White Coat Ceremony: Celebrating the Transition to Clinics

White Coat moment: ‘I felt great pride’

On a sunny Sunday in March, we, the Class of 2020, had our long-awaited White Coat Ceremony! The ceremony signified our transition from the classroom to the clinic floor.

The afternoon ceremony opened with a warm welcome from Dr. Jonathan Foreman, associate dean for academic and student affairs. Next, Dr. Peter Constable, dean of the college, gave remarks, further welcoming our family and friends to the joyous occasion.

Afterwards, Dr. Dennis French, head of the Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, welcomed us to the hospital, and Dr. Anne Barger, clinical professor in veterinary clinical medicine, gave a talk comparing the lessons and challenges of clinical rotations to the lessons she learned while scuba diving in Hawaii.

Finally, the moment we had been waiting for arrived: The presentation of our white coats!

Our white coats were presented by Drs. Loukia Agapis, Patricia Hoien-Dalen, Megan Mahoney, Anne Barger, Stephanie Keating, and Ashley Mitek. It was the moment we had been working toward for three years.

When they placed the white coats on our shoulders, it felt surreal. Looking around at my classmates, I felt great pride. Even with our diverse interests and backgrounds, we had worked together to lift each other up during the challenges of vet school, and to celebrate the successes and victories along the way.

To commemorate our journey, our classmates put together a short video that highlighted our vet school adventures so far. The afternoon ceremony ended with a class response from our Class Representative, Faisal Shabib, and then closing remarks from Dr. Foreman.

After the ceremony ended, we took pictures and enjoyed refreshments with our classmates, family, friends, and colleagues.

We look forward to continuing our education during our clinical rotations, and the next great celebration: Graduation!

—Sarah Wright