Rite of passage

As the fall 2024 semester kicked off, more than 130 students were recognized Aug. 9 at the annual white coat ceremony. The dental hygiene class of 2026 and dental class of 2028 were given white clinician coats – a meaningful first step toward their degrees.

Dean Lily T. García said the white coat ceremony symbolizes the transition from being a traditional student to the privilege of learning to care for patients as a health care professional.

“At Texas A&M Dentistry, we hold our students in the highest regard and expect them to embody our core values of respect, excellence, leadership, loyalty, integrity and selfless service,” she said. “The white coat represents a significant professional turning point for health care professionals. To underscore the importance we place on professionalism, we moved the white coat ceremony to orientation week, ensuring that students understand this priority from the outset.

“We set high expectations for our entire community – students, staff and faculty – recognizing the responsibilities inherent in our academic dental institution,” she continued. “These core values transcend classrooms and clinic, as the journey to becoming a health care professional begins on day one. We take pride in fostering a work and learning environment characterized by the highest standards.”

First-year dental student Dante Soria, who completed the school’s post-baccalaureate program in 2023 before enrolling this year, said it was a lot of hard work to get to this day, but he was excited.  

“It feels great,” he said. “I’m excited to be here, surrounded by friends and family. It’s amazing to see all the support everyone has around us.”

Dental hygiene student Megan Schoenemann said she’s been interested in dentistry since she was a little kid, and with her passion and organizational skills, she felt dental hygiene would be a perfect career for her.

“I’m so excited to get my white coat; it’s the start of something new,” Schoenemann said.

After the students received their coats, they recited their respective pledges affirming commitment to improving oral health, lifelong learning and compassionate care.