HMS/HSDM White Coat Ceremony for the Class of 2025

all right we're ready to go well welcome welcome everyone i want to give a very very warm welcome to all of the students and faculty and staff who are here under the tent and i want to give a very warm welcome to all the family members and friends and mentors and coaches and all the other supporters of our students who are joining us on the live stream we so wish uh you could be here in person but we're doing this in a safe way and um we are gonna make the best of and have a great time today i'm ed hundred and i am delighted to welcome you all to the 2021 harvard medical school and harvard school of dental medicine white coat ceremony i would like to start by thanking rosa soler see this person said stand up rosa and all all of the people in the offices of student affairs in both the medical and dental schools for organizing the large team of people including all the student affairs staff the tech experts the facilities and custodial staff everyone who makes an event like today possible please give them all a round of applause this is a very very special day in the lives of our students and their families and indeed it's a very special day for all of us who have the joy of teaching and supporting the students when they're here it's also a day for expressing gratitude and so i'd like to start because i know we have a lot of people in the live stream and we have cameras to capture every angle i'd like to start by asking all the students here because you know you have some people watching this right could you stand up and give a round of applause to the your supporters on the live stream who are cheering you on [Applause] and we know they've been cheering you on your whole life not just this afternoon we are honored to have with us today to offer their worlds of words of welcome both the dean of harvard medical school and the dean of the harvard school of dental medicine so let me first introduce the dean of harvard medical school george daly dean daley came from a small town in upstate new york he was the first from his high school to get into harvard college where he started as a philosophy major his freshman year supporting his financial aid package with a work-study job washing dishes in the dining hall which he loved when he came back for his sophomore year he asked if he could rejoin all the great friends he made the diner in the in the kitchen and have the same job again and they told him those slots were already full but he could have a job washing glassware if he wanted in one of the science labs well turns out he made friends with the people there too and they started drawing them into their research and the rest as i say is history um he changed his major went on to attend hms got his md and phd trained in internal medicine and hematology oncology became one of the world's leading physician scientists in stem cell research and its application to cancer treatment and still with the philosophy interests has been leading a leading voice in the national and international dialogues about ethical and social issues in bioscience a world-class teacher and mentor as well george daley was named dean of harvard medical school in 2016 and he's been a tremendous partner and champion for medical student education ever since please welcome to the podium dean george daly [Applause] ed my mother would love you really thank you very much and and uh good afternoon um it is just so great to be here with all of you and i want to thank also all of the people who have made this day possible we're here in person and uh it is really a privilege uh but a bittersweet one unfortunately that we aren't gathered here with all of your family and friends but i do want to wish them a welcome as well as their with us on the live stream so thank you all here and in the virtual world for being here to celebrate this very very important moment for all of you who are the newest members of the harvard medical school and harvard school of dental medicine communities today we officially we ceremonially welcome you to a most honorable profession now first i'd like to say class of 2025 you have finally arrived and to get here you weathered a global health crisis while completing your medical and dental school applications your interviews all remotely and you have achieved what i'm sure has been for many of you a long-standing dream to be here embarking on this momentous journey to becoming a physician or a dentist you can now take advantage of the unique opportunities that the harvard medical community offers and you can at last begin to turn your aspirations into achievements here you will form lasting friendships and you will foster valuable connections here you will learn you will rethink dogmas you'll find new ways to collaborate to advance science and to use your extraordinary talents to serve others as you strive to make the world a better place and as we have seen over the course of the last year and a half your commitments to becoming healers your drive to find new and better ways to safeguard and promote the health of humanity your talents are needed now more than ever now the covet pandemic has shown us just how connected we are how fragile we are and how much we need ever more skilled compassionate physicians and dentists and creative scientists who are willing to dedicate their lives to caring for others and to finding the new and better ways to prevent and cure disease you will do all of that we know it's more important now than ever because we've seen right here on campus and throughout the broader harvard medical school community in our labs at our affiliated hospitals and in our classrooms what the health care community can accomplish when it comes together in the face of a serious health crisis we've witnessed the swift development of three different vaccines in the united states in less than a year's time a truly extraordinary accomplishment two of these vaccines were developed right here in our community and had origins at harvard medical school and we have benefited from the concerted efforts of countless health care officials and providers who've worked diligently to develop and implement prudent health and safety measures which have protected all of us we've seen the selfless dedication which i might add continues in earnest at our hospitals and clinics locally and across the country and the world right now we have seen the selfless dedication that is saving lives and offering comfort to those who are most vulnerable and unfortunately who continue to succumb to this devastating virus now clearly the pandemic is not over we have collectively all of us so much more work to do the emergence of new variants and misinformation about vaccines continues to pose very real threats but we are in a far different place today than we were just a year ago now no doubt you've noticed that several of the people who are on the front lines of this crisis nationally our our own faculty and alumni now to mention just a few rachelle wallensky she's the director of the centers for disease control and prevention she's a harvard medical school professor she's the former chief of the id division at the massachusetts general hospital dan baruch who received his undergraduate and medical degrees at harvard is director of the center for virology and vaccine research at the beth israel deaconess and the william bosworth castle professor of medicine at harvard medical school dan spearheaded the development of the single shot johnson johnson vaccine and there's michael springer who is an associate professor of systems biology here on the quadrangle he developed the covid testing program that despite the fact that we know a hundred percent of you are vaccinated will still allow us to monitor you and determine whether we have breakthrough infections in our community to keep us all safe these are but three of the scores of people across the harvard medical school community who have thrown the full weight of their knowledge skill and dedication at an exceptional health threat many more hundreds of faculty students trainees technicians continue their work on covid as part of the massachusetts consortium on pathogen readiness we call it mass cpr we convened this group at harvard medical school to address both immediate and learn and the long-term concerns not just of this pandemic but of the future ones which are inevitable these clinicians and researchers and staff members have done remarkable work and continue to do so many of our hospital faculty as you can imagine have been on the front lines of patient care some of them also juggling full-time teaching responsibilities for all of you now what the harvard medical community has done has been nothing short of remarkable and to be in the midst of all of this i hope is a very inspiring way for all of you to begin your medical careers there's little more that we can teach you as educators than you are being instructed by the experiences of this pandemic but there will be so much more you will be instrumental in determining the breadth of many of your own learning experiences learning from each other but just to be inspired by last year's class think that some entering students from last year have already been conducting a range of research on everything from aortic blood flow to the microstructure of machines in the cell while others have been studying the characteristics that impact severe maternal morbidity and mortality and still others have been looking at the role of the microbiome in conditions like atopic dermatitis one student from last year co-founded a company that developed a spray-on bacteria finder for combating infection in hospitals think how topical that is and i hope that you take inspiration not just from your fellow students and those others that have preceded you at harvard medical school but as you walk the halls you'll see the faces of medical pioneers throughout the school people like john franklin enders who received the nobel prize for culturing the polio virus harvey cushing the founding father of modern neurosurgery neonatologist mary ellen avery who saved the life of countless premature babies because she discovered the cause and a treatment for respiratory distress syndrome but take inspiration from alice hamilton harvard medical school's first female faculty member who pioneered the field of occupational health working tirelessly to protect workers from dangerous chemicals and compounds in the environment and think about william augustus hinton for whom we've named the hinton society he was a groundbreaking bacteriologist who also became the first african american to be promoted to the rank of full professor not just at harvard medical school but all of harvard university i hope their work inspires you these luminaries of harvard medical schools history they dreamed of solving some of medicine's most confounding mysteries they wanted at their core to help patients and they wanted to change the world each of you were chosen because you have the same drive the same passion the same dedication and the skill and talent too the work will be challenging but i promise you will will also be incredibly rewarding and it will take you all on very different paths now one of the portraits that is adorns our halls honors dr alvin poussaint who traveled from selma to montgomery with dr king providing medical care to those who are marching for civil rights dr busan was a key leader in the effort to desegregate the nation's hospitals using the power of the civil rights act he was also a potent advocate for diversity and inclusion in his 50 years of service to harvard medical school he made it his mission to make sure that every member of this community felt welcome at harvard medical school and could reach their full potential and it's a commitment that we uphold to this day so wherever you have come from i hope that you take this message to heart you all belong here you enrich us we believe that you are at the best possible place to learn the skills and build the relationships that will help you lead this next transformative era of medicine it means so much to us that you have chosen to bring your extraordinary talents and your dreams and your potential to our community collectively the dean's sitting up here we cannot wait to see what you will achieve on behalf of harvard medical school behalf of our faculty our staff our alumni i welcome you all to this proud beginning you will wear your white coats with honor congratulations [Applause] thank you so much george i would now like to introduce the dean of the harvard school of dental medicine dr will janoble dean ginoble assumed the role of hsdm dean last year while the pandemic was raging and he met that unique leadership challenge with his characteristic positive energy and focus on excellence he's an award-winning educator and a leader in the field of periodontology dean janoble is an internationally recognized scholar in oral regenerative medicine in tissue engineering and in precision medicine he's also an alumnus of harvard harvard school of dental medicine with a degree an advanced degree in periodontology and oral biology we are thrilled to have dean ginoble here as an amazing partner as he leads the harvard school of dental medicine please welcome dean will ginobley thank you dean hundred for those kind words and good afternoon i'm delighted to have this opportunity to welcome our dental and medical students from the class of 2025 to this white coat ceremony held in your honor i would also like to recognize your family and friends viewing this special celebration from home via live stream while coped restrictions have scaled back the number of individuals we can host on the campus at this ceremony it's really exciting to be able to see all of the new students in person and to gather once again on the quad this year to celebrate your achievements so thank you for your patience and perseverance leading up to this day during what has been an unprecedented year so i'm thrilled to recognize today are 35 new doctor of dental medicine students who hail from 18 different states in 11 countries you are a diverse and accomplished group i am truly amazed by your backgrounds in the experiences and accomplishments that you have already achieved in your journey to join us here at harvard and demographically the dmd class of 2025 is 69 percent female 31 male with a third of our students coming from those underrepresented in dental medicine you represent the future of our profession and on behalf of all of us at hsdm we can't wait to meet you so i hope that you've enjoyed your first week getting to know your dental and medical school classmates and faculty you've begun a demanding and exhilarating program during the next four or more years you will learn so much and be presented with tremendous opportunities the white coats that you receive today you will surely grow into as your knowledge and confidence builds throughout your academic journey so the covet 19 pandemic has presented with us many challenges underscoring the critical importance of public health in our society the spanish flu pandemic of 1918 was the first time distance learning was implemented for education correspondence could be transmitted overall long distances by mail given that railways were well established at that time allowing for more rapid dissemination of mail services for educational purposes so now look how far we've come with the ability of real-time exchange we all have become a more adept at managing uncertainty and likewise you should also be prepared for challenges in your course of your career managing dental injuries congenital anomalies or dental diseases perplexing patient diagnoses or unclear decisions about how to provide the best treatment given the complexities of your patient needs your white coat won't spare you from making those hard decisions or earning the trust of your patients as their caregiver we will greatly appreciate that it is a true honor and a privilege to serve others when patients place their confidence in us so the white coat represents the trust we build and earn with our patients it's not something automatic that comes with wearing it so as healthcare providers we are fortunate to have individuals who entrust us to care for them with kindness empathy and with the knowledge to prevent and treat painful conditions and address chronic so today as we continue to grapple with the global pandemic great health disparities and social injustice this duty to our patients is more important than ever so you've come to harvard to learn what it takes to become future doctors and you've done it against a backdrop of a pandemic that has underscored the importance of dental health and service to others you've gained valuable insights this year that will serve you well in your academic journey and your future career so on behalf of the hsdm community we're committed to your success and i'm looking forward to your progress over these four years and supporting your dreams i know that you will do great things congratulations and best wishes to all thank you very very much will and now the most important part of our uh ceremony today is going to be to hear from not all of us but from all of you and let me give you some stage directions for how this will work those of you on the live stream may be interested to know that all of the ceremonies right through commencement and class day that we do here at harvard medical school we do without the benefit of any rehearsal so we do this by explaining to the students what they're supposed to do in real time and we know they are quick learners or they wouldn't be here so they they give it their full attention and they get their stage directions just right every time right right so what's going to happen is that you are going to be coded and that means you one of your faculty advisors one of your mentors and role models is going to be putting your coat on then you're going to have a chance to say a very brief word not just to the people here but to the people at home and i know you know those of you have been watching the olympics actually know how this works now right because every one of these elite olympic athletes has this watch party going on at home right and then after they you know win their medal or whatever happens they get a little chance to say a couple of words to mom and dad and we know by the way those of you on the live stream that when we celebrate all the successes of our students there was somebody who drove them to all those rehearsals and practices and study sessions and so forth right you remember that too i'm sure so the way this will work is that carrie who is standing over there big wave and denise standing over there every other row is going to be giving you the signal to either walk that way or that way so you'll know as they get to you whether you're a left or a right-hand marcher and there are going to be the faculty gathered half of them on either side and they're going to get your coat on and you're going to walk up the ramp and you're going to be in your code and there are two microphones one on each side and alternating a student from this side is going to come and say a few words to the assembled crowd including the virtual crowd and while they're doing that the student from this side we should always have two students up here at the same time because as soon as one finishes the other will start we're not going to do applause in between each one because we know the applause is really happening back at home and so we want to make sure as soon as someone leaves the next person comes up and each of you will go back and forth we have camera shots see there are two of them right there so it'll be a nice tight shot of you being able to talk to your family at home and after you say your bit you go down the stairs so we don't have any traffic jams it's kind of a circular system um the white coats that you're getting are a gift from the escalapian club yes yeah see like almost everyone in the front row here a member of the escalating club i can tell you that the escalapian club is sort of the cheerleader group for harvard medical school we you know do things like buy the white coats and support various events we keep the grand piano and vanderbilt up to tune we do all sorts of social things and it's a very elite organization at some point in your second or third year you'll get an email saying do you want to join and the criteria for membership are very elite because you have to write back and say yes it's a leak because you had to be on the email list and you're in this tent but that's another steward it's open to everybody and we hope everyone will join because it actually is a great way that alumni and other faculty and and cheerleaders for students get together throughout and we um help support uh faculty student interaction and social life but one of the things they do the escalating club is by these coats and so there's a little label in there saying it was a gift of the escalation club and i hope that you'll think um periodically about the meaning of the coat as a gift because what's really is a gift is the opportunity to serve that the coat represents the opportunity to walk into a patient's room and have them begin to trust you because of the role that you're in and the role that you've earned and we always say you have to earn your white coat every single day of your career not just while you're in med school or residency but every day of your career so what i'm going to do is ask carrie and denise to start have the faculty come up and uh you have your 20 seconds of fame and uh we're gonna start getting we want to have at least half a dozen students deep in their coat on the ramp on each side at any given time so we can keep it going back and forth between the two microphones and you are welcome to say a few words to your friends and family in your native language if you like that they would like to hear you in you can say whatever you'd like um and i find this one of the most meaningful moments of the whole orientation week we have all been here since monday mostly under this tent and on various zoom sessions and it has been exhilarating for all of us on the faculty and the staff to be welcoming this group in person last year we sadly had to start virtually for our curriculum and being together again with these remarkable people has just been such a lift i hope for all of you but certainly for all of us so we're good to go which you want to start this side okay here we go hi everyone i'm natalie baker from northern california um i'd just like to say say a warm thank you to my family friends partners and partner and mentors who have kept me happy healthy and supported through all the ups and downs in life and also just like to say that after meeting you all my classmates over this past week it's really given me hope that the future of the medical profession will be compassionate knowledgeable and responsive to the needs of our communities so thank you hello my name is mark aliash seisler i'm from the boston area and i'm honored to be here today and filled with gratitude for all those who helped me get here specifically my family who support and inspire me my parents mom dad sisters emily and meg my friends who have helped to shape me and my educators supporters mentors advisors including doctors jeff lichtman mark howard and chantha rajratnam who have guided me and challenged me i'm looking forward to sharing this journey with all of you i'm alex ire and when i left california a week ago it felt a little nerve-wracking to be venturing alone to medical school and now that i'm standing up here i'm struck more than anything that i'm not alone wherever i go i feel so surrounded by my parents and my brother and my party and my thought my nana and my grandpa and my partner and so many others thank you all so much for making me into who i am today and i promise to spread the love that you've given me as far as i possibly can hi hi i'm emily yang from honolulu hawaii i wanted to say thank you to my mom dad and sister you guys have supported me throughout my entire life and i love you i also want to say thank you to my family friends and mentors for also supporting me with that i'm really excited to start the next four years of my life [Applause] hi my name is tom pritag i'd really like to give my sincerest thanks to my father for being an incredible source of strength throughout difficult times to my mother for being the person that inspired my passion for medicine and to the peers the mentors the professors who cheer me on even when i didn't believe in myself i'm eternally grateful and i couldn't have done this without you thank you hello my name is cameron hayes and i'm from indianapolis indiana i'd like to start by thanking my all of my family who's watching from home for your unconditional love and support i truly couldn't have done it without you and this white coat is a symbol of your endless sacrifice i'd also like to thank my many friends and mentors who have encouraged me along the way you all are my role models and i you've shown me so much strength kindness and generosity over the years thank you [Applause] hi everyone my name is loyce i'm from carrizo springs texas and born in nigeria and i just wanted to use this time to give a shout out and a humble thank you to my family my dad and my mom thank you so much for investing in me and believing me in me and to my brother and sister michael and gift thank you michael for leading the way and showing me what to do and how to do it and thank you gift for hyping me up and telling me how to dress because only you can dress that well and thank you so much to my friends and family in carrizo springs texas i would never have known how humble and and supportive a family can be if not for you all and most importantly hook em [Applause] hi everyone i'm ashwin narodran and i'm so excited to be here i just wanted to thank all my amazing family friends and mentors for all their love support and encouragement throughout the years i would not be here without you and to my amma thank you so much for all the sacrifices you have made for me and for showing me what true compassion and selflessness looks like love you so much thank you hi my name is katherine wasden to my dear friends and teachers and mentors to my entire family my grandparents i wish you could see this and most importantly to mom dad and ben thank you for your constant love and support it has made me who i am today and allowed me to be here and i love you all so much and i'm forever grateful thank you hi my name is subin jung my parents are halfway around the world right now but they've been fully behind me since day one and there are no words that can express how grateful i am for their unconditional love support and sacrifice so i'll just say this hi everyone my name is lily montesano shibe and i'm here today because of boundless love because my mom and dad taught me to be kind curious and engaged because my three little brothers tad peter and hans taught me humor compassion and humility and because my friends and mentors taught me forgiveness and and also honestly frankly got me here um it will be the honor of my lifetime to care for my patients using these lessons and to reflect back upon them the love that i have been nurtured with [Applause] hi everyone my name is olivia i'm from a small town in upstate new york and i'd like to first start out by thanking my mom i'm sure all of your friends and family are wonderful but you haven't met brenda brumfield yet um mom it has been an honor and a blessing to have been raised by you grandma grandpa auntie stacy and all of my friends and family back at home sam i love you this is the person who got me through the last year of my life and i'm so grateful for all the wonderful people i'm going to meet and i'm honored to have the privilege to care for the many many people i will meet along the way thank you all so much [Applause] hello everyone hello everyone i'm short my name is gunnerage kivoskurt and i'm from istanbul turkey um i'd like to thank all of my mentors and friends both here and back at home for supporting me all throughout this journey uh it really does take a village so here goes my village my host parents laurie and chris thank you so much for being my home away from home i really couldn't have done this all without you my boyfriend you thank you for reading all of my essays and finding ways to criticize me without making me feel on panic and last but not least my family and support system back at home sevilla is [Applause] hello everyone my name is jaja and i hail from the tiny island of guam uh first and foremost i want to thank my family for their unwavering love and support um good notes maman and thank you to all my teachers uh physicians and friends for inspiring and guiding me to this point and i'm looking forward to cherishing this opportunity and making them all proud and also making my island proud thank you [Applause] hi everyone my name is savina and i'm from marlboro new jersey i would like to thank ashna and alex my close friends family and mentors i could not have gotten here without you thank you so much for your support over the past 24 years and to my parents who have sacrificed so much to build their lives here this one's for you and to my classmates the class of 2025 i cannot wait to learn and grow alongside you congrats everyone hello my name is emily schwartz i'm from western massachusetts i am so profoundly grateful for my selfless mother and for my siblings anna samuel and david whose unwavering love is undoubtedly led me to this moment malifa nikki it cow vanilla meteor mine heart for all tide and to my father dr donald schwartz i love and miss you endlessly and i promise to dedicate every moment of my career to honoring your extraordinary legacy [Applause] hi i'm clara vasel gagariga from barcelona spain and i would like to thank my friends my mentors and my family who helped me get here you guys have been here for the happy moments and the tough ones as well i would especially like to thank my three amazing brothers mark alex and pepe my incredible mom and the person from whom i'm getting my vocation my best friend and my father amelia hi everyone my name is sierra ha and i'm from happy valley oregon i'd like to thank everyone who has supported challenged and inspired me through my journey so far to my sister casey and her partner andrew to my boyfriend andy and to all of my friends and family back home in oregon thank you most importantly i'd like to thank my parents who've gotten me to where i am today through their love strength and resilience thank you hello my name is ryan ritterage i'm from new york and starting medical school this week has reminded me that it's impossible to take care of other people unless you have people who take care of you so to my family my parents my sisters kim and christian my friends and my mentors thank you for taking care of me and to everyone thank you for reminding me that some dreams do come true [Applause] um hi i'm aprurna naira kanegenti and i'd like to thank of course the usual suspects my family friends and mentors for their endless support but especially amma who is you know just boundlessly kind but also the toughest kindest wisest most visionary person i know they say it takes a village and you were that village thank you so much [Applause] hi everyone my name is jessica fan and i'm from irvine california i'd like to take this moment to thank my family friends loved ones and mentors this achievement is as much mine as it is yours congratulations also to my fellow classmates i am so excited to be beginning this journey with you all [Applause] hi everyone my name is kayla daniels i'm from los angeles california first off i'm so grateful to be here and also words will never describe how thankful i am for my parents constant love support and motivation hi everyone my name is summer i want to take this opportunity to say that standing here is the greatest honor of my life all my hard work and everyone's hard work pays off and i'm so excited to start this new chapter of my life with all of you amazing people here hi everyone my name is minhal ethmod i was born in karachi pakistan but raised in farmingdale new york first i just want to say from the bottom of my heart alhamdulillah i'm so grateful and humbled and honored to be wearing this coat to my friends and family and my two beautiful and inspiring sisters asghan aruba you all make me want to be a better person and usually when people hear i want to be a doctor they say your parents must be so proud but i want to use this moment to say ami nabu i'm so proud of you for the selfless love and sacrifice that you've made to help me get to this point anyone i'm ever able to help is because of you [Applause] hi everyone my name is lauren quintella and i want to first start by thanking the most important people in my life and that is my parents i would not be half the person that i am without my parents and their love and the support they have shown me so thank you so much mom and dad for everything i also want to thank my older brother danny for being the best older brother i could ask for my aunts and my uncles for all the love they have shown me throughout my life and finally i want to thank my grandparents who made the ultimate sacrifice when they moved from cuba to the united states many decades ago so that we could have these opportunities so thank you so much to all my family for all your love and support and i'm really excited for this next journey up ahead [Applause] hi my name is ivo cerda i'm from santiago chile and hence why i'll thank my parents in spanish impossible thanks for your loving caring and unwavering support thank you everyone watching as well professors family friends for allowing me to keep dreaming and i can't wait to keep learning growing and dreaming with all of you guys thank you [Applause] hello everyone my name is bartholomeo-vodo i'm from long island new york and to my friends and family thank you so much for always rooting me on making me believe that i can follow my dreams to my mom dad and my brother christian thank you for supporting me motivating me and most importantly making me the person who's able to stand up here today [Applause] hello my name is rishika logandran and i'm from raleigh north carolina i'd like to thank my family amma appa anna and pandy for your unconditional love and support and i'd like to thank the village of my friends family and mentors who have helped me get this far i really hope to honor you all and the lessons you've taught me in this journey good afternoon my name is julio cesar flores ervin i'm from puerto vallarta mexico and i'd like to thank my parents my brother david my partner and all of my friends and teachers who've gotten me to where i'm at i wouldn't be here for without them and now in spanish my family is from mexico um latinas [Applause] hi everyone my name is ruhi kanmar and i'm from edison new jersey i want to thank my mother and my father kavita and inura khanwar for all the relentless support and sacrifices that they've made to afford me this privilege of wearing this white coat and my best friends ria and canal kanwar love you so so much and i'm so excited for journey do it it's my patience and service thank you hi everyone my name is adriana giordia gozales i'm sorry i would like to take this opportunity to thank my family and my mentors mommy thank you for showing me that the true measure of success is how much you can uplift the people around you to my brother thank you for being my biggest supporter but also my biggest inspiration to my husband matt i love you thank you for loving me because that's why i'm here because of your men's selflessness i could not have chosen somebody better to have this journey with and to my best friend sarah and to my mentors thank you for believing in me even when i didn't believe in myself thank you very much [Applause] hi everyone i'm juliana enriquez i come from cali colombia i'm going to say some words in spanish for my parents gracias for a company accomplished i also want to thank god my friends my family my partner thank you all for being there for me and finally i also want to empower all latino people because as we all know there's no dream that's too big for us [Applause] hello everyone my name is jorge zuniga from rocklin county new york and i just wanted to quickly thank my family and friends for helping me get here i wouldn't be here without you especially my mom thank you so much for everything you're my hero hi everyone my name is anita nasseri and i'm from ash head iran i would like to say a huge thank you to my friends and family especially my mom and dad my lovely sister aida ali reza hoda reza and arusha for their endless love support and encouragement mama baba thank you so much [Applause] hello everyone my name is kaylee herring i'd just like to thank both my parents i appreciate you so much for all your love and support and to all my mentors especially dr beitler and thank you to my friends family and jj thank you for everything to my family i love you you all have helped me grow into the person i am today and the values you've instilled in me are the reason why i'm here today i can't wait to show you how far i'll go i love you thank you hi my name is sydney moore and i come from memphis tennessee and today i just want to take the time to thank everybody who supported me in my journey up to this point and for those of you who continue to support me now especially those of you who believed in me when at times i didn't even believe in myself thank you [Applause] hi everyone my name is cami tusi i'm originally from buenos aires but miami is where i call home nunca corazon absolutely [Applause] hi my name is miriam raza i'm from redmond washington and i want to thank my family without whom i just couldn't be here today i want to thank my mother for pushing me to be the best version of myself my father for his deep unwavering belief in me my sister sarah for being my best friend and my brother heather for his unconditional love as the great poet rumi once said you are not just a drop in the ocean you are the entire ocean in a drop thank you [Applause] hi my name is jen barton first and foremost i want to thank the lord for being my rock and foundation i want to thank my friends and family back in brownsburg indiana and my fiance for loving me through this crazy year and i also want to thank the faculty peers and mentors at butler university go dogs hi everyone i'm aways fazal from frisco texas i stand here today on the shoulders of so many people my family who have loved and supported me every step of my journey my friends who have celebrated my greatest accomplishments and have also been there to comfort me when things haven't gone my way and finally the mentors that have helped solidify my commitment to serving health care needs both domestic and abroad you have all impacted my life in ways you may never know um and i want to thank you all so much thank you [Applause] hey y'all it's elon pang representing austin texas uh thank you to all my mentors who have got me onto this stage thank you to all my friends who have shaped me into the person i am especially jen and the jenks family and of course most importantly thank you to my own family mom dad evening i love [Applause] you wow this is really cool um hello everyone my name is justin gellman i'm from livingston new jersey first and foremost mom dad jordan eliza and my whole family thank you so much you taught me how to love you taught me the importance of showing up and i can't wait to be our first doctor through thick and thin i'd also like to thank all my mentors and my best friends for your patience and your guidance during this journey i couldn't have done it without you and finally i'd like to thank dr zomrati as well as everyone who took care of me when i was sick you are the reason i am physically and spiritually here today and i hope to make you proud thank you [Applause] hi everyone my name is mary marcos i'm from pittsburgh pennsylvania first i need to thank my amazing parents for coming here today and for everything that they've done for me my homies my brothers my best friends daniel and david and i'd also like to thank all of my friends uh jonah isaac jesse mish um alison jada and gabby thank you all so much and thank you to jesus for getting me here i promise to make you all proud hi everyone my name is jessica wing from hanover park illinois and i'm so honored to be here i'd like to thank my parents for sacrificing so much to immigrate to the u.s to give my brother and me a better life i'd like to thank my loving friends the morrid kane foundation and my supportive partner alex for never failing to believe in me as an aspiring physician advocate i will strive to share the love hope and inspiration you all have generously given me thank you so much [Applause] hi my name is emily nola sundquist and i'm from salt lake city utah i'm incredibly grateful to be standing here today and i feel like i need to thank my friends and family and incredible mentors but especially my parents i think their love and support every single day has brought me here and i can only hope to pass that along in my future [Applause] hi everyone i'm ali forman i'm from ann arbor michigan i'd like to thank my friends family and mentors those attending virtually in spirit and in memory i wouldn't be here today without each and every one of you and a special thanks to my mom my dad and my sister i'm so grateful for your unconditional love and support [Applause] i'm eli schwambe from newton massachusetts i want to thank all of the lefferts the schwanns and the quiets particularly sam lee lisa adam faye lauter linda bob who would have turned 88 today jay and ellen and sotola those hi everyone i'm ariella shearer and i'm from cambridge massachusetts first i'd like to thank my parents elaine and donna for their love and for instilling me with the values of humanism and justice i'd also like to thank my sister nessa my grandmother rhoda and all the teachers who encouraged me to ask questions and follow my passions lastly i'd like to thank my amazing friends and my two cats nelly and sasha for their endless joy support and yes thank you hi i'm emma key and i'd like to start by thanking my mom and dad for all of their sacrifices my loving family and friends who helped me and and encouraged me in all of the tough times i wouldn't be here without you i love you all so much [Applause] hi everyone my name is tarun ramesh i'm from johns creek georgia and i would like to thank my parents mom and dad my sister tara all my friends and family for their incredible support throughout the years in particular i would like to thank my grandmother whose dedication to public service and values truly embody the type of physician i hope to be one day thank you [Applause] hi my name is naima hopkins-kopp i'm from virginia um i'd first like to thank my mom and dad your sacrifices and unconditional support and love are the reason i'm living my dream right now um karim hakeem i love you so much grandma i hope to make you proud um lily i love you thank you so much for getting me through all of college um i am so excited for this journey and i cannot wait to get started thank you so much [Applause] um hi everyone i'm kiriti from long island new york um i'd like to thank the five people who made me who i am today this white coat is a product of all their love it's my nani nana for teaching me wisdom and how to see god and everything and everyone to my sister for being my best friend and to my parents for their endless love sacrifice and devotion to me this is all for you thank you hi my name is anjali prabat thank you to the faculty and classmates that i've had the pleasure of meeting this week thank you to my mentors for supporting me to my friends for grounding me and to my wonderful family my grandparents my brother and sister and my parents sorry i said i wasn't gonna cry and then you get up here to my parents everything that i have and everything that i am is because of you guys thank you for this wonderful life and for helping me to shape it with the passion and work ethic that you've instilled in me and i promise that i'm going to continue to try and make you proud and even though you're all on a family vacation without me right now including the dog which i'm totally not salty about i know that i have your unconditional and unrelenting love and support and i carry that with me always thank you hi everyone my name is sanjay nasha i'm from philadelphia pennsylvania i wanted to take this time to thank my family friends and mentors specifically mom dad and my younger brother sergeant thank you for being my biggest cheerleaders my biggest inspiration and for the unconditional love and support you've given me to my grandparents bad dad joseph and estada my aunts and uncles fiance i wouldn't be here if it wasn't for all of you this white coat is a symbol of your love and support and i hope i can continue to make all of you proud thank you [Applause] hi my name is maureen methi zoden and i'm from iran i'd like to extend my deepest gratitude to my phenomenal mentors my amazing friends and my loving family especially my dad who's no longer here with us today but i can feel his presence in this room my loving mother and my incredible sister sadaf thank you so much for your endless love support encouragement and sacrifices i'm wearing this white coat here thanks to you and i hope to honor you on this journey thank you i'm jesse kirkpatrick i'm from miami florida um thank you mom and dad for being my rock and loving me without restraint max for letting me follow in your footsteps since before i could walk and my grandparents who are no longer with us bubbe zadie gogo grandpa jim and grandpa for shaping my values in many more ways than i can possibly describe what that have brought me to this moment the beginning of my medical career thank you all i love you so much and i hope i continue to make you proud hi everybody my name is alan mahmoud i'm from malibu california i just want to first say thank you to my friends and my family i wouldn't be the man that i am if it weren't for you guys katie bobo ali i love you guys um i'm just so excited to be here this is a great opportunity and i couldn't be more thankful to everyone out there in the world that is you know seeing this for the internet let's just be kinder to one another we're all people thank you hi i'm mariah everett i'm from albuquerque new mexico um thank you so much to my friends and family i would probably just be a puddle on the floor without you so thank you so much um and especially thank you to my family and host families throughout the world my host family in honduras was the first people to tell me that i should be a doctor after i bandaged a little boy's hand after he cut it open on some obsidian so i would not be here without you and then special shout out to my friend rachel who sent me a squeaking rubber chicken this morning i don't think i would make it through med school without that so thank you very much hi everyone my name is bruce ramfall i'm from the bronx in new york city and i'm so profoundly grateful to be here today i'd like to thank my family my friends my teachers i'd like to thank jeannie uh i am just so i'm so excited to be here i'd like to particularly thank my mother who throughout my entire life has just always believed in me and has taught me basically what it means to be kind and compassionate i love you [Applause] hi my name is christopher brocas uh to the memory and sacrifice of nana roro and granny to my mom dad sister adriana cousins kathy neil shawn and maya to my mentors alana rosenthal and sarah katakuzi and the patients we serve to my queer community for helping me find liberation thank you hi i'm cameron hill i'm from northern california thank you to my incredible mentors my dear friends and my family for supporting me and believing in me on my journey to get here especially my mom my brother my aunt and my grandpa may my career be a reflection of all that you taught me thank you [Applause] i'm anna crotinger i'm also from northern california and today i'm grateful for my parents who have shown me generosity love and care that i can only hope to emulate to my partner who motivates me every day and makes every day better and to my friends and mentors who have supported me so much and who have taught me so much about who i want to become i'm so excited to be here thank you so much [Applause] hi my name is lena ambadi i too am from northern california i'd like to thank maya julian and all the uncles and aunties here in california and in east grinstead for all the love generosity and kindness you've shown me especially this last year and lastly i'd like to thank my parents for being my my models of strength and bravery thank you [Applause] hi my name is kasich venkatesh i'm from northern virginia i first wanted to thank my family my mother for her incredible love and support limitless and bottomless i wanted to thank my father for being the visionary who's made me the man i am today for all his love and support for encouraging me to dream big and to chase those dreams i also wanted to thank my other extended family members my aunts and uncles back home as well as my grandfathers and grandmothers for raising me and making me who i am today and finally i wanted to thank my lifelong friends and mentors for all your support throughout this long journey and for the long journey ahead i'm so excited i'm eternally grateful and i'm forever thankful for everything thank you so much hello everyone my name is michael panetta i'm from phoenix arizona and i'd just like to first thank my parents for circumventing every challenge to bring us and make this country our home and providing and still providing an environment for their children to prosper in and to my siblings and friends for the daily inspiration and joy that you bring me and to my nephews daniel diego i hope the work that we're all trying to do here day in and day out provide a path for you to follow improve on and go further than we possibly can thank you [Applause] hi my name is megan go i'm from fort worth texas i'd like to thank my professors mentors friends and family especially my parents and my older brother matthew i wouldn't be who i am or where i am without your unconditional love support and encouragement thank you for all your sacrifices i'll try to continue to make you proud [Applause] hi everyone i'm peter benson and i'm from norwich vermont and first and foremost i want to thank my family for all that they sacrificed to help get me here mom dad emily you truly are the best support network and i'm so lucky to get to follow you in life thank you for being incredible role models and showing me what selflessness looks like to my extended family other loved ones mentors coaches friends thank you for keeping me grounded and bringing humor into my life i'm eternally grateful for you [Applause] wow i actually i can't believe this um i'm unsure pulley i'm from uh troy michigan i'd like to thank my mom dad's stepdad for sacrificing everything really just to put me to where i am today my mentors and my brother for pushing me to be the best individual i can day in day out and teaching me so much about really being there for myself emotionally and um through all of that i like none of this would be possible without all of you so truly to all of them and to all the others who have made me who i am today thank you for that and final shout out to my cat mew watching at home you are the best emotional support out there thank you hey everyone my name is ben whipper and i come from syracuse new york i'm really grateful to be up here today i just wanted to say thank you to my family friends and all the mentors that got me where i am today and a big shout out to mom dad and jess thanks so much for your constant love and support and all the sacrifices you've made for me over the years [Applause] hey everyone my name is tennessee oh okay thank you um yeah my name is armandomini i'm from memphis tennessee uh i know this is the beginning of a very long journey but there's no way i would be here today without the support of my family friends and mentors to my parents to my sister ari i love you thank you so much for always believing in me for inspiring me and most importantly for tolerating me to my friends watching i love you all and thank you [Applause] hello everyone my name is juwan watson i'm from miami florida and this white coat represents a charge kept by wayman and dolores joseph and rosie joey and dejuan jalen my marie and my family and friends but now a charge to keep i have to serve this present age in pursuit of excellence alongside my colleagues for the wellness of the patient so thank you for trusting and believing in me [Applause] hi everyone my name is william oles i'm from charlotte north carolina um i'd like to thank all of my friends and mentors uh who are often one in the same i'm so grateful for your endless support and i'd also like to thank my family and everybody else watching from back home mom dad my sister jane nana and grandad who's no longer here but who would be very proud your many sacrifices are what have enabled and inspired me to be here today so i love you all so much thank you [Applause] good afternoon everyone my name is kevin patel i am from laramie wyoming co pokes i'd like to use this opportunity to honor my mother my mother immigrated from germany to the united states not having had the opportunity to complete a high school education i also want to thank the military as a combat medic i had the privilege to be afforded a pathway towards citizenship and the opportunity to attend college with mentors and officers within the military i've grown longitudinally in ways that i could not have imagined i also want to use this opportunity to thank my other mentors dr henry horton professor jason gigli and more broadly the ibarka family for always standing beside me and supporting me unconditionally it's because of you that i honor you today as i step onto this path with love grace and in service thank you [Applause] hi i'm lucas cahill from vancouver canada i want to thank my family friends and mentors especially my mom and dad my siblings erica riley and dylan and my wife andrea for their continued support and love i'm ceta davis i'm from ann arbor michigan to my parents thank you for teaching me how to care for others without reserve how to advocate for a more just world and how to love unrelentingly to my brother krishna you have the bit of anyone that i know and i learn how to spread joy from you every single day to my grandparents and my elders thank you for your wisdom for your humor for your perspective the lives that you lead with such grace and perseverance make me believe that anything is possible when you dream big to my mentors to my friends to my communities thank you for picking me up when i fall and for seeing things in me when i can't see them in myself so grateful for all of you so thankful that we are on this journey together much love to you all thanks [Applause] hello everyone my name is michael pang i'm from atlanta georgia i first want to give a big shout out to my mom my dad my sister mimi my wonderful girl my wonderful girlfriend nami and my two crazy dogs sonny and gilbert i wouldn't be here without your unconditional love and unending support i'd also like to thank two of my research mentors dr youngjae chu and dr wilbur lam over at emory thank you so much for nurturing my passion for biomedical research i hope to make you all very proud thank you hi everyone my name is ena i am from brookline massachusetts i am so grateful and proud to be here today and being here i am caring for the legacy of my ancestors so many of whom were traditional healers i wouldn't be here today without those who have walked alongside me in life including my village of friends my incredible incredible mentors such as dr tolbert small dr david levinson and most of all it's thank you for teaching me the importance of using the lessons of the past to inform and shape the possibilities for our future hi everyone my name is daniel kim i'm from seattle washington i want to dedicate this white coat to my amazing family and my wonderful partner who has been there for me every step along the way i want to thank my friends and mentors who guided and supported me throughout this entire process lastly and most importantly i want to thank my parents who immigrated to this country over 30 years ago and whose immense sacrifice really provided me the foundation to pursue and achieve my own dreams thank you hi everyone my name is connor bonderchuk and i'm from madison connecticut i'm honored and humbled to be here today i want to thank my mom dad my brothers alex and kieran my partner miranda and the various teachers professors and friends who have gotten me here today i also want to thank my colleagues and dear friends of willani in cape town south africa whose kindness and humanity kept me grounded last year during the pandemic thank you [Applause] hi everyone my name is nicholas norwood from newton massachusetts and i'd like to say that the doctor i want to become actually exists today he's just distributed mom and dad he has your selflessness and patience gabs he has your devotion to health equity and cultural humility sam he has your equanimity and presence with others irina he has your infectious positivity and david adrian he has your scientific curiosity and bottomless integrity i'd just like to thank you all you're the best you're my role models every day and inspire me thank you [Applause] hi everyone i'm yosef boku i'm from alexandria virginia i'd like to thank my six siblings hannah martha morette yasu samuel and daniel for my parents who are watching from adisaba ethiopia and nate fonte thank you hi everyone i'm peter i'm from eau claire wisconsin uh i want to thank my mom and dad for all their love and light and sacrifice um my brother and sister for being my best friends uh grammy papa gpp for their wisdom and to all my friends my mentors maisie roy helen i love you so much thank you so much hi everyone my name is rashad ramaprian i'm from fremont california it is an honor and privilege to accept this white coat today i want to thank my family my mom my dad my brother gokul for all their love and support without your unconditional love and support and sacrifice i would not be here on the stage today i also want to thank my friends extended family and all the teachers and mentors who i've been fortunate to have in my life you have made an impact on me thank you my name is lillian zoo um and to the giants in my life my mentors my friends my family it is on your shoulders that i stand today and i'm so honored to be here writing continuing to write my story with all of you [Applause] hi everyone my name is christopher jenks there's so many people i'd like to thank but i especially want to thank my grandparents my mother my father desi yongsan and anna thank you [Applause] hi everyone i'm annie liu i'm from houston texas i'd like to thank my family friends and mentors for always supporting inspiring and investing in me so that i could become the person that i am today looking ahead i am excited to begin on this journey with everybody here thank you [Applause] hello everybody i'm nathan malipetti i'm from cupertino california i would like to thank my um my thoughts on my nynema who are my inspiration i'd like to thank my mom who's my rock my dad who is my everything and my brother who's my hero i want to thank all my mentors who have got me to this point and i want to thank all of you i'm so excited to see how we can learn and grow together as we embark on this exciting journey thank you hi everyone i'm michael from northern virginia um just already in this week i was inspired by a story that was about the love that was shared into us and i just feel a lot of it today for everyone and just a big thank you to my mom and dad and brother who shared that love with me and natalie and all my friends back at home thank you hi everyone i'm sophia from greensboro north carolina i just want to say thank you to my parents and my family with who supported me with unconditional love and support no amount of words can ever express how grateful i am to you guys thank you to my friends who make me feel like a superstar even when i do the bare minimum and thank you to the faculty here at um harvard and the students for the warmest welcome this week can't wait to make everyone proud this next four years [Applause] hi everyone i'm hanan i'm from dallas texas i first want to thank my dad my auntie ziza and especially my mom for their endless devotion love and support throughout these years i also want to thank my friends other family and mentors for their patience and kindness that has seen me through to this moment i am so lucky to have known all of you and i hope i can make you proud thank you [Applause] hi guys my name is will harris i feel so lucky and grateful and humbled to be joining this community and to be joining this profession i'd like to thank friends family and mentors who got me here in particular my parents and also my wife phoebe for supporting me and continuing to support me throughout this crazy journey thank you hi my name is marta williams i'm from woodbury minnesota i want to thank my my parents my sister leah all my friends and family for their support and for showing me that no dream is too ambitious to pursue i also really want to thank my mentor dr stephanie freddim at luther college and many others who've served as mentors and guides along the way i'm so grateful and so excited to be here with all these awesome people [Applause] hi everyone i'm jake bingaman i'm honored to be here joining this community this family i want to thank my wife charlotte my daughters isabel aurelia and marion for always being there with me believing in me loving me i love you all to my parents uh mom and dad to my brothers and sisters i wouldn't be here without you and to everyone under this tent uh i wouldn't be going anywhere next without all of you so i'm really excited to be joining this community thank you [Applause] hi everyone i'm ishita bhatti i'm from the bay area in california and i just feel so grateful to be here today i could not have done it without my family my sister my boyfriend my friends and mentors at ucla and especially my parents you have all taught me to believe in myself to find balance and always pushed me when i thought i couldn't do it so i'm very lucky to have all of you and i hope to make you proud as i start this journey thank you [Applause] hi everyone i'm thomas dollinger from new york city i'm honored to be standing here today today marks a new beginning for all of us but it's also a point of arrival in my case of our journey somewhat longer than most i'm therefore very very grateful to my parents and to my partner alex for their support and to the many physicians who inspired me even an illness i hope to live up to this white coat and to the ideals it represents thank you hi everyone my name is sarah manz and i'm from eau claire wisconsin i want to thank my parents my brothers wesley and trevor and the rest of my family for their unconditional love and support i want to thank my partner weston and his family as well as my mentors and teachers it's with your support that i'm able to stand here today and wear this white coat so thank you peace and blessings be upon everyone here today my name is huda mahmoud i am from suhai master chicago illinois i'd like to thank my tita for calling me dr huda since i was a toddler i'd like to thank my mom and baba for their endless love support and sacrifices and i'd like to thank my siblings muhammad ali nada and umar for pushing me to come here to this school i'm pretty sure they just wanted to get rid of me but i'm eternally grateful for everyone thank you [Applause] hello everyone my name is mika sarkinjan i'm originally from durban south africa and thank you to my parents and my sister for your endless love support for your sacrifice i love you mom i love you papa i love you tanya thank you to my mentors and teachers and friends for believing in me for inspiring me for guiding me to where and who i am today i'm incredibly grateful and humbled to be starting this journey with all of you today thank you [Applause] hi everyone my name is narja spenchake i'm from northern virginia originally from morocco i would like to thank my parents mama and baba and my sisters nisma neda for believing in me even when i didn't believe in myself i wouldn't be standing here today if it weren't for your endless love support and encouragement alhamdulillah in bismillah hi everyone i'm priya mean i'm from the houston area i'd like to thank god my parents my brother anuj my grandparents my friends extended family and my mentors for making me the person who i am today to mom thank you for your sacrifices and your selflessness i would not be here without you dad i'm so excited to follow in your footsteps thank you for being a role model for how kind and compassionate a physician can be you're my partner in crime and i miss you so much thank you both for your wisdom thank you good afternoon i'm matt brian from south jersey i just want to thank my family my friends my mentors my parents for for truly unwavering support i want to thank my wife who through the many trials and tribulations of life continues to be my biggest fan my three-legged cat oliver for the free therapy sessions my grandfather and others who cannot be here today i'm excited for the journey that lays ahead let's get to work rangers lead the way [Applause] hello everyone my neighborhood my name is gabriel fernandez first and foremost i wanted to thank god for this opportunity i also wanted to thank my parents uh sarah and pedro my brother raphael for hate for helping me make this dream come true uh i wanted to thank my godfather marcus for inspiring me to go into medicine and i can't forget about all my mentors and my friends who helped me along the way my family who are watching me in brazil right now in florida and last but certainly not least i wanted to remember and thank my godmother my grandmother yolanda thank you so much everyone [Applause] hi everyone my name is sophie i'm from sunnyvale california and i just wanted to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to all of my friends mentors and family whose unconditional support love and guidance have made today possible to all of my friends and family watching on the webcast [Applause] hi everyone my name is julie castro i'm here representing the beautiful country of colombia i would first like to thank my parents who are watching right now who immigrated here over 30 years ago and are still struggling to this day so i can be standing here on the stage i'm going to speak in spanish now ustedes ancestor you are my rock you've been strong for me when i couldn't be you support me and you inspired me to be a better person every single day to my mentors you've taught me to believe in myself when i couldn't and to all of my rock star latinx peers that are here never forget that we are our ancestors wildest dreams thank you hi everyone my name is iris wu i am from guangzhou china and here i'd like to say thank you to my family my mentors and my friends who have provided me unreserved love support and guidance which really helped me get to where i am today and here's to my family who's staying up at 3am watching from the other side of the world thank you [Applause] [Applause] hi i'm alexander king grew up in virginia beach virginia i'd like to thank my family especially my mother for her immense sacrifice to give me the best opportunity to be here today i'd also like to thank my friends uh girlfriend her family for love support and providing a home away from home the last few years and finally to my mentors doctors bruce levy vic kashup and abby dougal for always believing in me encouraging me and giving me the confidence to be here today thank you hello everyone my name is aaron mansour i was born and raised in miami florida the 305. um and i want to thank also my past teachers mentors and friends who have made me who i am today thank you [Applause] hi everyone my name is hannah stefke and i'm from beale city michigan a tiny town whose tremendous spirit i hope to embody here at harvard thank you to my friends teammates coaches teachers and mentors who've been with me throughout this journey most of all thank you to my family my two sisters for the advice and the adventure my mom whose memory serves as one of my greatest inspirations and my dad for his never-ending support thank you [Applause] hi my name is harris billings and i'm from greensboro north carolina i just want to thank my family my parents my two siblings mason in virginia my grandparents for all the support they provided me i want to thank my friends and my mentors from washington and lee university and beyond for becoming a second family for me and for helping me get here where i am today and i want to thank the physicians and specialists who took care of me as a child of pediatric chronic illness and for giving me uh my inspiration and role models for the type of physician i want to become i hope you i hope i make you all proud thank you hello my name is david morse it's wonderful to be here and i want to say thanks to god for just the amazing community of love he placed me in which really has been so nurturing along the way to get to this point uh thanks mom and dad for just being the greatest role models i can imagine i want to be like you when i grow up um thanks for just being so encouraging constant in your love and and kind laura john and dan you guys are the best siblings i could imagine and i also want to be like you guys and uh thanks for just continuing to inspire me and push me towards um good things i want to say thanks to my wife laura i love her and she's wonderful she's my best friend and thanks for just being so inspiring and for being here with me the whole time hi everyone my name is sarah lee and i'm from suwanee georgia i would like to take this opportunity to thank my friends and mentors who have inspired me and guided me throughout this journey but most importantly i would like to thank my family my mom my dad my sister sophia and my grandparents for their unwavering love and support none of this could have been possible without you thank you [Applause] hi everyone i'm katarina floresi from westchester new york and first i'd like to thank my parents for always believing me and more importantly leading by example to my twin sister izzy thank you for being born with me and tolerating all these years with me and then to my extended family in portugal italy brazil especially tienena tiamonia thank you for your perspective hi everyone my name is trulian lee i'm from ridgefield connecticut and i would like to thank my friends family mentor and mentors and partner for their tireless support of me thank you so much for believing in me i am just so deeply grateful i also wanted to take the time just to express my excitement at starting my medical journey with all of you i've been so inspired this week not only by the faculty but also by all of you my peers and so i am thrilled to be starting this journey with you all thank you hi everyone hi everyone i am stephen moye i'm from el segundo california it's truly an honor to be here i have to thank my coaches and teammates for pushing me to be a better person each and every day over the past four years and especially my family mom dad and steffy my sister words can't describe everything that you've done for me and what you guys mean to me i wouldn't be here without you guys so thank you [Applause] hi everybody my name is bossy kareem i'm from long island new york uh i just want to say alhamdulillah i once felt like a shot in the dark is kind of becoming a reality today i just want to thank ma baba zarif avir camilla veronica vasily all the people who have always fought on my side for all your selfish contributions i wouldn't be able to stand on the stage without you all today so thank you [Applause] hi everyone my name is ellery kelkerwolf and i am lucky to call both atlanta georgia and southern california my home first and foremost i want to thank my mom and dad kelly and bob for everything that you've given me all the endless love and support every act of love big and small has helped me get where i am today i also want to thank my friends and family especially those of you just down the road whom i'm excited to see very soon mike and terry and elena and aunt shu can't wait to see you and to all of those tuning in from the west coast as well thank you for your love and support always and making me laugh when i need a laugh and for inspiring me every day you all mean the world to me and i am so excited for this next chapter i love you all so much thank you thank you thank you [Applause] hi everyone my name is gavin chan i'm from carson city nevada i'd like to start off by thanking my parents for always encouraging encouraging me to follow my passions to my siblings for always showing me how to be more full of humility to my girlfriend and my best friends for being there for me through the ups and downs and to my professors and mentors for instilling me a desire for more knowledge thank you everyone [Applause] hi everyone my name is jet crowdis i'm from northwest florida i want to thank my family my mom my dad my sister uh truly would not be here today without you i want to thank my partner uh and her family sriti for their everlasting everlasting love and support and finally i want to thank aiden the nine-year-old camper who helped inspire me to pursue medicine thank you [Applause] hi my name is noah taylor i'm from richmond virginia just really a great honor to be here um after this first week i'm feeling very inspired and emboldened not only to create change on a broader scale but also just to be the best doctor that can be looking forward to these next four years i just want to give a quick shout out to my mom and dad who are watching i love you so much i words can't describe how grateful i am for you to my sister abby and my brother josh i love you so much thank you guys hi everyone my name is debbie i'm from edison new jersey uh first and foremost i'd like to thank my mom my dad and my little sister kelly thank you for being so supportive of all my dreams and for always pushing me to be a better kinder person and of course thank you to all my friends especially patty amy despina winnie and jaira thank you for seeing me at the lowest points in my life as well as the highest and still being such great friends to me i love you guys and i wouldn't be here without you [Applause] hi everyone my name is martin hogstead i'm from pleasant prairie wisconsin and i want to thank my friends families and mentors for all the love and support you've given me thank you to my sister grace and girlfriend abby you guys both make me want to be a better man each and every day thank you my parents you guys are both my absolute heroes and it's only because of you i can stand up here in this coat today so thank you i love you all [Applause] hi everyone my name is jen i was born in vietnam and raised in wichita falls texas i would like to take this time to thank my parents coming back i'm a math it was their sacrifices support that i was able to live in this country receive its amazing educational opportunities and stand before you guys here today i would also like to thank my brother lung and son i know they'll have my back no matter what and here's to hoping they'll help me pay my student loans and last and important most importantly not least i want to thank my mentors friends childhood best friend kelsey and my partner for always believing in me their patient and support i can't thank them enough thank you [Applause] hi everyone my name is jessica baral and i'm from the bay area in california i want to start by giving a huge thank you to my parents mama and baba and my sister erica for filling my life with so so much magic you are my biggest role model and you constantly show me what it means to be generous with one's time and one's energy and so to my family um um and to my college friends my friends from home and all of my mentors thank you for shaping me into the person i am today i would not be here without your love and support thank you hi everyone my name is ajami khande i'm from princeton new jersey and i'm very grateful to be here today i'd like to start off by thanking my mom and dad siblings and the rest of my family thank you for loving me unconditionally and supporting me in everything that i do taylor having thank you so much for being the most amazing best friend and partner i could ever ask for and last but certainly not least i'd like to thank dr joseph mancias as well as the many other mentors who are fortunate to call friends thank you so much for your constant guidance to support [Applause] salaam my name is lina zadin i would like to thank my mama my baba and my sister i'm here for lebanon palestine syria syria iraq yemen and the rest of the arab world alhamdulillah bismillah and free palestine [Applause] salaam everybody my name is marum doger and i'm from massachusetts i would like to thank my dad who has basically modeled courage and sacrifice to me from day one immigrating from pakistan i would also like to thank my mom she's no longer with us today but we used to talk about this moment and i know she's proud and i owe this this moment to her i also would love to thank my aunts and uncles my daddy who's watching right now and all of my friends teachers and mentors who've been amazingly generous with me alhamdulillah hi everyone my name is betsy rodriguez ramos and i come from choloma honduras today i would like to thank god for giving me this opportunity i would also like to thank my parents mommy papi gracias puerto sacrificios gracias por todo lo jamun finito estoy por ustedes to my siblings carlos carla daisy thank you so much for being my biggest supporters i love you to the rest of my family and friends watching this thank you lo quiero muchisimo and to my fellow hondurans please know that you can achieve anything that you set your minds to thank you hello my name is jeff engel i'm here because of the love of others strength and care from my parents and brother patrick great skill from my therapist kindness and warmth from my life partner yansu after losing her brother to a heroin overdose i vow to always transform the sadness to life affirming joyful creations in the field of mental health this is for jake [Applause] hello my name is tashona holmes and i'm from a small rural community near montega bay jamaica i would like to thank my mom my friends and family my mentor and my ancestors whose prayers sacrifice resilience and support have paved the way for me to be here today i look forward to the opportunity to earn this coat to represent my country and to build a legacy improving the lives of other people thank you hi my name is michaela wening i'm from celina ohio i would like to thank my mom my dad my siblings brandon matt and sarah and nicole all of my coaches and mentors who have given me the courage and knowledge to get me through the many failures and very few successes in my life that have shaped who i am today i know that i can continue to turn to them throughout this journey ahead but i can also can start to turn towards my new hms community thank you so much [Applause] hi my name is elizabeth roo i'm from naples florida and i'd like to thank my parents grandparents siblings and uncles for loving me and bringing out the best in me i'd like to thank the village of friends and mentors that have brought me here and i'd also like to thank to special people who are no longer here with us my adoptive mother susan and my little brother david who taught me what's really important in life and how to pay it all forward thank you [Applause] hi everyone my name is lizzy yenni i'm from knoxville tennessee and it's truly a privilege to be here a million thanks to god for all of the blessings in my life my family my friends my mentors for all of the support that brought me to this moment but more than anyone i'd like to thank my amazing parents i know that they would do anything for me or for any of my sisters a team blessing you tang sorry amy and ivy shout out to you guys for being my best friends in my support system and i'm so excited for this journey thank you guys hi my name is jacob meyerson i'm from concord massachusetts i'd like to thank my mom my dad my sisters my brothers my friends my aunts my uncles my cousins and all the people that have supported me thank you for the love friendship the adventures and the laughs i also like to thank my co-workers and my mentors for showing me true service to others and i hope to emulate that every time i wear this coat thank you hola mi nombre soy de cabo rojo puerto rico um thank you so much and i'm really excited to all of my classmates to continue meeting you you are fantastic and i'm so happy to start this journey together thank you how's everyone doing we're good i'm good too i'm good too um my name is carlos salazar i was actually born in san miguel el salvador but i was raised but i was raised in dallas texas i want to take this time to think first and foremost god my parents um maori angelica um tiamata and my mentors for getting me to where i am today um and for my parents mommy papi usted vinod esta pais sacrifice and for the class of 2025 we made it here we will thrive here and we belong here hook up thank you hi all um my name is genesis leone la perez malara i am from boston i was born here i was raised in east boston also known as eastie by the locals i want to thank that community for showing me that for being the first example that there's still much work to be done in science and in medicine um [Music] mommy my big brother eric thank you for being you know the one to pave the path by being the first to graduate college in our family and thank you for reminding me to remember my roots my big sister millie who was my first best friend in this world thank you for showing me what resilience means and pushing me to be a better person every day i also want to thank my best friend from high school and my roommate nicole dubov and her family for accepting me with open arms and being there for me and keeping me grounded i lastly i want to thank my mentors and my friends from college in high school who have always been there for me and have taught me more than i could ever imagine thank you this one's for you guys afternoon my name is squishal kadakia and i'm from houston texas i want to thank all of my friends family members and mentors who have helped to make today's dream a reality i especially want to thank my mom and dad coincidentally our first day of medical school this week august 2nd was the same day as their wedding anniversary and it was a fitting reminder that this journey would not have been possible without them mom and dad if i am anything it is because you have given me everything this one is for you thank you [Applause] hi everybody my name is chris i'm from essex vermont and i just want to thank my very loving family and my partner my supportive friends and my incredible mentors i wouldn't have made it here without any of them so thank you all hi everyone my name is nana okada and i'm coming from pittsburgh pennsylvania i was raised by japanese first generation immigrants and in japanese there's this saying which means i'm here because of you and there's no day that i felt the sentiment more than i have today i'm here really because of the courage resilience and endless love of my parents the selflessness of my sister the unwavering support of my friends and my mentors who've really never stopped believing in my dream thank you so much hi everyone my name is boris orkin i'm from st petersburg russia i want to say thank you to all my friends mentors teachers professors everyone who supported me and believed in me throughout my life i would be nothing without you carl greger thank you for everything you're the best i'll forever be grateful for everything you've done for me in the last four years and my family mom pablo be hi everybody my name is kristen hines i grew up in northern california in the greater seattle area and i would really like to thank both of my parents for raising me with so much strength and persistence my sister for being my best friend and the most genuine person i know and my great aunt carol for putting the drive of academic excellence in me after them i would also really like to thank dr thomas freeman todd parsons and hiroki tanchta the three men in my life who have been insurmountably impactful they have gotten me through some of the hardest times in my life and they taught me that my best will always be good enough i'd also like to give a quick shout out to my college roommate abby who read all 77 of my secondary essays with no complaints at all absolutely love her thank you uh hi everyone my name is i'm from guangzhou china i would like to thank my family for their unconditional love and unwavering support through my long journey to medicine i would like to thank my friends and colleagues for their companionship and sharing many memorable moments i would like to thank my mentors for their inspirations and guidance that allowed me to stand here today uh she said [Applause] hi everyone my name is grant rigney i'm from tallahama tennessee um first i'd like to thank god my mom and my dad um my amazing wife julia without your love and support i wouldn't be here today um and i certainly wouldn't be the person i am i'd like to thank my family andy mckenzie annie micah nora lydia my extended family ben laura lilly cara um you all mean the world to me you're my inspiration your support um is so needed and valued thank you so much and finally um i'd like to thank my best friend jack i wouldn't be the person i am today without you thanks so much [Applause] hi everyone my name is ryan i'm from montreal canada i just want to say i feel overwhelmingly grateful for how many amazing people have been with me through this journey uh my friends my family my grandparents my aunts and uncle uh it's really incredible to have you all here with me virtually um and in my heart throughout this entire journey and most specifically i want to thank my parents my mom who i know is anxiously praying for this shout out and to my dad who is probably a little bit cooler and my brother evan you guys are really the reason i do this the reason i'm here today you have no idea how loved you make me feel and you're so important to me thank you for everything [Applause] hey y'all my name is taylor wechstein i'm so humbled to be here today standing on the stage i just feel really hopeful that we're working to change the narratives so that these coats aren't symbols of status and power but instead can be used to affect change i really want to thank my parents devin and ethan family friends loved ones mentors i'd never be here without you today and i love you so much hi everyone my name is austin gregg i'm from bethlehem pennsylvania to my little sister sydney and my older brother alex thank you for being my best friends i will forever look up to you to my mom and dad thank you for being my heroes i will always appreciate your love and support and to my grandma and pap needy and papa everyone else who supported me along the way thank you so much i love you all hello everyone my name is natalie braun from chicago illinois i'd like to thank my mom and my dad who in this and everything else have been my greatest champions thank you for the love the support the sacrifices you've made and the opportunities you've given me thank you to my two younger brothers thomas and daniel who never fail to make me laugh i'd like to thank my mommy who has taught me so much about and made me fall in love with my french heritage thank you to my friends my partner for the laughs the memories and the adventures we've shared thank you [Applause] hi everyone my name is ria wu-tung and i'm from wellesley massachusetts i'm incredibly grateful to be embarking on this journey so close to home to my wonderful family mom dad anna george theo thank you for always making me feel beloved and allowing me to pass this love to my future patients and peers and to my mentors and my friends thank you for your endless support i wouldn't be here without you i hope to make you all proud hello everyone my name is ginger gramsen and i'm from san diego california i wanted to thank the friends communities and mentors who have supported and nurtured me throughout my life i wanted to especially thank my dearest friend eric my mom and my many friends and mentors from the stanford women's community center i wouldn't be here without you all today and i hope to make you proud thank you hi everyone my name is sarah i'm from montgomery county maryland i wanted to thank my friends my mentors my co-workers for fueling my curiosity and helping me find my way here and i also want to thank my partner my brothers and my parents your love sustains me your actions inspire me and your terrible puns and magnificent memes keep me laughing i'm so excited to continue this journey with you all hi everyone my name is trey hale i'm from a small town called forsyth missouri uh first i'd like to thank my mom for teaching me the joy of serving others my dad for demonstrating the value of hard work and my sister brooke for being there alongside me both on stage and off stage i'd like to thank my family my friends and my mentors for their support on my long winding road to medicine uh very excited to be here with you all thanks [Applause] hi everyone my name is chad vihil i'm originally from pueblo colorado and i just want to take a time to express gratitude to everyone who helped get me to where i am today whether that be my family for raising me um specifically my mom for stepping up as a single parent for always pushing me me abulita for always being there for me and helping raise me um and my brother and sister for giving me their sense of humor i love you guys carlos and char i also like to thank my friends who became family for always supporting and encouraging me throughout college um you all know who you are it'd be too many of you to name and of course my educators and mentors for always believing in my dreams no matter how crazy and unobtainable they seems thank you all and congrats to all my fellow classmates hello everyone my name is matthew prospero i'm from el paso texas to my family friends and border community this code is as much mine as it is yours i truly wouldn't be here without you i can give you a million thanks but even then none of those would suffice to my fellow classmates i'm excited to grow and learn from each one of you and i cannot wait to see you succeed and ami comunidad latina hi everyone my name is yad sade and i'm from beirut lebanon i'm so grateful to be here today i'd like to thank my parents for always believing in me my two amazing brothers nadima and fares for being the best most supportive brothers anyone could ever ask for i'd also like to thank all of the amazing friends in new york city and at columbia university you guys are my second family and i love you so much [Applause] hey everyone i'm michael quesada i'm from palo alto california i want to start by thanking my family to my mom and dad thank you for your many sacrifices and love that has really shaped me into who i am to my brother david thank you for being a great friend and to my aunts uncles cousins and grandparents thank you for always being there for me i want to give a quick shout out to my many teammates coaches mentors and friends i wouldn't be here without you guys thank you hi everyone my name is mike gololu i'm from toronto canada um i wanted to dedicate this white coat to my family uh thank you for sacrificing so much so that i could realize my dreams to my dear friends and partner thank you for lifting me up at my lowest and celebrating with me at my highest and to mentors and future patients thank you for allowing me to become the best version of myself every single day this is all for you thanks hi everyone my name is vaibhav mohanty i'm from charleston south carolina i want to thank my parents as well as my whole extended family and i also want to thank my friends family friends mentors professors advisors as well as the charleston music community charleston south asian community and all the public school teachers that i've had in the charleston county school district you've all taught me in different ways how to care i will pay it forward thank you [Applause] hello everyone my name is ralph from philadelphia i have a long line of family to thank for nurturing inspiring me i think my grandfather my father my uncles for kind of modeling um kind of natural scientific curiosity that makes me excited to study medicine my my wife my mom and my sister for um showing me how to love unconditionally inspiring me to be better every day and to michelle my friends and my mentors couldn't have done it without any of you at all to my friends old and new here in the audience i'm thankful in advance for years of support and inspiration so excited for it uh hi everyone my name is anna sappington and i'm from riva maryland and i am just so grateful to be here today i first have to thank my parents for their absolutely unconditional love and support mom i aspire to your empathy and your strength and to dad your curiosity and your integrity i also have to thank my little brother james who despite being my junior by four years i look up to every single day i also want to thank all of my extended family grant padanovan thank you for showing me what it means to care for someone else i also have to thank my friends and mentors and to all of you i'm so excited to embark on this journey with you all let's make the world a better place [Applause] hi everyone my name is kevin i'm also from maryland thank you anna um i want to start by thanking thanking for my closest mentors jeff and sudar thank you for sharing with me your passion for medicine and science i can only dream of one day becoming half as amazing of a physician scientist as of both of you to my parents and family back home in maryland and in china [Applause] hi my name is simran honda i'm from mukilteo washington first i'd like to thank all of my mentors scientific mentors and loved ones for their support and always encouraging me to reach for the stars second my loved ones and extended family including my aunt uncle and grandmother for being my biggest supporters and believing me even when i didn't and lastly my family including my father for his selflessness and sacrifice my mother for her strength my brother for his curiosity and his passion and lastly my sister for encouraging me and inspiring me to become a physician thank you hello my name is matal haas kogan i'm from san francisco california i want to thank my family both biological and chosen to motor heists softa emma my grandparents for showing me what true resilience and courage looks like to my siblings for your boundless support and encouragement and to my parents i would not be who or where i am today without all of you ema i hope i can one day do the name dr haas kogan justice thank you [Applause] hi everyone my name is sahil sandhu i'm from northern california and i'd first like to thank my family my mom my dad my sister serene thank you so much for all your unconditional love support and sacrifice you've been my biggest cheerleaders and bring so much joy into my life for that i'll always be grateful and i wouldn't be here without you and i'd also like to thank all my friends and mentors who have inspired and encouraged me along the way and i'm so excited to be lifelong colleagues and friends with all of you all class of 2025. [Applause] hi everyone my name is hannah hoffman i'm from newton massachusetts i'd first like to thank my parents for being the most incredible role models i could ask for and for teaching me every day what it looks like to love and sacrifice for the people you care about to my siblings max sophie and zach my grandparents nana poppy rich pam and phyllis and to my mentors will jimmy alareza and the rest of my family and friends i couldn't be here without you today so thank you so much [Applause] hi my name is krishna suresh and i'm from newark delaware i would like to thank my mentors friends family especially my mom and dad for their endless love and support and for helping make my dream come true i'd also like to say a few words in our native language stumble without my parents i'm nothing god is great thank you and congrats everyone hi my name is ben gropeman i'm from chicago illinois i feel incredibly blessed to be here today i want to say thank you to my friends my mentors most of all my family my sister eve my mom my dad thank you for all the love that you've shown me it's a gift i can only aspire to pay forward and kind thank you [Applause] hi everyone my name is alyssa and i am from loveland colorado it's absolutely lovely to be here with all of you guys today i want to say hi to my dear friend anna and her cat not dr bailey on the live stream today all of us come here following in someone else's footsteps for me that's my grandma grandma your career as a public health nurse your commitment to your community and your devotion to your city inspire me every day thank you for being the light of our family i wouldn't be here without you [Applause] hello everyone my name is rafael mazur i'm from shetin which is in the northwest of poland and if you had told me several years ago that i would be standing here today accepting this white coat at hms i would have simply not believed you growing up in poland the notion of medical education in the united states was a distant reality and merely a lofty aspiration and i'm very humbled and very honoured to really have the opportunity to wake up every morning and follow my american dream i would not be able to say these words where not for uh the unwavering supports and and flagging support from my friends from my research mentors um as well as from my girlfriend chanel um i love you from my loving girlfriend my loving sister as well i'm sorry and my parents who are watching from poland um so i'm going to talk in polish a little bit now um um congratulations everyone hi everyone my name is kelly lee and i just want to say a deep deep thank you to my family my sister my mentors and my very dearest friends for lifting and loving me this far to my parents and my grandparents thank you [Applause] hi everyone my name is jill jones i'm broadly from the south and midwest this one is for st louis i am here today for kids who can't be here anymore and also for kids like my mom and i just want to say my deepest thanks to everybody whose footsteps helped me carve half of my own out here in boston and i hope that your love becomes my legacy thank you hi everyone my name is siva imani and i'm from newton massachusetts i'd like to thank my friends family and mentors without whose support i wouldn't be here today in particular my parents amma for showing me that the power of humility and sacrifice in ways that i could see and in many ways that i couldn't um nana for for telling me and showing me that being an idealist is always the right attitude my grandparents mama and that for always reminding me to thank god for everything that i've been given and most importantly my younger brother vishnu for reminding me to take it easy a little bit along the way i love you all hi everyone my name is sophia renau i am from northampton massachusetts and i have to begin by thanking my family mom dad evan is your unconditional uh unconditionable love and support that really allows me to stand here today to my friends and my mentors thank you for pushing me to dream bigger than i ever thought i could i'm a proud product of the northampton public school system and i thank everyone so much for putting me on a track of creativity and lifelong learning i also have a huge thank you to give to all the patients i have the privilege to care for thus far in my career you inspire me every day thank you [Applause] hello everyone my name is gautam gadiraju and i'm from north carolina to all of my friends my family and my mentors who are watching from back home it has been all of the love the compassion and the patience that you've demonstrated towards me in my life that have gotten me through every bout of uncertainty or every leap of faith that it took for me to get here and i'm so very thankful it's been all the sacrifices that have humbled me it's all the courage you've demonstrated that continue to inspire me and it's a warmth that sustains me i'm so grateful to have that in my life and i know that it'll serve me for years to come thank you so much hey everyone my name is tom lasalle i'm from south jersey i want to thank my mom from whom i get my emotionality my dad my brother and sister mercenant love you guys and also the newest member of my family which is a demonic cat named panther um when i put on my white coat today i thought about all the patients like whose cells i've been able to learn so much from but never got to meet them and what a privilege and an honor to one day get to know their stories i also thought of all the people who've gone to see a physician and have felt invisible and this community is here for you and that's why we do what we do we have a huge challenge and responsibility in front of us and i'm confident that we will all rise to it hello everyone my name is anjali devgen i am from west lake village california and wow it's just such an honor to be here on this beautiful day in front of all of you i from the bottom of my heart i wanted to thank my mom and dad for shaping me into the person who i am today my nani and nana for their unconditional love and support my best friends for always believing in me and most importantly my little brother arun for being my best buddy i love you all so much thank you hi my name is also emily yang i'm from houston texas and i just wanted to thank all of the wonderful second homes that i found in college and beyond but most of all my family jeremy i'm so sorry you had to live with me while i was applying to medical school but it just goes without saying that i truly will not be standing here today without you guys and to my relatives who are watching in korea thank you hi everyone my name is soham goshal i'm from queens new york city i want to thank my mother my father and my brother for all their unconditional love and they're teaching me to be kind and you have humility and dedication and i also want to thank my friends and all of my mentors for helping me to become the person that i am today as a first generation physician and immigrant it's truly an honor for me to be here with all of you and i look forward to our journey together thank you namaste and howdy y'all my name is akshay juggy and i am from houston texas when i first got into harvard medical school my grandfather my daughter did not say i am so proud of you he said i'm proud of me i think that sentiment reflects what today means for my family my friends my mentors and my partner all of this is because of the sacrifices that you have made thank you and i love you hi everyone my name is aditya jin i'm from portland oregon i'd like to thank the academy but seriously i'd like to thank my mom my dad my younger brother rishab and my babaji and daddy for all their continuous love support and blessings i thank you so much for letting me stand on your shoulders i'd also like to thank the many mentors and teachers in my life dr mancius dr nia dr mithin dr thomas for all that you've done and for allowing me to start this journey at hms and finally thank you to this class of 2025 i'm so excited to see what we accomplish together thank you hi everyone my name is brian peeker i'm originally from lima peru and first i'd just like to thank my family and friends without whose support and unconditional love i really wouldn't be who i am today i'd also like to thank my mentors amy wagers chris drew dr ellen cajas for showing me the path to medicine [Applause] my name is jay cantrell i'm from lacey spring alabama i'd like to thank the lord for allowing me to be here today my parents for teaching me selfless love and everyone who has ever believed in me thank you hi everyone my name is catherine zhang i just want to take this time to thank my mentors especially michael yuan ian wong and vasantha dantham for giving me all the opportunities that you guys gave me i also want to thank my friends especially matt katrina and stephanie i would not be here without you guys and thank you for always believing in me and then to my family mama papa ee hi uncle jeff thank you guys so much for showing me so much unconditional love and for always giving me a place to call home and to my sister the greatest blessing of my life is to be able to have you as the sister thank you so much hi everyone my name is betty bendor and i'm from wayne pennsylvania but originally from the beautiful country that is israel i would like to thank my family for all of their love and support and for everything they have done to get me to where i am today ago yeah hi everyone my name is andrew ludwig i'm from wellin massachusetts and first and foremost i'd like to thank my mom dad and my brother matt i love you guys to grandma grandpa uncle tony and the rest of my extended family you guys my inspiration and motivation and to carry professor finley and dr coo the rest of my mentors professors and friends i certainly wouldn't be here without you guys thank you so much [Applause] hi everyone i'm amanda collison i'm from fairbanks alaska i owe this day to my parents roy and joy my sister april and all my friends i hope you guys are the first names that i see in my books when i start clinic or when i start practicing if some of you guys are too scared of the dentist still in two years time you know who you are regardless thank you all for your endless love and support and that's it hi everyone my name is melissa himmelfarb i'm from long island new york i want to thank my mom my dad my brother brian my sister jackie and my dog summer it's really an honor to be here and i can't wait for the next four years thank you [Applause] hey everyone my name is adam yang i'm from orange county california i want to take this opportunity to thank emily leo my friends my mentors and everyone who supported me over the years i wouldn't be here with all their sacrifices and support um thank you hi my name is becca i'm from bethesda maryland and i'm so incredibly grateful to be here today and for the next four years i would love to thank my parents mom and dad so much for your support and love thank you to my siblings katie and andy my boyfriend charlie and all of my best friends and mentors from home and from emory i love you all so much and i cannot wait for the next four years here thank you [Applause] hi everyone my name is karina and i am from new york i want to thank my parents my siblings davina aaron and rohan my all of my extended family and friends as well as my mentors and teachers that have supported me and encouraged me it's an honor to be here thank you [Applause] hi my name is sophie kim and i'm from reno nevada and i just wanted to thank my family friends and everyone else who helped and inspired me along the way and right now i feel like this white coat honestly just feels more like a really fancy halloween costume but i hope that someday with the continued love and support of those around me that it begins to become a place where i feel like i belong hi everyone my name is rasa ferrari i'm from folsom california originally from tehran iran i want to first thank my parents for all the sacrifices they've made it was from you that i've learned how to be courageous and selfless and nothing feels impossible with you guys standing by my side to my older brother sadra thank you for paving the path for me i love you so much and to my friends at home and at hopkins i feel so lucky to have grown alongside such kind and remarkable people and i'm so excited for the journey ahead thank you guys so much [Applause] hi everyone my name is minh i was born in kong south korea but was raised in pennsylvania to june thank you so much for your unconditional support and trust in me it means the world to have you as my sister and um watching [Applause] hi i'm sophia from houston i'd like to take this opportunity to thank my friends family and mentors that supported me along this journey here today and specifically those who reminded me that medicine rather than just being a series of milestones is a journey and a lifelong one and i think it's very important to remember today during a huge milestone in my medical career that it's the commitment to the day-to-day and to the betterment of myself to best serve the communities and patients i will one day that will lead me to become the physician i hope to be and to my family my serbian family thank you hi everyone i'm tara zao from sharon mass and first i'd like to thank my mom and dad who i would not be here without you guys and i'm so so grateful for all the help and sacrifice and support support that you've given me this coat is for you guys i'd like to thank my sister cleo for being my best friend and for the shoes i sold today to wear and as well as my grandma and grandpa yeah nene she's as well as my boyfriend aiden who's been my rock throughout all of this process and lastly all the extended family as well as my friends and mentors i'm so grateful to be here and i hope to make you guys really proud thank you hi everyone my name is joanna i'm from southern california first of all i just want to give a big shout out to all 13 of my friends that are on the stream right now they mean the world to me i'm so lucky to have a group of funny caring and supportive friends that surround me day to day and finally i'd like to thank my parents my dad came to this country 30 years ago with only 100 in his pocket he tells us that story all the time your sacrifices were not in vain and i'm going to continue to make you proud thank you [Applause] hi everyone my name is robert semko i'm from jamestown rhode island uh first to my family mom dad brittany mark thank you for your unconditional love i love you all so much and i'm so thankful for you dr bergmark thank you for your mentorship and your guidance and for welcoming me into this profession and finally chris renee mr price mr and mrs bailey thank you all so much i wouldn't be here without you or anyone else from aica love you all thank you hi everyone my name is selena and i'm from new york city um to my family me familia thank you so much my parents my brothers my sisters my aunts my uncles my village i want to say thank you to my friends from dalton to wesleyan to colombia you guys have been absolutely my support system and i just want to say it is such a privilege to stand here before you all as an afro latina going into medicine and i just wanted to say to all my fellow black and latinx students like we made it so shout out to everybody here [Applause] all right one more big round of applause for all of you all i can say is wow i was chatting with lily during lunch and she mentioned that her dad shed a tear during the parent program earlier today she said her dad kind of cries at anything and i think i'm the same i probably went through half a kleenex box earlier with all of you so i just wanted to offer my thanks thank you for the incredible gift that you gave all of us this afternoon thank you for the gift of yourselves for being here but i think most importantly thank you for the gift of your words and reminding us what's truly important in this life what's truly important is to remember where we came from and all of you acknowledged really the importance of that on the shoulders that we all stand here today because we could not have gotten here by ourselves and also for reminding us of what you know dr d'amico reminds us a lot that we're surrounded by love you're surrounded by an incredible community and as faculty we lead busy lives and maybe we forget sometimes the reason why we do what we do but you reminded of us that today you put the patients at the center you put the people that you love at the center and i really want all of you just to take a moment and remember how you feel right now right this second because we'll have ups and downs throughout medical school and our medical career but i think it's reflecting on times like this to remember why we do this why all this is important this is what gets us through so thank you now we'd like to move on to the oath for those at home you likely know that as as physicians in tentis as we transition from student to practitioner we take an oath and that usually comes at graduation here at harvard medical school and harvard school of dental medicine we have a tradition where we start our careers as physicians and dentists with an oath as well and this isn't an oath that we looked up online or that we googled or anything like that this is an oath that was written by the people that you see before you hear on the live stream we had students volunteer to be on the oath committee and in ver a very short period of time come up with something incredibly profound that they promised to themselves to each other and to their future patients so with that i'd like to invite uh three members of the oath committee that uh helped to put this together up to the stage to lead your class uh in this year's oath so i'd like to invite the three of you to come up introduce yourselves and help your class recite the oath so reshab aparna yilang come on up [Applause] there and we'll do this try to we'll try to read in like a cadence that everyone can understand okay we formally commence our journey into the medical and dental professions at a unique time the 19 pandemic has revealed both the fragility of our health care system and the resilience of our health care providers it has laid bare the plague health communities and reaffirmed the role of science in alleviating the suffering of our fellows in light of this we take the following oath joining in a union of ideals and honoring our responsibilities towards our patients colleagues and greater society to foster a culture of patient-centered care we will approach every patient interaction as a partnership we will lead with respect and honesty and engage our patients narratives with curiosity empathy and humility we will situate these narratives within the context of their families communities and cultures we will value their lived experiences as complementary to our medical knowledge to uphold our end of the partnership we will attend to our own health and well-being which is inextricably linked to our ability to provide care we will value sorry i'm so sorry we will lean on each other in times of to need a safe and empowering clinical environment we will hold ourselves to the highest standard of care for every patient we will protect our patients privacy obtain their informed consent and defend their right to autonomy we will do our best to earn the trust of our patients and colleagues and contribute to a practice that advances healthcare as a human right we will reckon with the continued legacy of racism within medicine by taking an outspoken just and anti-racist approach to patient care additionally we will collaborate with communities to dismantle the structures that oppress and exploit patients on the basis of class ability age sex gender ethnicity sexuality legal status language systems [Music] to encourage the progress and take pride in the words i don't know but i will find out we will view mistakes as opportunities for growth taking ownership of our shortcomings and continually learning from our patients colleagues and new scientific discoveries we now accept our white coats and begin our commitment to these principles as future physicians and identities thank you all so much that was amazing i think both everything that you said to your families the oath that you just wrote it's really unforgettable it's been so beautiful this afternoon to see all the love and gratitude that was just expressed by our new students whom we are so thrilled to have now as members of our hms and hsdm family and a special thanks again for being with us virtually to all of the parents and other family members and friends and mentors and coaches all the people you just heard thanked who have joined us for the live stream for this memorable afternoon again we truly wish you could have been here in person and i know that after this is over and we do the photos they're going to be many happy family face times and whatsapp video calls and all kinds of other loving connections that will wrap up before introducing our final speaker i want to just say a closing word from the heart to our entering class uh because i was so inspired when i last night i got a copy of the oath that you composed this week and just recited and pledged together and i'm so inspired by many of the things that you highlighted in your class oath but especially the direct way that you pledge to quote reckon with the continued legacy of racism within medicine by taking an outspoken just and anti-racist approach to patient care and to collaborate with communities to dismantle the structures that oppress and exploit patients you know in today's crazy world it's indeed more important than ever not only to conceptualize your professional identity around the best care that you can provide for each patient but also to advocate for these structural changes that are needed to address disparities in care between populations of patients and to promote health equity and health justice our profession is a noble one but you know many people think american medicine itself has been losing respect over the years with some questioning the very integrity of american medicine they say not only that our systems are failing our patients they say that medicine itself has lost its way they say that the honorable physician may be part of a dying order and so i want to share with you a story about respect and it's a universal story it's been told in some variation in almost all the world's sort of sacred traditions this particular version comes from the hasidic tradition but a similar story is attributed to ramana maharshi and the hindu tradition to saint paul and the christian tradition to some of the sufi masters and the muslim tradition and many others this version comes from an 18th century jewish scholar and it's called the rabbi's gift the rabbi's gift is a story that concerns a monastery that had fallen upon hard times once a great cultural or once a great order cultural changes over the past few hundred years had sapped its strength all of its branch houses were closed and there were only five month monks left in the decaying mother house the abbott and four others all over 70 years of age clearly it was a dying order now in the deep woods surrounding the monastery there was a little hut that a rabbi from a nearby town occasionally used for a hermitage and the monks could always sense when the rabbi was in the woods and during one such visit it occurred to the monks to pay the rabbit to have the abbott pay the rabbi a visit and to ask if he might have some advice that could help save the monastery the rabbi welcomed the abbott at his hut but when the abbott explained the purpose of his visit the rabbi could only commiserate with him i know how it is he said the spirit has gone out of the people it's the same in my town almost no one comes to the synagogue anymore so the old men wept together they read parts of sacred scriptures and spoke quietly of deep things when the abbot finally rose to leave they embraced and asked again is there nothing you can tell me to help me save my dying order no i'm sorry the rabbi responded i have no advice to give the only thing i can say is that one of you is the messiah when the rat when the abbot returned to the monastery his fellow monks gathered around him to ask well what did the rabbi say he couldn't help the abbott answered we just wept and read holy scriptures together although as just as i was leaving he did say something very strange he said the messiah is one of us i don't know what he meant in the days and weeks and months that followed the old monks pondered this and wondered was there any possible significance to the rabbi's words that messiah is one of us could he possibly have met one of us monks here at the monastery you know if that's the case which one do you suppose he meant the abbot yes if he meant anyone he probably meant father abbott you know on the other hand he might have met brother thomas certainly brother thomas is a holy man he surely could not have met brother eldred eldridge is always so crotchety though come to think of it eldred is virtually always right often very right maybe the rabbi did mean brother eldred certainly not brother philip philip is so passive a real nobody but then almost mysteriously he has a gift for somehow always being there when you need him maybe philip is the messiah of course the rabbi didn't mean me each of them thought and turn about themselves he couldn't possibly have met me i'm just an ordinary person yet suppose he did suppose i am the messiah oh god not me each thought i couldn't be that much for the others could i as they each contemplated in this manner the old monks began to treat each other with this extraordinary respect on the off chance that one among them might be the messiah and on the off off chance that each monk himself might be the messiah they began to treat themselves with extraordinary respect it so happened that people still occasionally came to visit the monastery to picnic on its green lawn to wander along its many paths to even sit in the chapel to meditate as they did so without really being conscious of it they sensed this aura of extraordinary respect that now began to surround the five old monks and seem to radiate out from them and permeate the atmosphere of the place hardly knowing why they came back to the monastery more frequently to picnic to play to pray they began to bring their friends to show them this special place and their friends brought their friends then it happened that some of the younger visitors started to talk more and more with the old monks after a while one asked if he could join them and then another and another and within a few years the monastery had once again become a thriving order and thanks to the rabbi's gift a vibrant community of spirituality and light well my message to you today on your white coat ceremony day should be obvious right not just one of you but every one of you you are the ones who will redeem american medicine you are the ones and we your teachers your parents your loved ones your advisors your classmates we are all here for you to challenge you and nurture you on this wonderful journey that we now embark upon together on monday we welcomed you to harvard medical school and the harvard school of dental medicine today we welcome you to the profession welcome and give yourselves one more huge round of applause [Applause] and now to give the final address of this afternoon ceremony it is my honor and joy to introduce dr andrea reed who joined us last year as associate dean for student and multicultural affairs and director of the office of recruitment and multicultural affairs orma as we love it dean reed is an alumna of hms and has also rejoined the department of medicine and the gi unit at mass general hospital where she serves as director of diversity and faculty development for the hospital's gi division dr reed's work at hms focuses on the recruitment and support of students from groups historically underrepresented in medicine students who identify as lgbtq and those who are from economically disadvantaged background she graduated from brown university and earned her md here in 1988 she did both her residency in medicine and her gi fellowship at mgh and earned a master's at the school of public health right around the corner here along the way dr reed is truly an inspiration to all of us and please join me in welcoming our final speaker dr dean andrea reed well i really do think that you all said it all that there's really not you don't need a closer today but i do have a few things i'd like to share with you as we finish out this incredible event so class of 2025 it is my privilege and my pleasure to provide the closing remarks for your white coat ceremony i'd like to thank you i'd like to talk with you for a few moments about a refined definition of success refined definition of success so on the eve of 2020 many people were declaring it to be the year of perfect vision it was a trendy moniker but as you all know turned out to be grossly inaccurate we could not have foreseen the depth of despair and destruction that covet 19 would bring to the world in 2020 but it was a year of vision in some ways wasn't it 2020 showed us what we were made of as individuals and as a country 2020 exposed our fractures our frailties and our strengths it stripped many of us of pretense and forced us to reckon with long-standing inequities in health and justice one thing is certain 2020 took many of us to the brink and dumped us into 2021 hoping for a dramatically different year in the midst of the turmoil there were some bright lights you you chose to apply to harvard medical school or harvard school of dental medicine and your phenomenally diverse applications sustained our hope then you chose us for your next step sight unseen giving us a renewed sense of purpose and possibility you were the bright lights of the past year here we are launching into another academic year with a group of students whose interests and talents are both broad and deep whose commitment to health equity social justice research integrity and academic excellence will challenge and inspire us in new and exciting ways you are a passionate cohort of learners whose vision compassion and self-awareness has set you up for incredible success at harvard medical school and harvard school of dental medicine but how do you define that success in 2021 and beyond your goal for so long was to get to medical or dental school and you really had to persevere to apply and select your school during a pandemic mission accomplished is success now defined by your performance on assessments the number of publications or awards that you garner as a student or the friendships you acquire here how has the pandemic and all that it entails influenced or altered your view of success i've asked this question of many first-year students over the last year the good the bad and the ugly of 2020 has inspired and challenged many of them to redefine success both incrementally and holistically it challenged me as well i'd like to share with you just a few of the ways that success can and should be reimagined and encourage you to ponder your definition of success as you immerse yourself into the first year of hms and hsdm success is defined most simply as the achievement of one's goals i suspect that your personal definition of success at this stage includes satisfactory passage through the hms and hsdm curriculum that's fair and i hope that for you as well we have abundant resources to ensure that you accomplish that goal but i challenge you especially after the year and a half that we have come through together to define success at hms and hsdm much more broadly than academic achievements or personal accolades this past year has reinforced for me the importance of fostering meaningful connection with others i challenge you to prioritize interpersonal success here at hms and hsdm reach out to classmates who seem on the surface to be very different from you invite them to share a meal or a cup of coffee ask them their story take a risk be vulnerable and share yours share your hopes for and concerns about the coming year and beyond resist the temptation to slip into comfortable circles of sameness now personal growth is another critical element of success one that gets far too little attention i think this is the hardest measure of success to quantify and the easiest to ignore because there is just so much to do here for many of us we set aside too little time for self-reflection this kind of internal work requires as much discipline as your classroom prep and it's often less enjoyable this is where vision comes in ask yourself these important questions who do i want to be when this medical or dental school journey ends what personal character traits need to be fertilized and expanded what traits need pruning what personal legacy do you want to leave here at hms in hstm take time to reflect and chronicle the emotional and spiritual journey you hope for as well as that which you experience finally i'd like you to consider the communal or collective success of your class you are such a diverse group in lived experiences talents interests and perspectives i know this because i read some of your applications as a member of the committee on admissions i was and remain blown away by your accomplishments goals and passions as individuals you are extraordinary but what will be your collective character how can your presence as a class benefit the people of boston what is your preferred communal legacy as we emerge from this horrific pandemic i hope that you the class of 2025 shines your collective light in such a way that you have a lasting impact on the lives of others inside and outside of hms the pandemic showed us who we are as a country and the vision hasn't been particularly bright but you can bring an energy and a commitment to push back a little more of the darkness you are not simply medical and dental students you are change agents you are here in hms and hstm to change the status quo i belie and we welcome it i believe in you as individuals and as a class i know you will be successful defined broadly and by you i am proud of you already and eager to see your shine thank you for listening and welcome to hms and hsdm you

Channel: Harvard Medical School

Views: 21,345

Keywords:

Id: V7JxxPNUgzo

Length: 165min 29sec (9929 seconds)

Published: Fri Aug 06 2021