By Jody Genessy
While delivering the student reflection at the 2026 Commencement Ceremony, Rachel Tynan Richards highlighted the differing paths Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (RMU) students take en route to their educational destinations.
It just so happened that one of the study spaces on this single mom’s journey had good Wi-Fi, tacos, and a fun playground for her children.
“RMU has a way of meeting people exactly where they are,” said Tynan Richards, a Master of Science in Health Science graduate. “Different career paths, different forms of learning, but the same result: a graduate degree. That’s what this University does. It offers pathways for students to meet their goals.”
Nearly 300 students attended the RMU event on the Utah Valley University campus on Aug. 14, with another 30 participating virtually as family, friends, alumni, faculty, and staff celebrated their academic achievement.
President Cameron K. Martin also shared a poignant message with graduates.
“Today,” he said, “is the culmination of years of studying, sacrificing, balancing study time with family time, overcoming challenges, and refusing to quit when the finish line felt impossibly far away.”
Commencement speaker Dr. Lily S. Hsu, president of Labouré College of Healthcare in Milton, Massachusetts, and a member of RMU’s Board of Trustees, lauded students for making sacrifices while pursuing graduate degrees.
“You have spent the last several years and hundreds of hours completing your studies and now have earned your degree,” Dr. Hsu said. “There were many sacrifices you made to accomplish this. But these sacrifices were made because of your dedication to healthcare and your personal desire to be a better healthcare professional. I commend you for making the choice to advance your learning at Rocky Mountain University and to being compassionate care givers.”
Dr. Hsu urged RMU graduates to help overcome health challenges that afflict society and emphasized the importance of being compassionate caregivers and clinicians while also advocating for their patients.
“Health disparities are hurting all of us, and it will take everyone to work together to eliminate them,” she said.
Dr. Hsu commended students for pursuing careers in the healthcare field, which the Bureau of Labor Statistics report will have an enviable 10% rate of growth or more in the next decade. She pointed out that nurse practitioners are expected to grow 40% and noted that the National Institute of Health estimates that one nurse will treat an average of 1,512 patients a year. That equals about 30,000 patients in two decades, meaning the total number of lives touched by one nurse’s care will be millions.
The impact is made one patient at a time.
“The sense of connection to your patients on a human level is an effective medication that is always needed,” Dr. Hsu said.
RMU Trustee Dr. Jessica Egbert told graduates, who are joining 5,000-plus other alumni in the workforce around the world, that they are part of work that is built on trust.
“Patients, families, colleagues, and communities will look to you not only for what you know but also for how you serve, how you lead, and how you treat people,” Dr. Egbert said. “Carry your credentials with humility. Protect the dignity of every person entrusted to your care and service. Let your character be as evident as your competence both in your professional work and beyond it.”
Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) graduate Michael Cheesman and Dr. Harmony Beppler, a Doctor of Physical Therapy graduate, were recognized during the ceremony for earning the Richard P. Nielsen Student Service Award.
“Today is the day that we used as a motive to help us make it through the tough times of writing papers, taking exams, sacrificing sleep for late nights of studying or researching — I mean, opportunities of growth,” Cheesman said in his speech. “You did it!”
Recipients of RMU’s annual faculty and alumni awards were also honored:
- Dr. Mary Shotwell, Hartgraves Award for Excellence in Teaching
- Tye Jensen, Rising Star Teaching Award
- Dr. Lori McGowan (2024, DMSc), Early Career Alumni Award
- Dr. Kimberly Masker (2015, Post-Professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy), Outstanding Alumni Award
President Martin related the importance of relying on others in healthcare to the growth that happens with aspen trees.
“What appears separate above ground is actually connected below it. Through this network of connectivity, aspen trees share water, nutrients, and stress signals,” he said. “The need for a patient, any person really, to be seen, heard, and understood—in essence, to be loved—is foundational to their being and healing.
“This is what it means to love and lift those in need, which is the secret sauce to improving the human condition.”
