Marking a milestone

May 6, 2026 — With friends, family and mentors cheering them on, members of the University of Florida M.D. Class of 2028 crossed the stage this past weekend to usher in the next era of their education, when they will encounter their first patients in the clinic.

On May 3, second-year medical students at the UF College of Medicine marked the halfway point of their training at the Mark S. Gold, M.D. ’75, 28th White Coat Ceremony, hosted at the Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

The important milestone, where the students receive their very own white coat adorned with their name, marks the occasion when the students transition from acquiring knowledge in the classroom to applying it in the clinic. During their third and fourth years, they will complete clinical rotations across different units at UF Health in preparation for applying to train and practice in different specialties.

College of Medicine interim Dean Jennifer Hunt, M.D., M.Ed., told students and families that this will be an exciting time, filled with many firsts.

It’s crucial to hang on to your first attempts, said Hunt, an avid crafter, so that later n you can look back at your progress and see how far you’ve come. She held up a small orange, purple and blue bundle of yarn to demonstrate this — the first wool she had spun herself.

“It’s really ugly, and it’s not very good, but you keep it as a memento, as a way of remembering who you were when you began,” said Hunt, also the Folke H. Peterson Dean’s Distinguished Professor. “And in a way, I think of the white coat like that, too.”

Your first white coat might become frayed, and stained and dirty over time, but it will also represent the first time you’re standing in an operating room, seeing your first baby delivery or counseling a family through a tough diagnosis.

“I know our amazing UF students here in front of us will wear their white coats with pride and honor, and I know you will do so like generations of medical students before you,” she said.

Shelley Collins, M.D., the senior associate dean for medical education, also addressed the attendees. She discussed the Japanese philosophy of ikigai, which means a reason for being. The idea behind the term is to combine what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs and what you can be paid to do.

Collins encouraged the class to consider the reasons they wanted to pursue medicine in the first place and call those reasons into focus when thinking about the next steps of their journeys.

“Taking care of people can never become just a job; it must be part of who you are,” she said. “Your patients deserve that level of dedication. You must earn the privilege of wearing the coat every day. Simply answering questions is not the secret behind being a great doctor; the secret is having a deep and profound understanding that your knowledge paired with empathy and compassion can change someone’s life.”

Marquia Walker, president and academic chair for the Class of 2028, addressed her peers and their families with words of gratitude for the faculty and staff who work tirelessly to give medical students the best experience at UF, as well as the family and friends whose support keep everyone going on tough days.

“Thank you for being the pillars of support and guiding hands for all of us throughout history, whether you are here in this room, watching online, sending your love from afar or in the heavens above, thank you for continuously showing up for us,” she said.

Walker reminded her classmates that they will continue to be tested, literally and figuratively, during the remainder of medical school, but they are capable of overcoming challenges, as they’ve already proven.

“In those times, remember why we are here, why we chose medicine, why we chose to serve those who are experiencing the worst times in their lives and understand that it is a calling that many seek but few are chosen to find,” she said. “It is a privilege and honor to say we are pursuing medicine, and it is a privilege and honor to do so with one another.”

As the members of the class put on their white coats, she said, they will serve a symbol of the trust patients will put into them and an opportunity to lead with hard work and humility.

“We have the opportunity to lead today with our hearts full and our minds resolute in making a difference in our community,” she said. “I cannot wait to stand beside you and watch as we all forge our own paths together with a determination to make this world a better place.”

Photos by Charles Poulton