UICOMR welcomes 59 new medical students at annual White Coat Ceremony
UICOMR welcomes 59 new medical students at annual White Coat Ceremony
Fifty-nine new medical students at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford donned their new white coats on Friday, Aug. 14, 2026.
The ceremony, which happened at Embassy Suites by Hilton Rockford Riverfront, recognized the medical students, who arrived on campus this week, for the official start of their medical education. Students received the white coats they will wear during their journey to become doctors. They also recited an oath as they entered the field of medicine.
Roy Phitayakorn, MD, MHPE, MAMSE, FACS, vice dean for education at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, shared some words of encouragement. Dean Trevonne Thompson, MD, MHPE, FACMT, presented the keynote address.
“The white coat represents the combination of both the science of medicine and the humanism of medicine as our brand-new medical students embark upon their journey to become physicians,” Thompson says.
The students officially started medical school classes on Monday, Aug. 17, 2026.
The College of Medicine Rockford welcomed its first students in 1972, and has graduated more than 2,300 physicians since then.
Let’s meet the class of 2030:
Fatima Ahmad
Brick, NJ
BS, Anthropology
University of California,
Los Angeles
Akinola Akinwumi
Rancho Palos
Verdes, CA
BS, Sports Medicine
Pepperdine University
Abby Jo Athmer
Highland, IL
BS, Biology
Maryville University
of Saint Louis
Esra Awadallah
Palos Hills, IL
BS, Biology
Saint Xavier University
Brandon Benbow
Fishers, IN
BS, Biology
Indiana University
Bloomington
Elias Bennett
Lincolnwood, IL
BS, Biology
University of
Illinois Chicago
Carter Brady
Mountain View, CA
BS, Neuroscience
Johns Hopkins
University
Claire Burton
Birmingham, MI
BS, Biology, Health,
and Society
University of
Michigan-Ann Arbor
Kenny Cantave
Everett, MA
BA, Biology
Northwestern
University
Isaiah Chung
Saratoga, CA
BA, Biology; BA,
Chemistry
Pepperdine University
MS, Law
Northwestern
University
Caitlyn Collier
Fairview, IL
BA, Biology
Augustana College
(Illinois)
Luke Conroy
Johnsburg, IL
BS, Biology
Carroll University
Lauren Crowe
Red Bud, IL
BS, Food Science and
Human Nutrition
University of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign
Michael Cruz
Wauconda, IL
BS, Biology
Saint Louis University
MS, Medical Sciences
The University of
Vermont
Rayna
Cunningham
Madison, WI
BS, Neurobiology
University of
Wisconsin–Madison
Matthew
Dovalovsky
Naperville, IL
BS, Medical Sciences
Saint Louis University
Bindu Edupulapati
Naperville, IL
BS, Molecular and
Cellular Biology;
Chemistry
University of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign
MPH, Global Health
Emory University
Eleanor Fournier
Canton, IL
BA, Biology
Olivet Nazarene
University
Ariel Freedman
New York, NY
BS, Biology; History
Bates College
Isaac Guadarrama
Beardstown, IL
BS, Biochemistry
Monmouth College
Jacob Gusse
Dixon, IL
BS, Biology
Southern Illinois
University
Edwardsville
Maxwell Hardiek
Effingham, IL
BS, Biomedical
Science
Southern Illinois
University
Edwardsville
Samantha
Hawkins
North Attleboro, MA
BS, Biochemistry
The University of
Rochester
Stacey Hirsch
West Bloomfield, MI
BS, Movement
Science
University of
Michigan-Ann Arbor
MS, Biomedical
Science
Tufts University
School of Medicine
Malyika Hussain
Saint Charles, IL
BS, Accounting;
Finance
University of Illinois
Chicago
Kisa Jafri
Mount Prospect, IL
BS, Human Biology,
Health, and Society
Cornell University
Camille Jefferson
Washington, DC
BA, Evolutionary
Biology Major
Columbia University in
the City of New York
Samuel John
Wheaton, IL
BS, Molecular Biology
University of Illinois
Chicago
Andruw Jones
West Brooklyn, IL
BS, Biology
St. Ambrose
University
Chad Jureczek
Genoa, IL
BS, Molecular and
Cellular Biology
University of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign
Clayton Kemp
Dixon, IL
BA, Biology
Augustana College
(Illinois)
Arisha Khan
Phoenix, AZ
BA, Global Health; BS,
Biomedical Sciences
Arizona State
University
MS, Global Disease
Epidemiology and
Control
Johns Hopkins
Bloomberg School of
Public Health
Natalie Lewis
Bethesda, MD
BS, Neuroscience
Duke University
Tiffany Luan
Crystal Lake, IL
BS, Neuroscience
Baylor University
Anya Majji
South Riding, VA
BA, Cognitive
Science; BA, Global
Public Health
University of Virginia
Gage Mandrell
Lititz, PA
BS, Neuroscience
Washington College
Allanah Martin
Gilberts, IL
BS, Nutrition and
Health
University of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign
Ryan McKew
Glenview, IL
BA, Psychology
Vanderbilt University
Amelia Mo
Hinsdale, IL
BA, Psychology
Emory University
Diego Molina
Copiague, NY
BS, Biochemistry
State University of
New York at Stony
Brook
MS, Interdisciplinary
Health Sciences
Drexel University
College of Medicine
Post-Baccalaureate
Pre-professional
Programs
Nicholas Moore
Iowa City, IA
BA, Biology
Carleton College
Angel Muños
Chicago, IL
BS, Biochemistry
Loyola University
Chicago
Zahra Naeem
Lombard, IL
BS, Biology
Benedictine
University
Fatima Naveed
Gurnee, IL
BS, Interdisciplinary
Health Sciences
University of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign
Netta Nevo
Chicago, IL
BS, Biological
Sciences
University of Chicago
David Nora
Hoffman Estates, IL
BS, Agricultural
and Biological
Engineering
University of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign
Aarya Patel
Schaumburg, IL
BS, Kinesiology
University of Illinois
Chicago
MS, Medical
Physiology
University of Illinois
Chicago
Sebastian Peña
Reina
Bogota, Columbia
BS, Biomedical
Engineering
University of Florida
Alyssa Potucek
Naperville, IL
BS, Emergency
Medicine
University of
Pittsburgh
Laith Rahahleh
Orland Park, IL
BS, Biology
University of Illinois
Chicago
Anne-Chanel
Renald
Montreal, Quebec
BA, Statistics;
Psychology
University of Virginia
Dominic Renzulli
Chicago, IL
BS, Biology
Loyola University
Chicago
Carrington Russell
Virginia Beach, VA
BS, Biomedical
Science
University of Pikeville
Nisreen Salem
Riverside, IL
BS, Biology
Loyola University
Chicago
Tucker Short
Herrick, IL
BS, Psychology;
Biology
Southern Illinois
University
Edwardsville
Sarah Stockman
Pacific Palisades, CA
BA, Writing Seminars
Johns Hopkins
University
Chase Veto
Waterloo, IL
BS, Interdisciplinary
Health Sciences
University of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign
Madison Williams
Mill Creek, WA
BS, Biology
Washington State
University
Ling Zhao
Los Angeles, CA
BS, Medical Science
Fudan University,
Shanghai, China
MS, Healthcare
Decision Analysis/
Heathcare Economics
University of Southern
California