Landon Taylor was elected UF PA Class of 2026 president after reenacting Tim Tebow’s “The Promise” –– a speech so motivational it “makes you want to run right through a wall,” he enthused while delivering his commencement speech.

When he referenced the famous speech in his campaign for class president, he made his own promise to help the cohort thrive.

“It didn’t take long for me to realize this group did not need the motivating,” Taylor said. “I have never met a group of people so determined to accomplish great things.”

Taylor hails from Washington and spent his younger years moving around the Pacific Northwest. As a child, his medical provider was a skilled physician assistant who made a positive impact on his family. Taylor was inspired by him and decided to pursue medicine himself.

Once he started working in healthcare, he knew becoming a physician assistant was the right career for him. His classmates helped motivate him through the grind of the “greatest PA program ever” in ways that extended beyond an academic setting.

Halfway through his didactic year, Taylor’s mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. He doubted his capacity to complete the program as she underwent treatment on the other side of the country. In secret, his classmates organized a fundraiser for Taylor’s mom and surprised him with a check. The act of compassion lifted him through one of the hardest moments in his life, he said.

Taylor thanked his peers for their camaraderie through the last two years of studies, before happily announcing his mom had beaten cancer and was there to witness this milestone.

“The journey certainly wasn’t easy. It required grit, determination, late nights and a whole lot of caffeine,” Taylor said. “Looking at each of you today, I have that same feeling that I had on day one –– I’m just so lucky to be surrounded by such incredible people.”

“Professional and compassionate –– I do not have any recommendations for improvement,” said Thao Jinright, MPAS, PA-C, as she read the preceptor comments for the Mary Dailey Award. “Great team player and a student with strong fundamental knowledge. She will be an excellent PA.”

Nicole Lim hugged Jinright before accepting a wooden plaque recognizing her as this year’s recipient of the Mary Dailey award, an honor given to a student who has demonstrated outstanding patient-centered care during their clinical year.

Lim was born and raised in West Palm Beach, Florida. Before completing the physician assistant program at UF, Lim worked as a physical therapist aide and a dialysis technician.

“Through these roles,” she said, “I learned firsthand how rewarding it is to serve patients in a healthcare system that can often feel complex and difficult to access.”

As she attended lectures and gained experience through clinical rotations, Lim served as a liaison for the UF Equal Access Clinic Network, a network of student-run clinics that provide free healthcare to the medically underserved. She was recently inducted into the Pi Alpha National Honor Society for physician assistants.

“These past two years will be something I will never forget and will always look back on very fondly,” Lim said. “Despite the challenges that came with didactic and clinical year, it was filled with memories with the most driven, compassionate and intelligent colleagues. I also cherish the patient experiences I had the privilege of being part of, as they were fundamental in shaping both my personal and clinical growth.”

Gabrielle Pérez, who is proud of her Columbian and Venezuelan roots, always felt drawn to work in medicine, but she did not discover the PA profession until her junior year of undergrad.

“The PA role doesn’t exist in many Hispanic countries,” Pérez said. “I had never met a PA or known anyone in the field.”

As a future bilingual medical professional, she is passionate about improving access to healthcare while serving Spanish-speaking communities. One of the most rewarding parts of her physician assistant journey has been connecting with patients.

“During my ENT rotation, I saw a patient I had previously cared for during my primary care rotation months earlier, and they remembered me and the impact I had on their care,” Pérez said. “I also had the opportunity to care for a patient as a PA student who I had previously worked with as a medical assistant. Those full-circle moments reminded me why I chose this profession and reinforced the importance of building meaningful relationships with patients.”

Pérez served as “class aunt” of her cohort, supporting her family of peers by organizing morale-boosting events and making sure the student lounge was stocked with snacks and essentials. She filled other student leadership roles, such as being a member of the Professional Standards and Promotions Committee and assisting with admissions and orientation for the Class of 2027.

Her degree was supported by the National Health Service Corps, or NHSC, Scholarship Program, which awards scholarships to students pursuing a primary care health profession.

“Being an NHSC Scholar has been a huge blessing,” Pérez said. “It has allowed me to graduate with significantly less student debt while pursuing my passion for primary care and serving underserved communities.”

After celebrating her graduation back home in Jacksonville, Pérez intends to fulfill her service commitment at Palms Medical Group in Starke, Florida, where she will use what she’s learned to care for patients in rural communities.