Commencement exercises got underway on Thursday morning with the first of two graduate ceremonies scheduled for the day. It was the beginning of seven events that will take place over three days at the Watsco Center on the Coral Gables Campus.
At the Thursday morning University of Miami commencement ceremony, speaker Amishi Jha, neuroscientist and professor of psychology in the Division of Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, urged new graduates to embrace the practice of mindfulness as a critical tool to better manage life’s most difficult challenges and to enhance savoring its joys.
Jha, whose lab has made groundbreaking advances in scientific understanding of the mind, shared insights on the power of paying attention with students in attendance from the Graduate School; College of Arts and Sciences; College of Engineering; Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science; Miller School of Medicine; and the School of Nursing and Health Studies.
“When the going gets tough, when there’s no clear path forward, when a solution doesn’t yet exist, this is when your attention will be most needed to fuel successful outcomes,” Jha said.
Attention is vulnerable to wavering and distraction, especially under stressful circumstances, she said, but the good news is that it’s also trainable.
“With your attention charged up and presence centered, you will be able to more fully experience moments of joy and celebration like today,” Jha said. “You’ll be more present to savor the good in your life, receive and extend care to your loved ones, and hold your own heart when times are tough. You’ll be able to maneuver through your life with greater ease and clarity.”
In advance of the keynote speaker, President Julio Frenk celebrated the graduates, recognizing the global crises they endured while persevering toward their degrees—wearing masks, social distancing, and making sacrifices for their education.
“Going through these experiences while pursuing an advanced degree has given you the opportunity to learn—and practice—adaptability and resilience,” Frenk said. “No matter where your paths take you, I can guarantee you this: You will continue to use those skills.”
In her address, Jha highlighted two metaphoric tools that are critical for students traversing the pathway of graduate study: a map—a cognitive and continually deepening understanding of their field—and a flashlight—the focus of attention.
Faculty members who academically guide graduate students continually strive to ensure that they are deepening the map that students came with and modeling how to walk through the moments of uncertainty and fear—essential to the learning process.
“But the reason you are here today is not because you have a higher resolution map,” Jha said. “You are here today because you made excellent use of that other tool you had in your possession: the flashlight metaphor.”
Jha shared that more than 15 years of researching the impact of mindfulness on Marine special forces, football players at the University, teachers, students, first responders, and others revealed that attention can be effectively trained.
“Whatever you direct your attention towards receives privileged access to the brain’s computational resources,” she pointed out. “As a result, paying attention to something allows it to appear crisper, clearer, and more salient—like shining an actual flashlight on something.
Attention is that glue that hyperlinks idea to idea to idea, that allows us to have coherent trains of thought, she explained. We use it to connect with others by collaborating, communicating, and cocreating shared mental models and to regulate our emotions.
Because of its power and importance in our lives, she recommended a practice of as little as 12 minutes a day to protect and strengthen the capacity to pay attention.
“Over time, if you make mindfulness practice a habit, it becomes a way to charge up your flashlight of attention. And with full access to your flashlight, you can optimize not only your success in life but your fulfillment, too,” she said.
Jha encouraged the new graduates to do the mental push-ups that will help them heed their attention.
“Remember your flashlight, use it well and make sure it’s fully charged,” Jha urged.
Student speaker Roxana Lemus, graduating with a Master of Public Administration from UOnline, urged her fellow graduates to never let anyone diminish their light.
“People may try to minimize you, but no one can diminish the core of who you are,’’ Lemus said. “We are all essential. I think we all have a duty in life to pass the baton along.’’
With a bachelor’s degree in political science and several years of experience as a victim advocate, Lemus continued to work full time while taking two seven-week classes per semester as she pursued her master’s degree.
“I never felt like it’s just a computer in front of me,’’ she said of the UOnline program, its advisors, and professors. “I truly felt like I was a part of UM and taking classes on campus in Miami,” she declared. “They treat you as a human being, not just a number or a face on the screen. Every professor I had elevated me and empowered me in some way.”
Victoria Bennett, who hails from a small town just outside of Atlanta, Georgia, received her master’s degree in public health. She credited her own hard work and the support of her mentors for the achievement, especially professor JoNell Potter, vice chair of Reproductive Sciences and director of the THRIVE Clinic at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
“Now that I’ve accomplished this, my plans after graduation are to go into qualitative research thanks to the most amazing professor I’ve ever had—JoNell Potter. I want to spend my time addressing health equity issues,” Bennett said.
Annachiara Piubello spent six years in Miami away from her family in Verona, Italy, while she pursued a Ph.D. in mathematics at the University.
“I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time, and it’s been a long way here,” said Piubello, who took photos with her parents Simonetta and Aldo, and older brother, Francesco. “Also, there is nothing this grandiose in Italy for graduation, so I wanted my family to experience it with me.”
Piubello plans to go into academia and is starting a postdoctoral program at the University of Potsdam next fall.
Austin Wells graduated Thursday with his master’s degree in public health sciences, a two-year program based at the Miller School of Medicine.
“What a relief,” he said. “I’m also nervous about the change because I am so used to academia, and now I’ll be hitting the workforce. But I am excited about that and what’s next.”
Wells celebrated with his mother, aunt, father, and stepmother outside the Watsco Center. He plans to find a job in community health and sustainability near his hometown of Fontana, California.
Alexa Hoops was ecstatic to celebrate her status as a new graduate—especially since she didn’t attend her undergraduate ceremony.
“It feels incredible to graduate,” said Hoops, who earned her doctorate in physical therapy. “I didn’t get a graduation from undergraduate because of the pandemic, so this means so much more now that I get to celebrate with the people I love around me.”
To mark the occasion, Hoops’ mother, who is Hawaiian, brought some leis from their Reno, Nevada, home. Joining her were Hoops’ boyfriend, Abe, her father, and her stepfather.
—Ashley A. Williams and Janette Neuwahl Tannen contributed to this report.
