{"id":267343,"date":"2026-05-12T00:00:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T00:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/267343\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T00:00:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T00:00:09","slug":"nurture-others-nurture-yourself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/267343\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Nurture others. Nurture yourself\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Steven G. Ullman\u2019s<\/a> parents received only minimal education owing to their status as refugees of World War II, and so the gifts that come with learning and knowledge were among the highest values they instilled in their children.<\/p>\n

Yet Ullman\u2014who would go on to teach, guide, and mentor more than 15,000 students over nearly five decades as an esteemed academic\u2014struggled early to find his way on the learning road. \u00a0<\/p>\n

A high school counselor told him he was \u201cnot college material.\u201d A mathematics teacher discouraged him from taking any mathematics courses beyond pre-algebra, the basic level required for high school graduation.<\/p>\n

Yet Ullmann persisted, nurtured his own passion for learning and willed himself into an excellent university, where he received far better guidance.<\/p>\n

\"Commencement\u201cIndeed, my college professors responded as I had wished. As I had hoped. They did not tell me \u2018No.\u2019 On the contrary, they told me \u2018Yes.\u2019 That I could, and that I should. I was allowed to explore, to experiment, and ultimately, I found my passion,\u201d Ullmann, professor and director of the Center for Health Management and Policy<\/a> at the University of Miami Patti and Allan Herbert Business School<\/a> told more than 1,300 students receiving master\u2019s and doctoral degrees at two ceremonies on Monday.<\/p>\n

On the fourth and final day of spring commencement ceremonies, Ullmann spoke in the morning to graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences; College of Engineering; Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science; Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine; and School of Nursing and Health Studies. In the afternoon ceremony, he addressed those from the School of Architecture; Miami Herbert Business School; School of Communication; School of Education and Human Development; and the Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music.<\/p>\n

Not only did Ullmann find his passion\u2014economics\u2014when he made it to college, but \u201csomething special\u201d happened there: a boon and blessing that would not only nurture his own success but would also formulate his approach as a future educator. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a professor, a guide, a mentor who saw something in me, who took me under wing, who provided me guidance. He said, \u2018Take nearly double the courses required of the standard major.\u2019 He pushed me to take as much math as I could handle, just several courses shy of a double major in mathematics\u2014in the No. 1-ranked mathematics department in the country,\u201d Ullmann remembered. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Ullmann went on to graduate school, where another mentor encouraged him to undertake research in health care economics, an emerging field at the time.<\/p>\n

\"Commencement\u201cFrom there, all kinds of opportunities opened up to me. And one of the greatest opportunities, and one of the very best choices I have made\u2014other than marrying my wife\u2014was to accept an offer for a faculty position from the University of Miami 46 years ago,\u201d said Ullmann, today an internationally renowned authority on health care policy, a highly esteemed educator who has mentored generations of students, and a senior University administrator who has served as vice provost for faculty affairs and university administration and dean of the Graduate School. \u00a0<\/p>\n

In his remarks, Ullmann highlighted the importance of mentorship and guidance.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease, please, please, do not use these words to another, \u2018No, you are not able to\u2019 and do not accept from someone else these words, \u2018No, you are not capable,\u2019\u201d Ullmann urged the new graduates. \u201cDo not take the opportunity away from others or allow opportunities to be closed off to you. On the contrary, nurture the \u2018yes.\u2019 Nurture others. Nurture yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ullmann celebrated the students for their accomplishments to earn higher level degrees.<\/p>\n

\u201cI truly hope you have found passion for the field you have chosen. Do not let that passion fade. And if it begins to fade, adjust your path\u2014it is never too late. And allow passion and love to be a significant part of your personal life as well,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"CommencementUllmann, the recipient of more than 25 teaching and service awards, including the President\u2019s Medal, the Faculty Senate Outstanding Teaching Award, the Patrick Masala Award, and the James W. McLamore Outstanding Service Award, emphasized that the value of guidance and mentoring is ultimately a double-sided coin.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have seen the opportunity to receive guidance and mentoring and the role it has played in your lives, in our lives. And there will be future mentors, I am sure,\u201d Ullmann said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it is also the time now, with your background, your experience, and your knowledge base, to be mentors to others. Do not underestimate the impact you may have on the lives of others. You, as mentors, will quickly realize the incredible feeling of satisfaction that you will experience guiding others,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

University President Joe Echevarria, who graduated from the University in 1978, said he shared the same strong foundation as the new graduates, one rooted in discipline, perseverance, curiosity, attitude, commitment, and especially caring for others.<\/p>\n

While recognizing the tremendous changes associated with new technologies, the president said the future will be \u201cmore human led than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe future needs people who are prepared, principled, and committed, and willing to care. That\u2019s who you are. So, use tech wisely, keep learning, stay curious, and remember that anything is possible\u2014and anything happens all the time,\u201d Echevarria said. <\/p>\n

Yusif Gurbanli, originally from Baku, Azerbaijan, served as the student speaker for the Monday morning ceremony. Over an eight-year span at the University, Gurbanli has earned two degrees and is currently conducting doctoral research on AI-powered bone reconstruction for robotic orthopedic surgery; he likewise conducted NASA-funded aerodynamic research; co-founded several AI ventures; and was awarded a $100,000 USTAAR grant.<\/p>\n

As a foreigner alone in a new country when he first arrived, Gurbanli experienced an untold number of changes, new directions, and \u201cmoments of quiet panic\u201d that led him to question his identity.<\/p>\n

He celebrated his family with providing him a bedrock of support.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey supported me so completely that, even across continents, I never felt truly alone. They believed in the path before I could fully see it myself. And through every directional change, never once questioned me,\u201d\u00a0Gurbanli said.<\/p>\n

That unwavering support bolstered his confidence and helped shift his mindset when faced \u201cwith the curveballs that life throws\u201d from \u201cterrifying\u201d to \u201cokay, maybe I can handle this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gurbanli urged new graduates entering a world revolutionized by technology to befriend\u00a0uncertainty and cautioned against letting their job and achievements define their identity.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is a fragile place to build a life,\u201d he said. \u201cThe people who navigate this well aren\u2019t the ones who outrun the change. They\u2019re the ones who, when everything shifts, still know exactly where they stand. Not because they have a perfect plan\u2014but because they know themselves.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

For Tanusri Bandaru, the master\u2019s in public health she received at Monday\u2019s morning ceremony represents much more than the culmination of months of intense studying and research. It is an academic achievement, she said, that gives her multiple options for the near future.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While a job in program development for hospital systems awaits, the Indian-born Bandaru is also leaving the door open for pursuing a doctoral degree. \u201cPh.D. work requires a lot of time and commitment,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ll just have to see what the future holds.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

But no matter what happens, Bandaru said she will always treasure the diversity and global makeup of faculty members in the Miller School of Medicine\u2019s Department of Public Health Sciences. \u201cThey allowed me to learn and apply my skills,\u201d said Bandaru, whose capstone project involved mental health program development in rural North Florida communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With his wife and young son and daughter looking on, Chris Alfaro, a captain in the Aventura Police Department, accepted his master\u2019s degree in public administration from the College of Arts and Sciences.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAn incredibly rewarding experience, one that required a lot of time management and balancing family, school, and work responsibilities,\u201d the 16-year law enforcement veteran said of the challenge of earning an advanced degree while working as a full-time police officer. \u201cMy career goal is to one day become a police chief, so this degree is a big step in that direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

Friday\u2019s afternoon ceremony carried different meanings for two of the graduate students from the School of Education and Human Development.\u00a0<\/p>\n

James Ochoa\u2019s eight-year journey to earning his Ph.D. in higher education leadership \u201cwas more about finishing what I started than taking the next step in my career,\u201d he said Friday at the University of Miami Fieldhouse, just an hour before he walked into the Watsco Center to receive his newly minted degree.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is completion. This is about getting it done and serving as an example to my family that anything is possible, even when faced with difficult challenges and life-altering events,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For Ochoa, those \u201cchallenges and life-altering events\u201d meant making sure his research continued to move forward when the COVID-19 pandemic emerged and becoming a husband and father over the course of his doctoral studies.\u00a0<\/p>\n

His family, he said, is his rock. \u201cThey\u2019ve backed me the entire time, and I couldn\u2019t be prouder to have them here today,\u201d he said, noting that his wife, 5-year-old son, and 3-year-old daughter were on hand to see him graduate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For Juana Eugenia Bolanos, earning her Ph.D. in applied learning science \u201cis not a culmination of a long journey but the start of what I want to do in the future,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bolanos plans to dedicate herself to helping parents with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder to better prepare their sons and daughters to enter formal schools and to make sure teachers are well-prepared to educate such students. \u201cI\u2019m sure I can help make a difference,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Giuliano Iannarelli McDonald, a doctoral candidate in the School of Communication, emphasized the importance of connecting with others in his remarks as the student speaker for the Monday afternoon ceremony.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether you are designing a building, supporting new clients, devoting time to a student who needs extra attention, composing a melody, or crafting a strategic message, we are united by a shared desire to connect with people,\u201d said McDonald, adding that he and his peers bear a unique responsibility as the first graduating class representing a new century of Canes.<\/p>\n

\u201cNever forget that in a world that too often pulls people apart, what will make us stand out is our ability to bring people together,” he said. “If you keep connection at the heart of what you do, your life will be richer in more ways than one. And in doing so, you will uphold and embody the traditions, values, and legacy of the University of Miami.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Steven G. Ullman\u2019s parents received only minimal education owing to their status as refugees of World War II,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":267344,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[123,125,124],"class_list":["post-267343","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267343","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=267343"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267343\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/267344"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=267343"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=267343"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=267343"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}