This Milestone is enormous, and we know it has been long- awaited. Despite a global pandemic, uncertainty in the job market, and the transition to a virtual reality, despite the shifts in your academic and personal lives, you have made it. you completed school during a global pandemic. I know your life was disrupted. I know there was added stress. I know, it was hard for you to get access to internet or looking for computer to do your research. I know there was uncertainty. Despite these challenges, or more accurately because of them, you are stronger. You are a stronger student having tested yourself. you have overcome the unexpected and persevered. You are a stronger person finding the ingenuity and resolution you did not know you had it before . Honoring your future, self, and those who have always believed in you, you stayed the course and crossed the finish line on your own feet. Having gotten to know you over the years has enriched my life. It has been an honor to see you grow personally and professionally while being MCI scholar. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to be a part of your journey