Before receiving their white coats onstage with the assistance of Bertha Rolfe Teacher of the Year Yana Cen, Ph.D., students heard reflections from keynote speaker John Beckner, R.Ph. (B.S. ’78).

Dr. Beckner, who serves as senior director of strategic initiatives at the National Community Pharmacists Association, shared his experience as a pharmacist impacting the lives of patients and community members – and reflected on the importance of students seeking community, whether in national organizations or among their own peers.

“Today, you are starting a new path together with your colleagues,” Beckner said. “You are part of a community, one that will become increasingly important as you progress through pharmacy school and begin practice. Remember that word: Community.”

A native of Chilhowie, Beckner shared the inspiration he has drawn from a community pharmacist in his Southwest Virginia hometown. This pharmacist, he said, was a “confidant, advisor, friend and counselor to many.”

“Long before there were formal collaborative practice agreements between physicians and pharmacists, he collaborated with the local physician to take care of the health-related needs of the community, including those of my family,” Beckner said. “As I look out and see your faces filled with excitement about the future, I ask you to reflect on what path you took to get here and what led you down that path. Chances are you were influenced by someone just like I was.”

Beckner encouraged students to get involved with national organizations early on and to always remember their reason for entering the profession.

“It is my hope that you will embrace your role as a health care provider,” Beckner said. “Your success will be measured not by the salary you earn or by the number of prescriptions you fill, but by the lives you touch. It will take your collective personal commitment to move this profession forward, and we must never compromise our pursuit of the vision of a patient-centered practice.”

Following Beckner’s remarks, members of the Pharm.D. Class of 2028 were formally recognized with their new white coats as family and friends cheered. Led by Student Executive Council president and P3 student Alexis Archer, they recited the Oath of the Student Pharmacist before recessing to celebrate with family and friends.