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Physician Assistant
They’re geographically as far away from each other as they can be – one from the East Coast in New Jersey and the other from the West Coast in California. But Morgan Alonso ‘28PA and Ciara Adams ‘28PA have become fast friends.
The two met by chance for the first time while both were trying on their white coats, later sitting down to have lunch together as part of the annual Accepted Students Day of the Salus at Drexel University Physician Assistant (PA) Studies program on the Elkins Park campus.
According to Cara Orr, MMS, PA-C, director of Didactic Education and associate professor in the Elkins Park-based PA program, making new friends is only one of the benefits for new students at the daylong event. It’s also an opportunity to meet current PA students who can serve as mentors, get to know faculty members in the program, and collect valuable information and resources on topics such as financial aid and housing. Approximately 30 of the 50 incoming students in the incoming Class of 2028 attended the event on June 12, 2026, in the Hafter Student Community Center on the Elkins Park, Pennsylvania campus.
Alonso, originally from Los Angeles who completed her undergraduate degree in biology at the University of Washington, thought a move to the East Coast for graduate school could provide an exciting next step in her educational journey.
“My dad is from Pennsylvania, and his family is all in the Pittsburgh area,” said Alonso. “He encouraged me to look at East Coast schools. I love moving to a new city and starting a new chapter.”
She added her in-person interview during the application process played a key role in her decision to choose the Salus at Drexel University PA program.
“I really loved the director, Rachel Ditoro. Her vibe was so welcoming,” said Alonso. “It was my first interview, and I was super-nervous. But everybody made me feel like I could be a PA.”
Adams felt the same vibe during her in-person interview.
“The entire faculty made me feel so comfortable,” she said. “It was my first interview, so the nerves were there. But this was the place for me. Luckily, I got accepted because it was a no-brainer.”
Originally from Flemington, New Jersey, Adams is a graduate of the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) who majored in biology and was a standout on the women’s soccer team. She chose the Salus at Drexel PA program because of a personal experience.
“My dad works in pharmaceuticals, and my sister is a nurse, so I’ve always been around the healthcare field,” said Adams. “I once had a severe accident where I was hospitalized and met a physician assistant, and it was an amazing experience. She put me at ease with the way she talked to me. Then I shadowed a PA, and that solidified my decision.”
Having the Class of 2027 students around on Accepted Students Day to serve as mentors is extremely beneficial, as Hannah Moore ‘27PA knows from experience, now that she’s the one providing a helping hand for the new students.
“I remember when I came to Accepted Students Day. I was very intimidated, but talking with students who were already in the program really put me at ease,” said Moore, originally from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, who did her undergraduate work in biology at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. “And, I think it’s important for us to pass that along.”
Although she didn’t have a specific mentee for the day, Moore did share information with new students on two PA clubs she’s part of – the Salus at Drexel chapter of the Special Olympics of Pennsylvania and a PA medical mission trip group that works with the humanitarian organization Hearts in Motion, which provides care to those in underserved international communities.
The Salus at Drexel PA Studies program director, Rachel Ditoro, EdD, MSPAS, PA-C, liked what she saw of the incoming class.
“We want give them an opportunity to connect with their future classmates, meet their year-ahead mentors and start to think about themselves as PA students now so that they can be excited the moment they walk through the door,” she said. “They look like they are coming in with a lot of excitement and enthusiasm for the fall semester.”
