In New Orleans, we don’t like to do anything the typical way, and graduation is no different. We believe commencement exercises should be fun, with the emphasis on celebration!
Following the second line out of the auditorium, graduates and their families enjoyed refreshments in Armstrong Park before embarking on the last second line of the day, this one winding its way through the park and into the French Quarter, ending at Jackson Square.
Just as it began, the program ended with another new tradition: the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine Public Health Oath. The oath was developed by students Isabella Parise, Johanna Teigen, and Emily Szklarski and was read by all graduates.
The Public Health Oath of Tulane University
As public health professionals, our journey does not stop today. Health is a human right. Our role is to promote and protect this right for all – locally, domestically, and internationally. Let our actions show respect and reverence for the equity which only diversity can foster. As lifelong learners and fierce advocates:
We will diligently track determinants of disease to investigate the public’s health.
We will facilitate the self-empowerment of all communities, as they are the experts of their experiences.
We will rely on rigorous research to inform our decisions and actions.
We will use data-driven methods to quantify health as we collaborate within interdisciplinary teams.
We will evolve our understanding of the interconnected risk between people and their holistic environments.
And we will use our knowledge and experience to propel health equity, expand access to care, and enhance policies to improve systems that affect people’s lives.
With this oath, we dedicate ourselves to uphold these affirmations as we serve on the front lines of public health.
Graduate student speaker Emily Szklarski 
Undergraduate student speaker Melanie Joseph