Today, we come to the end of National Nurses Week. (We Love Nurses – thank you Nurses for everything you do). It is also the end of our crazy semester – also the first semester of the Schuylkill Small Worlds Tiny Earth Program. Who could have imagined when this project started back in January that we would build friendships by bonding as a class, find our bacteria in soil, fall in love with them, even with all their gooey and smelliness, and essentially have to abandon them before we knew all they could do. It definitely was not the plan, but we rolled with the punches. Even with all this, all of the students participating in this class were truly amazing.
First, thank you to all the students for your amazing work this semester. Your descriptions and connections between topics, even given our crazy situation, have been stellar. I really couldn’t ask for more of this group. I also wanted to thank you for your patience and your participation in everything this semester. It’s really been crazy and when we left for break, I did believe that we would see each other again before now. It has not been easy and that there has been so much going on in each of your lives, but the fact that you still came, did assignments, and of course, created wonderful presentations is quite a feat and extremely impressive. Please know that completing this research-based course with all these challenges is truly impressive. I really can’t express how proud we all are of you.
Think about this: the symposium was a first of its kind globally with students spending the time discussing their projects and what they learned live, answering questions, and also having a stand alone website with recorded presentations. Everyone who did come was quite impressed. Our Chancellor Dr. Jones thought you did very good work, as did our DAA Dr. Medica. Some students who came and never heard of our project were amazed at what you did. They learned so much from you and wished they had the experience. From another teacher/staff member, Ms. Julie Meyer, she was totally impressed by all of you and how you each told your stories including how you came around to enjoy the project after being afraid of what happened. For our first year at this, it’s impressive. I wish we could have had the big celebration – you deserve it.
It has been a pleasure to work with you all and I consider myself blessed to have such wonderful, intelligent and amazing people in my class, especially during this chaotic semester. I truly do wish we were together again, for I do miss you and I know you miss each other. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors, especially as you start your nursing programs. If you do come back to Penn State for the BSN, I’ll hopefully see you for chemistry and we can pray that it won’t be this kind of chaos. Please stay in touch. We are a family that never goes away. You are the first group of a SWTEP program and family that we keep growing for many years to come.
I hope that you remember the good times that we had and that the awkward COVID19 era of our class does not dampen all you have done. Again, thank you and may all your dreams come true for you are amazing people who deserve only the best.
Take care. Be safe. Stay healthy. Lots of love and virtual hugs.