The annual Blue Coat Ceremony was back inside for the first time since 2019, as COVID-19 restrictions kept groups from gathering indoors the past two years. Held in Union South’s Varsity Hall on April 10, family, friends and School of Veterinary Medicine faculty watched as 94 of the 97 students from the Class of 2023 received their blue coats, signifying the end of classes and the beginning of clinical rotations.
This class of third-year students has been forced to overcome numerous challenges, many caused by COVID-19, to get to this point in their veterinary medical education.
“The Blue Coat Ceremony was a well-deserved day of celebration with our friends and family,” says Alexis Payette, third-year student and outgoing student representative on the WVMA Executive Board. “We are not the same people now that we were when we started classes together in 2019. It was a meaningful day to acknowledge the challenges we overcame together as a class and the achievement of starting in the clinics.”
Speakers at the event included WVMA President Dr. Howard Ketover, UW SVM Dean Mark Markel, Dr. Elizabeth Jacka, Dr. Jonathan McAnulty and veterinary student Jordan Genovese. A reception followed the ceremony.
“It was great to see family, friends and mentors celebrating in person with the blue coat recipients,” says Dr. Ketover. “There is much enthusiasm and promise in the Class of 2023 as they take the next step toward their professional development. I am looking forward to the narrative that each student writes about their future.”
The class of 2023 Blue Coat Ceremony would not have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors: Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Standard Process Veterinary Formulas and VCA Animal Hospitals. The WVMA was thrilled to host the event and be part of the students’ special day.