The Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine officially welcomed 76 new students Friday, Aug. 7, in the school’s annual White Coat Ceremony.
The ceremony was held at the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center on the Huntington campus.
The White Coat Ceremony was first introduced at Marshall in 1996. It is considered a rite of passage for first-year students and is designed to instill the values of professionalism, humanism and compassionate care.
Among this year’s class of students is a 54-year-old who recently received her undergraduate degree, a former missionary worker who survived a serious earthquake in Chile, a veteran who boxed during his collegiate career at West Point and four students who all play the violin.
Some interesting statistics about the Class of 2019 include the following:
- 62 percent of the class are West Virginia residents
- 83 percent were science majors
- Average age is 24 years
- 27 percent are first-generation college graduates