Convocation ceremony marks start of medical education for class of 2024

The Convocation and White Coat Ceremony represents an important milestone in each student’s journey to enter the medical profession.

The Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine will welcome more than 100 students during a special virtual ceremony on July 12, formally marking the start of their medical education. The annual Convocation and White Coat Ceremony will be held at 4 p.m. and available to view online at https://bit.ly/3ebi2ti.

During the ceremony, students will take 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 will receive a white coat — a traditional symbol of the medical profession, personalized with her or his name and the medical school patch. Students also will receive a stethoscope, provided through donations from alumni, faculty and friends.

The Convocation and White Coat Ceremony represents an important milestone in each student’s journey to enter the medical profession. It also marks the first time these students will represent their status as a class and meet the faculty who will share, during the next four or more years, what may be some of the most memorable and intense experiences of their lives.

The students were carefully selected from a group of more than 6,000 applicants. The class of 2024 draws from a variety of undergraduate experiences. Members of the class were educated at various universities throughout the United States.

In addition to Ohio, the class of 2024 comes from as far away as California, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Sixty-eight percent of the students are from Ohio, while 32 percent are from out of state. Twenty-six percent are from populations underrepresented in medicine.

The members of the class of 2024 have shown a strong commitment to community service. They have volunteered in hospitals and medical centers in addition to serving on medical service trips.