Dr. Mary Gardner Delivers Passionate Keynote Commencement Address At Oregon State University College Of Veterinary Medicine

TAMPA, Fla., July 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Mary Gardner, co-founder of Lap of Love^TM Veterinary Hospice and inspirational speaker, was elected by the 32^nd class of graduates from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Oregon State University to provide the keynote graduation address on June 15^th 2014.     

OSU CVM class president, Dr. Alina Soderholm, said, "Our class selected Dr. Gardner as the keynote speaker because we could not think of anyone else whose personality is so well-aligned with the collective persona of the class - compassionate, diverse, and innovative. Her previous lectures were during a particularly arduous point in our curriculum and were immensely inspirational and uplifting; they were a poignant reminder of why we are all pursuing this profession."

The theme of Dr. Gardner's keynote was "LOVE" and how everyone in attendance can find a career that they love and feel passionate about.  Her four secret ingredients to finding that career are; 1) Leadership – find a mentor that you respect and can learn from; then become a leader yourself to inspire others, 2) Ownership – take ownership of all that you do and represent yourself with integrity, 3) Vocation – find the specific niche in your profession that rings true to you, and 4) Experiences – gather as many experiences as you can in your career and life.  Leadership, Ownership, Vocation and Experiences = LOVE. (The entire graduation can be watched at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_05NY4RIG5I)

Dr. Gardner emphasized that, "Time is an important, irreplaceable asset that should not be wasted on a career you are not in love with. You will have good days and bad, laughter and tears – but that is what love is about. I want each of you to have a passionate love affair with your career." She bestowed a small gift to the students after they received their diplomas - handmade stones with the acronym 'LOVE' imprinted on them as a reminder of those four secret ingredients to a passionate career.  

"I was very pleased to have the opportunity to spend time with a number of students from the graduating class that weekend, and found many with unique backgrounds that want to pursue varied paths and blaze new trails in veterinary medicine.  I am confident they will make our industry proud and are ripe for the challenges ahead," Dr. Gardner stated.

Dr. Jamie Senthirajah, an OSU graduate of the class of 2014, comments, "Dr. Gardner's statement that 'we cannot cure everything but we can care for everybody… both the animals and their families' was enlightening to me. It is important to know this as new graduates.  We may not be able to cure every pet's ailment but by using education, training, experiences and compassion, we are able to examine and assess what is best for all parties involved. By caring for the patient first before only chasing a cure, we are able to provide and embrace a service that is essential to veterinary medicine."   

With over 70 veterinarians around the country, Lap of Love^TM Veterinary Hospice (www.lapoflove.com) is the nation's largest group of doctors that dedicate their practice to veterinary hospice and end of life care.  Dr. Gardner has been featured in Entrepreneur® magazine, The Doctors® television program, various veterinary trade publications, the Huffington Post®, the Associated Press® and on the cover of the New York Times®.

SOURCE Lap of Love

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