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When Doctor of Physical Therapy student Maddy Roe walked the stage at Holly Auditorium during the white coat ceremony for the Class of 2027, three generations of her family were watching.

On April 17, Roe and her fellow classmates took part in the traditional ceremony that marks their passage from the classroom phase of their educational journey to the clinical phase. For Roe, her first clinical rotation this summer will be back in her home state of Kansas, where her parents will be able to watch her toddler daughter, Joanna.

“This has been one of the most challenging eras of my life,” said Roe, who gave birth to her daughter Joanna, now 21 months, after her first semester in the program. “I’ve only been successful because of the support I’ve had from my family and friends and classmates.”

Roe’s perseverance toward reaching her goals was reflected in the theme of the keynote address delivered by Department of Physical Therapy Associate Professor John Mason, PT, DPT, DSc, SCS, CSCS.

“The white coat you are about to put on is more than a flashy accessory,” he said. “It is a symbol of trust, and a symbol of confidence and a symbol of responsibility that you have accepted to become servant leaders.” 

Using a sailing metaphor, Mason encouraged the students to demonstrate leadership by adjusting their sails in response to the inevitable challenges they will face by focusing on purpose, courage and humility. 

“Each patient you treat is not just a case,” he said. “They are a life interrupted. A parent who wants to play with their kids, an athlete who wants to compete or an older adult who just wants to walk without fear. When you help them adjust their sails you are modeling leadership in its purest form.”

After the ceremony, Roe joined her daughter, her mother and two of her daughter’s great-grandmothers in the courtyard outside of Holly Auditorium. Joanna wore a tiny white coat of her own that one of her great-grandmothers fashioned out of a shirt and embroidered with “QT” as a play on “PT.”

“I really felt like I earned this,” Roe later reflected. “I’m getting ready to jump into this professional world and have a lot of responsibility that I’m really excited for, and I’m ready to put all of the things we’ve learned in class to practice.”