Taking a Step Forward

“I couldn’t walk for a year,” recalled Yerdon. “It made me realize I wanted to help people regain the ability to walk and be independent.”

On May 21, Yerdon did just that as she, along with 90 classmates, received her diploma as a member of the 2025 class at the New York College of Podiatric Medicine of Touro University. The ceremony, held in Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, also marked the first time the nation’s oldest podiatric medical school held commencement as a Touro University school.

“You’ve sort of been interning to be part of our family,” said Touro President Dr. Alan Kadish. “Now we welcome you… You’ve made it through—and that resilience and adaptability will serve you well.”

Ahra Cho, who grew up in South Korea and came to the U.S. for college and graduate school, said she was “very excited” to be starting residency at NYU Langone. “I’m very grateful for the support from my friends and family,” she added. “I want to be a foot and ankle surgeon. Mobility is so important for overall health.”

Thomas Oliveri, heading to LIJ Forest Hills, called the moment “kinda surreal.”

“All our hard work has finally culminated. It’s exciting but nerve-wracking,” he said. “I learned a lot from experts and have a greater understanding—and a group of contemporaries who’ve become my close friends.”

For Yerdon, who described herself as at a loss for words, the day closed a loop that began in pain and isolation. “There’s no words to describe it, really,” she said.

Love What You Do and You Won’t Burn out

Speaker Keith Greathouse, who has served on the NYCPM board for over two decades and is currently chairman of the NYCPM Advisory Board, kept his remarks plainspoken and parental. “When you were a freshman coming in, you thought, ‘Can I make it?’” he said. “But you had support. From your families, from each other. Remember that.”

He urged the graduates to keep asking questions, to challenge routines, and to network with intention. “Be a sponge,” he said. “And don’t be afraid to ask, ‘Why do we always do it this way?’ Some of the best answers come from that.”

Julian John, CEO of Metropolitan Hospital, a major affiliate for NYCPM, offered congratulations and best wishes to the graduates and assisted in handing diplomas to the three graduating residents. 

Dr. Charles Lombardi, president of the New York State Podiatric Medical Association, echoed the call for passion. “If you love what you do, you won’t burn out,” he said. “Put your patients first, and the rest will follow.”

Dr. Robert Amler, a public health leader and the morning’s keynote speaker, took a broader view. He spoke of pandemics and pediatric care, Roosevelt quotes and climate change—but returned, again and again, to the impact of a single life of service.

“This is a great day for the thousands of people you’ll help in your lifetime,” he told the graduates. “Some of them haven’t even been born yet.”

He reminded the students that what they do matters—not only in the exam room, but in the systems and communities they’ll help shape. “You have the knowledge, the skills, and the compassion to make a difference,” he said.