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It was a big day for Amanda Dearborn, MMS ‘26, and her classmates in the Salus at Drexel University Physician Assistant (PA) Studies program. That morning, the Class of 2026 received their long white coats in a ceremony, and later that day, the group would be conferred their degrees at a separate commencement ceremony on the main campus of Drexel University.
Naturally, before she left her apartment that morning, Dearborn made sure to throw her harmonica into her handbag.
“When I came to PA school, I decided I wanted a hobby. I played piano my whole life and a piano wouldn’t fit in my small apartment,” said Dearborn. “So, the first month I was in school, I learned how to play the harmonica. I wanted to learn to play ‘Pomp and Circumstance’ for my classmates on this day.”
Forty-nine graduates celebrated a major milestone in their academic career on October 2, 2026, receiving their long white coats and degrees during ceremonies held in the Main Building Auditorium and Great Court on the University’s main campus in Philadelphia.
As students in the College of Medicine, the excitement started early and lasted throughout the day. For Jeremy Prince, the emotion burst out during the long white coat ceremony when he shouted “That’s my wife!” as his spouse, Ariana Prince, MMS ‘26, walked across the stage to receive her long white coat.
The couple, from Bucks County, married in 2024, so Jeremy supported Ariana throughout her 25 months of PA school.
“I did hear him. I had a feeling he was going to do a little bit too much, but it was really sweet and funny,” said Ariana. “A lot of people said I should finish my schooling and start a career before marriage, but I found it to be one of the biggest blessings. I believe when you get married, you build a life together, so me going to school was part of building that life.”
Jeremy admitted that after his audible display of pride in his wife during the morning ceremony, he didn’t anticipate being quite as vocal during the commencement ceremony.
“When you have someone who is your best friend, and you marry them, you’re willing to do anything for them,” he said. “For her to be super-successful, it makes me very proud.”
While Jeremy reeled in his emotions for the afternoon ceremony, there were plenty of others to take up shout-out duty during commencement.
“That’s my sister!” rang out from the gallery as Alana Levy, MMS ‘26, crossed the stage to receive her commencement hooding and degree, courtesy of big sister Graysen Ratner from White Hall, Maryland. Ratner joined Levy’s father, Kenneth Levy, mother Amy Tucker and little sister Amy Tucker, expressing pride in the family’s graduate.
Ratner said Levy should have expected the shout-out, which Ratner planned in advance.
“Of course, I heard my sister. I was very well prepared for that,” said Levy. “Today was definitely the culmination of so much hard work, and it feels surreal finally being done. I’m looking forward to the next chapter, but I’m going to miss being a student in some ways. It seems like it’s been a part of my life forever.”
During the long white coat ceremony, Class of 2026 president Bora Feruku, MMS ‘26, told her classmates they all now understood the sentence “I want to be a PA because I want to help people.”
“Being a PA is more than what you score on an exam, the medical knowledge you can recite, and the skills you develop,” she said. “We learned the importance of listening, showing compassion, building rapport, and how a small gesture – taking a few extra minutes to listen, educate, or reassure – can make the greatest difference.”
Addressing the students at the White Coat ceremony, Rachel Ditoro, EdD, MSPAS, PA-C, Salus at Drexel PA program director based on the Elkins Park campus, emphasized the value of connecting with others. She urged the graduates to hold on to the belief that fostering genuine human connection can lead to happiness throughout their personal and professional lives.
“As a provider, it’s hard to be on the receiving end of difficult interactions with patients. You might be at the end of a long shift, or have personal concerns that impact how you interact,” said Dr. Ditoro. “This is when remembering those human connections – conversations that we have with our patients that allow us to better understand who they are and how we can support them. And, that provides us with an opportunity to find our own happiness.”
Honors and awards presented at the long white coat ceremony included:
There was a reception and lunch in the Great Court after the long white coat ceremony and prior to the commencement ceremony.
Opening the afternoon commencement ceremony, Beth Moy, associate vice provost for Drexel’s Elkins Park campus, welcomed students and their loved ones as they gathered to celebrate this important milestone. Leon McCrea II, MD, MPH, the Deborah J. Tuttle, MD, and John P. Piper, MD, vice dean of Educational Affairs in Drexel’s College of Medicine, delivered the keynote address.
Dr. McCrea spoke to the students about the emergence in the 1960s of the modern physician assistant profession during a time of significant change in American healthcare. He emphasized for generations, clinicians were trained primarily around a model of acquiring knowledge.
“That model is no longer sufficient,” said Dr. McCrea. “You will certainly need knowledge, but increasingly, your professional value will depend on your ability to find, evaluate, integrate, question, and apply information wisely to the person sitting in front of you.”
He added that the new PAs should be scientifically grounded, innovative, intellectually curious, willing to change, be excellent teammates, be advocates for patients and communities, and above all, remain deeply human.
Congratulations to the Salus at Drexel Physician Assistant Class of 2026!
