2023 White Coat Ceremony held by Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine

Class of 2024 presented at White Coat Ceremony. (Photo courtesy of TUCVM)

The Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine (TUCVM) welcomed students from the Class of 2024 to the next phase of their veterinary medical curriculum at an in person White Coat Ceremony on February 25, 2023 at the Tuskegee University Chapel. This ceremony marked the transition into the clinical phase of the curriculum for the veterinary students. Family and friends were invited to attend in person for this event, but for those unable to attend, the ceremony was available via the university’s YouTube channel.

According to a university release,¹ the ceremony was sponsored by Zoetis Animal Health, the American Veterinary Medical History Society, Merck & Co, and Banfield Pet Hospital. Students received Merck Veterinary Manuals from Merck and a gift bag from Banfield.

During the ceremony, greetings were given by Dean Ruby L. Perry, DVM, MS, PhD, Diplomate-ACVR; Calvin M. Johnson, DVM, PhD, DACVP, dean of Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine; Steven T. Murphree, DVM, past president of Alabama Veterinary Medical Association; Jason Rodgers, DVM, past president of Kentucky Veterinary Medical Association; and Wendi Lilly-Bare, DVM, past president of South Carolina Association of Veterinarians.

From left to right: Steven T. Murphree, DVM; Calvin M. Johnson, DVM, PhD, DACVP; Dean Ruby L. Perry, DVM, MS, PhD, Diplomate-ACVR; Wendi Lilly-Bare, DVM; Jason Rodgers, DVM (Photo courtesy of TUCVM)

“The annual white coat ceremony is a celebratory time in which our third-year students make the major transition into the clinical phase which then moves them one step closer to becoming career-ready veterinarians upon graduating with their DVM degrees the following year. This momentous event would not be the success it is without the support of our sponsors, faculty, staff, students, and alumni,” Ebony Gilbreath, DVM, PhD, said in the release.¹

The 63 students who received their white coats include¹:

Jane Ahn, Curtis Birmingham, Savanna A. Bruce, Kelly Campbell, Darby Blayde, Jazmyn A. Ford, Jasmine S. Gardner, Olivia Gipson, Katherine Hill, Adriana R. Jimison, DeNiqua M. Lee, Sydney P. Martin, Sydney T. Matthews, Terrance E. Mitchell, DeAndrea Peterson, Aklimiyya F. Rushing, Maddie Seay, Kathyrn A. Smith, Lauryn O Grant, Kailey A. Hildebrandt, Emily Baier, Hailey Cooper, Johnathan Floyd, Laurielle Gibson, DeJanee Harris, Alexus Meadows, Abigail E. Webster, Ginger C. Bailey, Erica C. Bell, Janelle Benton, Latoya Bryant, Andreya L. Bryson, Nakia Coit, Alyssa L. Crenshaw, Cydney D. Crook, Erin Gary, Caylen J. Goldsberry, Sydni Hampton, Charisma N. Heath, Lasha A. Hicks-Bennett, Jade I. Johnson, Cierra Kenerly, Kayla R. Landers, Dominique D. Lyles, Elsie S. Madison-Reed, Cami McJett, Latisha N. Mills, Esontay D. Mitchell, Monica P.Moore, Shyenne D. Moore, Kianna C. Muse, Ashley E. Passantino, Haylie S.Prottsman, Chloe C. Rogers, Salvador Romero Sanchez, Morgan N. Roney, Lauren N. Shipman, Jessica Smith, Danyelle M. Stroud, Logan Walton, Tyson B. Wilder, Matoaka L. Wilson, and María del Mar Zayas.

Reference

Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine holds 2023 White Coat Ceremony for sixty-three students. News release. Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine. Published March 9, 2023. Accessed March 13, 2023. https://www.tuskegee.edu/programs-courses/colleges-schools/cvm/cvm-tucvm-white-coat-ceremony-2023