The Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine welcomed 103 new students during a special ceremony on Sunday, July 29, to formally mark the start of their medical education.
The annual Convocation and White Coat Ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. in the Schuster Performing Arts Center in downtown Dayton.
During the ceremony, students took their first oath of professional medical ethics, concluding with the words, “I commit myself to a lifelong journey of learning how to cure, relieve and comfort with humility and compassion.” Each student received a white coat – a traditional symbol of the medical profession – personalized with his or her name and the medical school patch.
The students, who were carefully selected from a group of more than 3,000 applicants, begin orientation on Monday, July 30. Classes will soon follow.
The class of 2016 draws from a variety of undergraduate experiences. Educated at various universities across Ohio and from Columbia University to Stanford University, the 103 members of the entering class have already shown a strong commitment to community service both at home and abroad. They have shadowed doctors, volunteered in hospitals, observed open heart surgery and conducted research. One class member volunteered as a Spanish interpreter in a free health clinic. Others have volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters. Some have served at soup kitchens. Some have studied abroad in Ecuador, Spain and Italy. Two students participated in a medical mission trip to Honduras, and another was a spokesperson for cystic fibrosis. One student is an Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran.
Fifty-two percent are women, while 48 percent are men. They speak 16 different languages.