NEWS AND EVENTS OF LIFE UNIVERSITY
EXCERPTS FROM OUR
Fall 2021-Summer 2022 Valedictorian Addresses
Giovanni De Jesus , CGUS Valedictorian , Fall 2021
It ’ s the voice that kicks you when you ’ re down when you make a mistake or what you perceive as a failure , and it says ‘ This is who you are meant to
Giovanni De Jesus be ; this is all who you will ever be .’ The question I ask myself when these thoughts pervade my mind — these thoughts of tribulation come forth — is who decided this for me ? The answer can be painful , but it ’ s powerful ; it ’ s real , and it ’ s ‘ I decide .’ So , this power of awareness and choice allows you to face this shadow of conscience , and it says ‘ I decide that I deserve this . I decide all that I will ever be . I decide what might
Mathieu Sylvain
I become in this future , and I very
Desmarais well decide that I am enough . And I ’ m here to tell you today that you are enough because I believe that in you . Now believe that in yourself .
Today we have demonstrated that belief in ourselves , and we are reaping the harvest of our labor , and our time has come . Now we take the skills that we have developed and continue to mature them , one decision at a time , one day at a time , one week at a time . Continue to develop this and make it a discipline . Make this discipline something that you are so good at that the business you are looking for comes looking for you .
The leading experts in exercise science , biology , positive psychology , athletic training , health coaching , business administration , nutrition , Chiropractic — make these something you are so proficient at that no one ever questions you . They just ask you ‘ What do I do next ?’ So , graduates and anyone else who hears these words who knows what it looks like to look in the mirror and see that shadow conscience , if you would do me the honor , if you would do yourself the honor , of repeating these two words for me . Let ’ s do it aloud together , and that ’ s ‘ I decide .’ Ready ? ‘ I decide . Again , I decide . Like you believe in yourself , I decide .’
Fall Class of 2021 , you ’ ve got a destiny with your name on it . Go and claim it ! Thank you !
Mathieu Sylvain Desmarais , COC Valedictorian , Fall 2021
Class of Fall 2021 , we ’ ve done it ! We ’ ve navigated the trials of Bourdeinyi tests , Fox exams , ortho practicals and the everchanging learning environment . I ’ m honored to be the one to tell that we ’ ve reached the light at the end of the tunnel we were hearing so much about .
To reach this point , we ’ ve had to be adaptable , and we ’ ve had to grow . Much like saplings , we began this journey all rooted in a common goal of improving the lives of humankind through this incredible profession that is Chiropractic . Our tree trunks , with branches of budding friendships , social circles and camaraderie , set us in a place where we began to grow . As the days and hours spent in and outside of class flew by , our roots dug deeper and deeper to firmly anchor us in the fertile ground of Chiropractic .
We now have a foundation on which to build up our dreams . The soil in which we grew included our support systems . Every relationship made and nurtured , the roots planted further . We grew branches , such as friendships , skills , techniques . We strengthened our values , and we discovered our paths .
Each of us has grown throughout our time at Life U , and graduating today , like a tree of life , our roots are firmly anchored in our values . And just as trees grow beautifully upward against the constant pull of gravity , we too continue to grow ever closer to our dreams despite the challenges we face and that may still lie ahead .
Our time as students here has come to an end , but there will always be more to learn . So stay humble , be kind and move always forward .
So here is what I want to leave you with . Our lives uplift others . It ’ s a great gift to help mankind and also a great responsibility . Abraham Lincoln once said , ‘ It is not the years in one ’ s life that counts , it is the life lived in those years .’ We have that gift . The opportunity to put life in those years for others — one nervous system at a time , one human at a time . So , I urge you all to carry the passion and intent to uplift the lives of others and to do so each day and in each patient interaction .
Katalina Michelle Bartelt , CGUS Valedictorian , Winter 2022
The word ‘ valedictorian ’ derives from the Latin phrase ‘ valedicere ,’ which means farewell or goodbye . When I arrived at Life University , I did not know anyone but instantly became part of the Women ’ s Wrestling family . Upon being accepted into this new family , I never could have imagined the friends and relationships I would build throughout the next four years . My senior year and this past season have been extremely sentimental , as they have been the slow gathering of my realization that I won ’ t be seeing the same people every day anymore .
Katalina Michelle Bartelt
My time spent here has been full of highs from victories and championships and lows from injuries and defeats . I came into a wrestling program that was a handful of talented , hardworking girls but had not achieved anything special academically or athletically . I am proud to leave this program as
Alumni . life . edu | 2022
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