By Ariel Hart
Morehouse School of Medicine convened Friday with an emotional white coat ceremony, the day when students become official doctors in training. The moment is symbolized by each student getting to put on a short version of the white coat that doctors wear.
Among 332 students looking to be scientists, administrators, physician assistants and other healthcare workers were 105 medical doctors in training. The convocation speakers emphasized that the coat changes how people see you.
Peyton Pritchett, beaming, said it was far more than a piece of clothing.
Itās āthe start of my superheroās journey and the start of medical journey,ā said Pritchett, 24. āItās the start of me learning how to be in the position that I was supposed to be and that I want to be for my future patients.ā
She hopes to be a sports medicine pediatrician.
“It’s definitely not just a coat,” said Juan Gomez, 38, of Tampa. Gomez echoed leaders that day who spoke of helping build strong men and women rather than trying to repair broken ones.
“It’s a symbol of the superpower I’m now able to put forth into that work,” Gomez said. Gomez is interested in oncology or internal medicine.
The speakers included U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, in town just for the occasion. Becerra chose Morehouse School of Medicine over the White House, where a cabinet meeting was scheduled. He said he aimed to attend remotely.
Looking at the students’ families in the auditorium, Becerra said, “I see my mom and dad in that audience.”
Earlier in the morning, Becerra discussed his background helping his father, a construction worker, and what it meant to have mentors and guides in trying to succeed move from the working class into the ivy league.