Speech by Captain Páula Clark, Fall Graduation Reception (December 11th, 2015)
Dean Clark, faculty and staff, family and friends of graduates, and ladies and gentlemen of Florida State University Class of 2015, I am honored and grateful to be with you today for your commencement, here at one of the finest universities in the world that has one of the best social work programs with the most dedicated staff and professors.
Today I want to share with you about following your heart and climbing your mountain.
I joined the military at the age of 17 and left my little New York town which only had two traffic lights and a combined middle and high school. I thought this is it, the world is bigger than me. I knew my heart wanted to serve people but I didn’t know how, so the military told me just how. They told me when and where I would be and even what I was going to wear. I moved several times and deployed to several countries and met people from different walks of life. I had good experiences from traveling to 28 different countries to not so good experiences like being stationed at Khobar Towers just before the bomb killed many colleagues of mine and injured 100s more–but all of these experiences helped me climb my mountain and I decided there was something more that I needed to do.
That’s when I decided to attend the greatest University known to mankind and my journey to studying Social Work began. I started studying and loving the passion for the NOLES and it wasn’t just about sports but it was about the sense of community and giving back. I was involved in many projects here in Leon County to include the sheriff’s boot camp, cancer support groups, hospice bereavement groups, and working infant mortality issues. And then something big happened: September 11th. It not just changed the world, but it changed my world. I was the first student from Florida State to be pulled out of classes. I had a mandatory military report date to report with all of my battle gear for an unknown amount of time and for an unknown reason. My bags were packed. I didn’t know what to expect. My fellow colleagues didn’t know what to expect. Did this mean we were going to war? Did this mean I was being sent far away from home? Did this mean I would not see my family again? Did this mean I would not complete my degree? Did this mean my mountain would come to a peak quicker than I had anticipated? There were so many questions and so many unanswered questions that I wanted answered. But, off I went and waited for my orders. Later that next day on September 12th, I would find out what my mission was and that I was to stand alert to protect the United States Air Force airspace from Miami to Atlanta with Fighter jets and later deploy more times than the average 24 year old should; but my mind and heart stayed on climbing my mountain and I wanted to cross the same stage that you will be crossing and no enemy or distraction was going to take me away from being a NOLE graduate.
So I stand before you today with not just fulfilling that dream and getting my diploma from FSU but receiving so much more. I received relationships which are still strong after 15 years. I also received the best skills to treat the best military warriors that I have had the privilege to serve alongside. I was commissioned as a United States Air Force Officer in 2006 and have served as a Mental Health Officer and Battlefield acupuncturist and have served patients in clinics, in hospitals and in combat zones. My recent deployment was serving with the finest Marines and Army Defense Artillery men and women and performing air evacuations. In civilian terms, that means we go into hostile environments and we get the wounded out and get them to a higher echelon of care. I was the sole mental health provider for 1900 warriors and it was the skills I learned right here which helped prepare me to be the right clinician for those warriors. I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I am proud to serve my country and I am proud to help each and every one of you- I can promise you no matter where I have served, to include my office, a hospital, a tent, an aircraft or helicopter, I always had my Florida State flag with me.
I am thankful! I appreciate where I came from and I hope, graduates, you will always look back at your roots and you will do the same. Never forget where you started. Be thankful and be humble…I take each act of appreciation seriously, because some I have treated are able to thank me and others are not as fortunate because they can no longer verbalize their appreciation…and others have left a loved one behind to share…but whatever the gratitude may be, whether it is in silence or expressed, I know I have climbed my mountain and I have made a difference.
What will set you apart from the rest of your peers and the world? How will you serve? What do they need from your social work skills? That’s all you have to figure out. As someone who has done what you are about to do, I can tell you from experience and the effect that you will have on life, it is the most valuable currency there is because everything else will fade and all that is left is what’s in your heart and what mountain you choose to climb.
Believe in the great work you are about to embark on and love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking, don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you will know when you find it. Graduates, there is no better feeling than to know that you changed lives! I can surely say I have changed lives. I had purpose. I am at the top of my mountain and graduates of the class of 2015, I can’t wait to see you at the top of your mountain.
I will leave you with a quote from a fellow warrior…“Make sure you enjoy the journey. You don’t have to reach the top of the mountain to appreciate the views along the way.