by Ben Konuch, Student Public Relations Writer
Cedarville University's School of Pharmacy will welcome its 12th class of graduate pharmacy students with the annual White Coat Ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 9 at 10 a.m. This year’s ceremony will take place in the Dixon Ministry Center’s Jeremiah Chapel and will be streamed online.
The ceremony inducts the School of Pharmacy’s first year graduate students into the program. It has great symbolic importance to the students, as each student will receive the white coat that marks them as a student pharmacist and indicates the start of their pursuit of the Doctor of Pharmacy degree.
The ceremony includes each student receiving a white coat and a high-quality stethoscope—both donated by faculty members and alumni of Cedarville’s Doctor of Pharmacy program.
"The white coat symbolizes the promise of healthcare professionals to care for their patients and their communities to the best of their ability,” said Benjamin Storey, a pharmacy student who will be receiving his white coat at this year’s event.
The White Coat Ceremony marks a transition from being able to serve as technicians to being recognized as student pharmacists in the world of medicine. This achievement means that societal opportunities and responsibilities for them are now exactly the same as those available to a full pharmacist, except that they are under the supervision of a practicing pharmacist. This allows these students to fully participate in their field in the same ways they will as professionals.
“The ceremony reminded me that I have a chance to make my own path and discover new things that I am interested in. Through pharmacy, I am able to use God's gifts that He has given me to help others and glorify Him through everything,” said Elizabeth Ezell, a pharmacy student who attended last year’s ceremony.
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 5,082 undergraduate, graduate, and dual enrolled high school students in more than 175 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is one of the largest private universities in Ohio, recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, such as the Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Doctor of Pharmacy, high graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and the #4 national ranking by the Wall Street Journal for student engagement. For more information about the University, visit cedarville.edu.