programs.
The day's keynote speaker, Karen Shenoy, '04 DVM, encouraged graduates to step outside of their comfort zones and keep an open mind when it comes to their career pursuits. Shenoy serves as vice president and chief veterinarian for the Europe, Middle East and Africa business at Hill’s Pet Nutrition, a role she said she never imagined for herself as a veterinary student.
"I’ve said yes to trying new things, to speaking engagements, to new career opportunities, to moving to new places, even when the voice in the back of my head said I wasn’t good enough, even when being vulnerable and putting myself out there was scary, even when it meant taking risks and doing hard things," she said.
Chosen by her classmates to give the Class of 2026 response, Heather Kim, '26 DVM, also had an important message for her peers, after watching them grow and accomplish so much in their four years together.
"As driven individuals, we often carry the weight of wanting to fix everything, to have all the answers, and to make the world better. And while that intention is powerful, it can also be heavy," Kim said. "Sometimes, we won’t have the answers. Oftentimes, we will leave with more questions than we started with. However, I want to remind you that as we celebrate today, we are more than our degrees. We are whole people, with purpose, with limits, and with lives beyond this profession. And that matters."
The ceremony also included remarks from Laura Molgaard, dean of CVM; Angela Pillatzki, head of the veterinary and biomedical sciences department, and director of the animal disease research and diagnostic laboratory at South Dakota State University; and Gretchen Ritter, executive vice president and provost of the University of Minnesota.
Ellen Luger, a member of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents, conferred the degrees. Jessica Fox, president of the Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association, led graduates in reciting the Veterinarian's Oath.
This year’s graduates join an alumni network of more than 4,000 veterinarians and nearly 1,000 scientists who have graduated from the College since its founding in 1947.
CVM grad Traelene Fallis among those recognized at annual Honoring Ceremony hosted by the University’s Center of American Indian and Minority Health
In a special ceremony held during the semester’s end at the University of Minnesota, Native American graduates of health sciences schools were honored for their dedication, resilience, and commitment to advancing health equity in Indigenous communities.
Hosted by the University’s Center of American Indian and Minority Health, the ceremony held on April 30 invited graduates from the College of Veterinary Medicine, Medical School and the School of Nursing. The program included a keynote speech, Blanketing Ceremony and an Honor Song.
Traelene Fallis, ’26 DVM, a descendant of the Dakota Nation (hunkpati) and Blackfeet Nation (pikuni) who grew up on the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe reservation in South Dakota, was among those recognized during the ceremony. She was draped in a blanket—a gesture that honors achievement—by Raye Taylor, an associate professor, and Lauren Bernstein, an assistant professor, both faculty members in the college’s Community Medicine program.
