Jenna Schardt expected to be sitting with her classmates in the 2019 winter commencement ceremony at Brenau University on Friday. But a golf ball-sized mass in her brain changed her plans.
Schardt was the guest of honor at the graduate commencement ceremony Friday — one of two ceremonies, including the undergraduate ceremony that followed. Approximately 329 candidates for graduation received diplomas, including 231 graduate diplomas and 98 undergraduate diplomas.
A graduate student in the Master of Science in Occupational Therapy program, Schardt said her “world was turned completely upside down” in her last semester of graduate school.
“As you see, I am not sitting with my classmates and I will not be walking across the stage to receive my diploma today,” said Schardt, who now plans to graduate in May. “On Sept. 26, while at fieldwork, I began to have seizures; something that had never happened to me before. I was quickly rushed to the hospital and I later found out that day that I had a golf-ball-size mass on the left lobe of my brain, which led to the determination that I was going to need to have brain surgery.”
Schardt, who was in Dallas, Texas, for her fieldwork at the time, received treatment at Methodist Dallas Medical Center. Prior to the operation, however, her surgeons asked her for a favor.
“My surgery ended up becoming the first awake brain surgery to be live-streamed on Facebook,” Schardt said.
Drs. Randall Graham and Bartley Mitchell at Methodist Dallas performed the operation, which was live-streamed on the medical center’s Facebook page. Dr. Nimesh Patel, chief of neurosurgery at Methodist Dallas, narrated the surgery and answered questions live. Schardt said she was willing to share her story so publicly for the same reasons she wants to become an occupational therapist: to help as many people as possible.
Schardt — who is recovering well post-op — said the experience shifted her perspective on life.
“There are going to be times in your life when your next steps are going to feel like setbacks,” she said. “You are going to have challenges that you did not plan on and you’re going to have to decide if and how you are going to come back from these unexpected trials. I say, stay the course and don’t give up. Graduates, you have just finished an honorable accomplishment. ... Of course, you should continue to plan and reach for your goals. But through it all, remember to live each day to its fullest.”
President Anne Skleder, who gave the keynote address at both ceremonies, commended Schardt for her courage and her family for their commitment to her health and education.
She recognized the efforts, sacrifices, time and talents required of the graduates to finish their degrees and receive their diplomas Friday.
“We are very proud of each of you,” Skleder said to all the graduates. “I have a secret to tell you: You are well-prepared for a life that will continue to require juggling, prioritizing and reprioritizing, developing and nurturing a support system, and learning how to ensure you are taking care of yourself.”
New alumna Lauren Hill, who received her bachelor of arts in acting on Friday, shared a similar sentiment with the graduates.
“Although at 21 years old, I can’t offer you much career advice or wisdom for your life, I would like to take this opportunity to tell you what I believe really matters,” Hill said. “I believe that the most important thing we can do in this world is love others. I believe that in order to do that, we must first love ourselves, fully believing we are fearfully and wonderfully made, fully equipped to be here in this moment, right now.”
Skleder reminded the graduates they would face challenges in their future endeavors and provided her own challenges for them to bear in mind as they chase success: to keep up with change but not be ruled by it; to use their degrees to acknowledge and address societal issues; to seek out those who are different and learn from their perspectives; and finally to approach each job, relationship and opportunity with joy.
“My wishes for you are sincere, and my hope is that you will always remember your alma mater,” she said. “Know that we at Brenau are incredibly proud of you and are looking forward to the mark you will make — not may make, but will make — on the world, leading lives of personal and professional fulfillment.”
