2026: Theme - "Gratitude"
Location
Charles F. Knight Executive Education & Conference Center
Start Date
26-3-2026 6:00 PM
End Date
26-3-2026 9:00 PM
Description
Dr. Ernesto Romo is faculty in the Department of Emergency Medicine. He shared personal artwork, a photograph
"This photograph was taken early last year, on a snowy drive home from Chicago. I took many images that night, but this one stayed with me. As I looked at it more closely, I realized it mirrored how I felt standing at the threshold of a new year. The foreground is bright and clear. At the time, much in my life felt that way. My daughters were thriving. I had stepped into a new professional role that I had worked toward for years and had received national recognition for work that mattered deeply to me. There was warmth, momentum, and a sense of possibility. Yet the background fades quickly into darkness. That darkness seemed to represent my fears, uncertainty about the changing world and anxiety about what lay ahead...Over the past year, I’ve intentionally worked to build a relationship with gratitude. One conversation with my coaching students stands out: several described active gratitude practices they learned from their parents. As a father of two young girls, that moment resonated deeply. Gratitude became not just something for me, but something I could model. Now, when I look at this photograph, I see both present and future as bright. I’m grateful not because everything is certain, but because I’ve learned that while I may not control what unfolds, I can choose how I meet it, with steadiness, intention, and gratitude."
Untitled, I-55 South bound January 1, 2025
Charles F. Knight Executive Education & Conference Center
Dr. Ernesto Romo is faculty in the Department of Emergency Medicine. He shared personal artwork, a photograph
"This photograph was taken early last year, on a snowy drive home from Chicago. I took many images that night, but this one stayed with me. As I looked at it more closely, I realized it mirrored how I felt standing at the threshold of a new year. The foreground is bright and clear. At the time, much in my life felt that way. My daughters were thriving. I had stepped into a new professional role that I had worked toward for years and had received national recognition for work that mattered deeply to me. There was warmth, momentum, and a sense of possibility. Yet the background fades quickly into darkness. That darkness seemed to represent my fears, uncertainty about the changing world and anxiety about what lay ahead...Over the past year, I’ve intentionally worked to build a relationship with gratitude. One conversation with my coaching students stands out: several described active gratitude practices they learned from their parents. As a father of two young girls, that moment resonated deeply. Gratitude became not just something for me, but something I could model. Now, when I look at this photograph, I see both present and future as bright. I’m grateful not because everything is certain, but because I’ve learned that while I may not control what unfolds, I can choose how I meet it, with steadiness, intention, and gratitude."
Comments
Access limited to Washington University in St. Louis campus.