Alumni Help Welcome Legacy Students

Among the hundreds of parents and loved ones who cheered as the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Class of 2026 crossed the stage at the Watsco Center for the John G. Clarkson Freshman White Coat and Pinning Ceremony were twenty-one alumni who had an extra-special role.

The Class of 2026 boasts a higher than average number of legacy students, students whose parents are graduates of the Miller School.

Those alumni had the opportunity to join their students on stage during the ceremony and pin them with the symbolic Miller School pin. The annual ceremony marks the beginning of a student’s medical school journey with the bestowing of the profession’s iconic white coat and a pin that represents the unique experience of attending the school.

Each year, the Miller School’s Medical Alumni Association, as well as faculty and friends, participates in the ceremony by generously donating the white coats and Miller-branded stethoscopes. The stethoscopes were hidden under the student’s chairs at the ceremony, along with words of encouragement from alumni and donors who supported the white coat and stethoscope funds.

Alumni participation included John Eustace, M.D. ’74, with a nearly five-decade career in medicine, pinning his great-niece, Alexis Brake, and one of the Miller School’s newest graduates, Lindsay Remer, M.D. ’22, pinning her younger sister, Hallie.

One incoming student, Jordan Czerwiec, had both parents, graduates of the Class of 1990, on stage with her.

“I’m feeling incredible pride and joy,” said Jordan’s father, Frank Czerwiec, M.D. ’90, Ph.D. ’90. “We will share so many memories, but she will also have her own experience and memories, and I couldn’t be more excited for her.”

This annual ceremony is one of the most important rites of passage for first-year medical students, as they take the Hippocratic Oath in front of their loved ones.

Jordan’s mother, Sheri Hamersley, M.D. ’90, said, “Most people in the crowd could probably see that I was crying like a baby. I am so excited that this is coming to fruition for Jordan, and it is incredible to see her at the same school where my husband and I met.”

Click here to see a video recap from the John G. Clarkson Freshman White Coat and Pinning Ceremony. A gallery of photos from the ceremony is available here.

Tags: Dr. John Eustace, Dr. Lindsay Remer, Dr. Sheri Hamersley, John G. Clarkson White Coat and Pinning Ceremony, medical alumni, Medical Alumni Association, Miller School of Medicine, Miller School of Medicine Class of 2026