No Capes, No Problem: The Send Off

To my fellow Second-Years,

I've started this letter about 35 times, putting in more time and thought into this than any final report I've ever had to write.  Honestly, I considered just copy/pasting/tweaking the letter I wrote to last year's graduating class, because the same words resonate more deeply when I read it and think about you guys.  I just can't wrap my head around the fact that we're done.  We're about to go on externships, and the big G is coming in August... and as exciting as that is, I'm really sad about not seeing you all every day!

Today I re-read a post I wrote about the first week of grad school.  And while it was full of hope, there was a lot of uncertainty.  But the great thing is... I wrote that before I recognized the privilege of getting to know each of you.  And as we did life together, I learned that my classmates, my friends, had so many of the same hopes, dreams, struggles, and insecurities as I did.  Then, beyond just recognizing our similarities, we appreciated our differences--we bonded together and supported each other through the good, the bad, the hilarious, and the ugly.

And that's the thing I appreciate most about our class:  never did I feel like I was alone.  In theory, a class containing 25+ girls and just 2 guys is not a good thing... but we were the exception.  It didn't matter who was in the grad room, I just knew that they would share ideas, lend a helping hand, offer a hug, or just be a friend.  For that, I will be forever grateful.

Since August 2012, you have been my classmates and colleagues.  But beyond that, you have blessed me by being my friends and becoming family.  Thank you for your acceptance, encouragement, listening, teaching, correction, and support.  When I pray for you all, I can't help but thank God for each and every one of you.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for being the class that stood together.  And years from now, I know we'll still be that way... maybe separated by miles, but together in spirit.  You have all made a difference in just the short time we've been here, and I have every confidence that the Class of 2014 is going to change the world.  You are heroes... capes are optional.

All my love,

- Alyce

Heroes don't leap tall buildings or stop bullets with an outstretched hand; they don't wear capes. They bleed and bruise and their superpowers are as simple as listening, or loving. Heroes are ordinary people who know that even if their own lives are impossibly knotted, they could untangle someone else's and maybe that one act could lead someone to rescue them right back. – Jodi Picoult