reminisce on your respective journeys, think about whether this is how you expected your life taking you. We were all attracted to Atlanta, Georgia and this institution for many of the same reasons. For starters, the campus is undoubtedly beautiful, existing among nature. It is conveniently located by a big and upcoming city full of opportunity. And, it’s widely accepting of people from all backgrounds and diverse in culture. I would refer to our University as a subculture, also known as a culture within a culture. What separates everyone here at Life from the outer is that we share the idea of Lasting Purpose: To live an inner- directed life, to give, to do, to love, to serve, out of your own abundance. This belief being instilled in us stems from wanting to serve people, help people and have an innate desire to better the world from the consequential knowledge and beliefs that we form. Austin Cade Baggett, COC Valedictorian, Winter 2023 Starting Week 1 of chiropractic school, we walked into the classroom CCE 127 at 7 in the morning ready and eager to learn and get our hands on some spines right off the bat. Ending Week 1, we were worn out, a bit overwhelmed, a bit scared and wondering how we would ever remember all of the steps and rate-limiting enzymes to glycolysis for the rest of our lives. We learned quickly that this program is a full-time job with endless overtime, but yet every Monday, I could still look around the room and see everyone showing up ready and full of energy to do it all over again — supporting one another, persevering and becoming Doctors of Chiropractic together. I commend every student in our quarter for stepping up and always having each other’s backs, no pun intended, throughout the entirety of this program. And I believe this incredible skill we were forced to develop will carry with us into the real world because, if we learned anything during our time here, in the words of Dr. Librone, ‘There is no telling what types of things you may see in your office.’ We have all succeeded during our time here. We have helped members of the community regain control of their lives and conquer their health goals, allowing them to return to work or play with their grandchildren the way they always wanted to. We sacrificed our own spines for this profession to produce the best class of chiropractors yet. We passed countless exams, quizzes, practicals, OSCES, board exams, while still managing to find time to give our most heartfelt responses on discussion boards each and every week. I hope we can all walk away with confidence in our victories as well as learn from our failures and apply this to every patient we treat because we now have the privilege to help people heal. Our responsibility is to ensure our patients express health and life in its fullest form by influencing the nervous system needing nothing more than just our hands. What job could be better than that? Maja Greta Jeanette Engstrom, CGUS Valedictorian, Spring 2023 I initially entered America on crutches with a goal to complete a speed rehab process and eventually make my way back to the soccer field. For a variety of reasons, I ended up making the decision to end my soccer career at the start of my junior year. With two years left on my degree, I questioned whether I should stay here and complete it, or if I should just move home. People that I asked for advice said, ‘Maya, you’re from Sweden, right? Isn’t education free over there? What are you still doing here?’ And for a while, I thought to myself, ‘Yeah, what am I still doing here?’ However, the more I thought about it, I realized that I would probably still be here even if education was double the cost, or maybe not double the cost, but you get the point. I think we can all agree that Life University has given us more than just education. This school has taught us about leadership, holistic wellness, self-development and much more. The people I’ve met here – students, professors, faculty and staff – they have provided me with so much more than money can buy. They’ve taught me life lessons and given me memories and experiences that you can’t put a price on. I would like to give a special thanks to Dr. Flores, Dr. Ferguson and Dr. Shepard for being important parts of my academic experience here. Looking back, I wouldn’t change my decision to stay here for anything. Life University is a very special school, and I’m sure that all of us have memories from here that we will carry with us for a lifetime. Gabrielle Monique Glatt, COC Valedictorian, Spring 2023 I know that I’m not alone in saying I’ve not only found a partner for life, but formed some amazing friendships that are going to last way beyond the convenience of seeing each other every day in school. So even though it didn’t always feel like it, I think that we were all really lucky to have chosen Life University. We were also fortunate to be taught by experts in their field. While we may not have loved their tests, we can’t deny that we were better doctors for having been taught Radiology by professors like Dr. Fox and Dr. Carter. We were also one of the last classes to have the privilege of experiencing Dr. Demons in person. Hello! And we have so many teachers here that love Chiropractic and help to keep us inspired. In case you didn’t know, valedictorian derives from a Latin phrase, of course, meaning to say farewell. So, let’s say Austin Cade Baggett Maja Greta Jeanette Engstrom 8 Alumni.life.edu | 2023