Skip to main content
Alumni
Alumni

New Medical Students Destined to be Leaders and Changemakers

Members of the SKMC Class of 2028 Don Their White Coats

With loved ones by their sides, the 277 members of the Sidney Kimmel Medical College Class of 2028 ceremoniously donned their white coats for the first time on July 26 in Philadelphia’s Crystal Tea Room.

The students boast interesting and diverse backgrounds, bringing exciting new dimensions to the medical school.

One of those students is Toren Ikea-Mario, a triplet and one of 16 siblings, who is of royal lineage.

Ikea-Mario, born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, is a prince on the Micronesian island of Polowat, where his family has run the tiny atoll for generations. Although he worked as a wilderness firefighter there, he knew he wanted to be a doctor since age 5 when his identical brother was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma.

This early exposure to cancer and countless hospital visits inspired him to become involved at a camp for children with cancer. First a counselor and then a board member, Ikea-Mario just wrapped up his 20th year with the nonprofit near his hometown in Oregon.

Describing himself as a “very proud Micronesian,” Ikea-Mario plans to become a pediatric oncologist. “I’m thrilled to represent my people in this way,” he said. “There aren’t enough Micronesians or Pacific Islanders in medicine, and I want to increase the representation for my people.”

At the ceremony, the students recited the Hippocratic Oath, and heard words of encouragement from University leadership, alumni, and other students.

Sidney Kimmel Medical College Dean Said Ibrahim, MD, recounted his life growing up on the Somalian-Ethiopian border—which he described as “one of the least developed areas in the world”—and reaching his current position at the medical college.

“If I can do this, you can,” he told the students. “Today marks the start of an extraordinary journey for you. I know it because I traveled that journey: one that will challenge you, one that will inspire you, and, ultimately, one that will shape you into the physician of tomorrow. At Sidney Kimmel Medical College, our mission is not only to provide cutting-edge medical education but to foster an environment where compassion, integrity, and collaboration thrive.”

Charles Pohl, MD, senior vice provost for student affairs and career counseling at Sidney Kimmel Medical College, told the students: “When you don your white coat today, you will gain enviable access and immeasurable trust ascribed by those who have come before you. That is, you will be in the room when a patient is diagnosed with a debilitating or terminal disease. You will be in the room when a person becomes a mother. You will be in the room when a family grieves the loss of their child. You will be in the room when medical therapeutics save lives.”

It was this emotional component of medicine that inspired student Molly Orlick to become a doctor. As an undergraduate, she volunteered at a hospice and free medical clinic.

“Even in this limited capacity, I saw how special and meaningful it was to provide comfort and support to these patients and their families during such difficult and trying times,” said Orlick, who also interned with a U.S. Congresswoman and worked for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Appreciating a physician’s vast, vital role in a person’s life, Orlick knew she wanted to enter medicine and applied early decision to Sidney Kimmel Medical College.

Orlick’s father, Martin Orlick, MD, a 1984 graduate of SKMC, helped his daughter don the white coat at the ceremony.

“You can be there for people during some of their happiest times but also some of the most difficult and exceptionally sad times,” she said. “When you have a physician who really cares, that can make a patient’s life so much better—and that’s what I hope to do one day.”

Classmate Arryana Daniels, from Wilmington, Delaware, experienced firsthand the difference one doctor could make. While playing Division I soccer as an undergraduate, hours from home, she tore her ACL during a match.

The nearby orthopedic surgeon’s cold and dismissive bedside manner exacerbated a difficult situation. Daniels instead went to Rothman Orthopaedics at Jefferson Health for the procedure, with wildly different results. The physician attentively listened to her concerns and thoroughly explained the operation.

“I wanted to be like that doctor, being super intentional and considerate of the patient and making sure they get well and get the treatment they deserve and need,” said Daniels, who spent years volunteering at First Tee—Delaware, a youth development organization that introduces golf and its values to children.

In welcoming the Class of 2028, University President Susan Aldridge, PhD, praised the students for their dedication and accomplishments and reflected on this White Coat Ceremony’s significance during Jefferson’s Bicentennial.

“With a bold vision and only $550, four medical pioneers—led by Dr. George McClellan—established Jefferson Medical College in 1824,” said Aldridge, noting its place as the fifth medical school in the United States.

“Now, 200 years from its conception and thousands of students later, all of you are carrying on this great legacy by donning your white coat as the first big step in your own journey to becoming a physician,” she told them. “I have no doubt you’re ready, given your obvious intelligence and desire to make a difference in patients’ lives by delivering the best care with empathy, integrity, and professionalism.”

As physicians, the Class of 2028 will light the way with trailblazing ideas and groundbreaking solutions to fight disease, alleviate suffering, and make positive change worldwide, Aldridge predicted. “Know that medical school will be every bit as challenging as it is rewarding,” she said. “But we have tremendous faith in your success as stewards of the future in patient-centered healthcare.” 

"Today marks the start of an extraordinary journey for you. I know it because I traveled that journey: one that will challenge you, one that will inspire you, and, ultimately, one that will shape you into the physician of tomorrow."

- Said IbrahIm, MD, MBA, MPH