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With proud family members and friends watching, members of the Doctor of Occupational Therapy Class of 2027 received their white coats on May 7 in a traditional ceremony that marked the transition from the classroom to the fieldwork and the capstone experiences of their third and final year in the program.

“Occupational therapy is a vital and unique health profession that focuses on supporting people to find ways of living and doing things that are most meaningful and important to them,” Department of Occupational Therapy Chair and Professor Bridgett Piernik-Yoder, PhD, OTR, FAOTA, said in her remarks.

“You have learned hands-on intervention approaches, including psycho-social approaches, group process, sensory integration, activities of daily living, splinting, positioning, modalities, transferring — all with the goal of supporting people’s ability to engage in their day occupations and perform their daily living activities.” 

“And now you understand that you are the health professionals who will address this vital aspect of the human experience and will embody the very best that our profession has to offer.”

Held in Holly Auditorium, the ceremony included recognition of students for their leadership, research, honor society induction and service roles. Student Faith Cranfill received the 2026 Wilma West Award, an annual honor given to a student who demonstrates the professional characteristics of the award’s namesake, a national leader in the profession.

In her closing statement, class President Catherine Buley reflected on how far she and her classmates have come in the first two years of the program.

“Now I can confidently say that I am looking at strong, capable, compassionate future clinicians who are ready to make a difference,” she said. “We are ready.”