2023 USSYP Yearbook - Flipbook - Page 25
“We are the generation of
redeemers. This is our chance to
get back to what really matters.”
U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy
U.S. SURGEON GENERAL
Dr. Vivek Murthy
U
(ABOVE) Surgeon General Murthy with Florida delegates
Maxton Torres and Brady White
.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy offered his
vison for a new consciousness in America. “We
need a new generation that is clear-minded and
unapologetic about fighting for the core values of kindness,
generosity, service and love. This is a generation defined by
spirit rather than age, with a core commitment to recognizing
that when we are at our best, all of us are lifted up.” He cited
statistics about anxiety, depression and loneliness in
America, especially among youth, positing that we
are living in an “epidemic of loneliness” impacting
performance in school, the workplace and civic
engagement. Dr. Murthy delved into the intrinsic
connection between mental and physical health,
underlying his impassioned vision for the future.
“We must aspire to be a nation of kind neighbors,
of compassionate citizens, of loving parents and of
courageous, resilient kids. To me that is a strong nation,
one that increases the likelihood that we can all prosper,
and one that serves as a beacon of light for other countries.”
The leader of the Public Health Service and the “Nation’s
Doctor,” Dr. Murthy has served as surgeon general under
the past three presidents. He told the delegates much about
his own life story and advised them to embrace uncertainty
and display resilience. “Life will always be full of surprises. It
will throw curveballs at you. Some of them will be delightful
surprises. Some of them will be terrifying. But being open to
those surprises, being open to where they take us can often
make all the difference in the fulfillment we experience and the
contributions we make.”
UNITED STATES SENATE YOUTH PROGRAM 2023 | 23
