The Community of PIMS

I’d like to take a moment to reflect on one of the things that makes The Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science different. Every educational institute can build feelings of camaraderie and friendship. But PIMS is more than that. We are a community.

The desire to join funeral service is uncommon. It is not easy, and it requires a person with a servant’s heart to succeed. We see things that most people don’t understand, we guide people in mourning and grief, and do our tasks with reverence, respect, love, and compassion. In that, we build bonds with our students, instructors, colleagues, and anyone else who overlaps into our professional lives.

The educational journey is a challenge. We ask a lot of you. We will push you. There will be times when it feels overwhelming. But in the end, we will shape you into the best version of yourself so you are ready to go out into the world and thrive in one of the oldest and most respected professions on earth. We will be here for you in your ups and downs. To quote one of our students, Carlene Danzy (Class DE 1058), “If you reach out, PIMS reaches back.”

To be clear, admission to PIMS is competitive due to our small class sizes. We are a small school, you will get to know each of us and we will get to know you. Once you enter our student base, you have done so because we have faith in you. It starts in the admissions office where your interactions, passion, drive, potential, and so many other things give the admissions advisor a sense of faith in you. You’re brought before a committee who looks at everything presented and decides they also have faith in you. You enter classes, the faculty gets to really know you whether you’re online or on campus, and they will push you because they, too, have faith in you. And with that, you are part of a community of uncommon people doing uncommon things in service to humanity.

We found ourselves particularly touched by an email sent to Dean Burns. Marissa Miller is a graduate of class DE 1057. She worked hard, performed every embalming and practicum requirement, completed RA lab, passed her comprehensive exams, and is now a part of our 8000+ alumni base. Marissa was unable to attend the graduation ceremony due to illness, but she earned the right to wear that cap and gown. Well, you can read the rest yourself.

Hi Dean Burns,

This is Marissa Miller, one of your graduates from this last graduation who couldn’t come because she was as sick as a dog.

I just wanted to tell you thanks for working with Jerry to get my gown and cap to me. Jerry ended up throwing me a surprise graduation in a park. I had no idea he was planning it, and he surprised me by pulling my cap and gown out of the trunk of his car, along with a graduation carpet he had bought off Amazon. We held our own graduation in the park with him, me, my mom, and her neighbor who was a photographer.

While I wish I could have been at PIMS to walk because I was really looking forward to it, I still was able to have a wonderful graduation all thanks to you.

Being in school at PIMS was an eye-opener for me. I had already gotten a Bachelor’s degree from Kent, but never felt like I had to truly work for it. In a way, sort of like I didn’t truly deserve it.

With this degree, I did have to work for it. It took hours of studying, determination, and effort on my part to get it, especially with the science classes. I had no idea how much better I would feel about myself after accomplishing something this difficult. I learned I was capable of so much more than I ever realized.

Anyways, sorry for the lengthy email. In short, walking at graduation, even at home in a park, was very important to me. I feel changed as a person in the best way, and am so happy to have found my niche. I love my job as a funeral director here at Behm’s, and I also thoroughly enjoy embalming.

Thanks for everything, Dean Burns. This has been a beautiful experience for me in more ways than one. You, and the entirety of PIMS, are wonderful.

I hope you and all the rest of the staff have a lovely day.

Sincerely,

Marissa Miller