Northeast College Hosts Fall 2023 Ceremony Week, Advances 184 Chiropractic Students
Northeast College of Health Sciences hosted its Fall 2023 Ceremony Week, holding its Commitment to Excellence Pledge event for first-trimester chiropractic students on Nov. 29, Transitions Ceremony for seventh-trimester chiropractic students on Nov. 30, and the Commencement Ceremony honoring new doctors of chiropractic and Bachelor of Professional Studies (BPS) graduates on Dec. 2, 2023.
Fall 2023 Commencement Honors New Doctors, BPS Graduates.
Northeast College's Fall 2023 Commencement Ceremony was held on the Seneca Falls campus at the Standard Process Health and Fitness Center and honored 57 doctor of chiropractic (D.C.) graduates and six students receiving BPS degrees at the ceremony.
Levittown Health Center Senior Clinician and associate professor Dr. Charles Hemsey was the grand marshal, Northeast Board of Trustees Chair Dr. Rick Rosa (D.C. '96) presented the trustee greeting and Dr. James Forster (D.C. ‘85) delivered the commencement address. As well, awards for excellence in academics, leadership and clinical practice were presented to the new doctors.
Northeast Alumnus from Multi-Generation Chiropractic Family Addresses Graduates.
“Life is but a dream. Allow it to unfold and go where you’re sent, which is not always so easy,” Forster said before sharing a memory of when he agreed to jump on a flight from New York City to England to join punk rock band The Ramones as their tour chiropractor. Later in his address, Forster, now the owner of four chiropractic offices in New York state, noted, “I am living my dream because I went where I was sent.” As part of his closing words of wisdom, Forster encouraged students to “pursue your dreams and expect them to manifest, that’s how they come true.”
Before Forster took the stage to address the graduates, Northeast College President Dr. Michael Mestan introduced him as, “a distinguished individual whose connection to our College spans across generations.” Mestan continued to explain the dedication of the Forster family to chiropractic practice, with three generations of the Forster family graduating from Northeast College or one of its forerunners. “The reality is that each generation graduated from the same institution, whose history is contiguous, whose purpose is unwavering and whose relevance as a leading institution of health and wellness has never waned.”
Transitions Ceremony Honors Chiropractic Students Entering Clinical Rotations.
Signifying the start of their outpatient clinical education at one of Northeast’s community health centers across New York state, 66 seventh-trimester students received their white coats during the Fall 2023 Transitions Ceremony. To successfully reach this milestone on their academic journey to become doctors, chiropractic students must complete over two years of training in foundational sciences, clinical sciences, integrated chiropractic therapies and principles of chiropractic practice, followed by a clerkship in the campus health center.
At the ceremony, awards were presented to students for academic excellence, and Dean of Clinical Education Dr. Wendy Maneri presented the Dean’s Address and Student Oath. Keynote speaker Harlan Pyes, founder and president of Harlan Health Products, addressed the seventh tri students. “The mountain that is ahead of you will soon be behind you. Your clinical experience will be a distant memory,” Harlan said. “But the challenge of getting over that mountain will be with you forever. It will change you forever. That’s the purpose of that mountain.”
Commitment to Excellence Pledge.
Kicking off Northeast's Ceremony Week on Nov. 30, the Commitment to Excellence pledge was taken by 61 Northeast D.C. students. College President Dr. Michael Mestan presented each student with a pin reflecting the College mission that reads: "Excellence. Professionalism. Leadership." Also at the celebratory event were Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Anne Killen and Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Jean-Nicolas Poirier.