WesternU welcomes more than 1,100 students to the health professions
by Rodney Tanaka
August 17, 2026
Read 1 mins
Welcome Week is a time for new Western University of Health Sciences students to meet faculty and staff, learn their way around the WesternU California campus, and form bonds with their classmates.
Students expressed a mixture of excitement, nervousness and anticipation for the journey ahead as they picked up their equipment and learned more about their individual programs and the services and support offered at WesternU during Welcome Week, held Aug. 3-7, 2026. Each college concluded Welcome Week with a white coat ceremony, which symbolically welcomes students into their profession.
WesternU President Robin Farias-Eisner, MD, PhD, MBA, spoke at multiple white coat ceremonies over the past two weeks. To College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (COMP) students, he explained that the white coat ceremony is one of the most meaningful traditions in medical education.
“This represents far more than just the presentation of a garment. This ceremony marks the beginning of a lifelong commitment to compassion, integrity, service and excellence. This moment embraces the profound responsibility of caring for others and the dedication to a profession built on trust, humanity, humility and healing,” Farias-Eisner said. “Behind every white coat is a unique story of perseverance, sacrifice, determination and hope. Today, your dreams become part of something much larger, a community dedicated to improving the lives of patients and strengthening the health of communities throughout the state, across our great nation, and around the world.”
WesternU’s Health Professions Center was bustling all week as students tried on white coats and gathered for pictures in the photo booth. First-year COMP student Aaron-John Lee said he looked forward to donning the white coat for the first time.
“It’s a lot of positive emotions and at the same time, relief I’m here right now,” he said. “It’s the culmination of all my hard work I’ve done in past, the realization that I’m here, and I’m ready.”
He enjoyed meeting his classmates and bonding over shared interests, including a pickleball group chat. He first learned about osteopathic medicine through the Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP).
“During that time, I saw how beneficial OMM (Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine) is, not just to improve range of motion but as a way to build trust with a patient,” he said.
View this post on Instagram
First-year College of Veterinary Medicine student Brittany Rios said the white coat ceremony has her nervous and excited at the same time.
“I have wanted this career for a long time. I’m nervous because it’s right at my fingertips,” she said. “I will feel happy taking in the moment, then just hopefully making my family proud.”
Several WesternU students said they felt welcome as soon as they stepped onto campus.
“We seem to have a good group here. The faculty has been nothing but supportive and kind,” said first-year College of Dental Medicine student Nicholas Cho.
Cho was a business major in college and became interested in dentistry after job shadowing dentists.
“The more I learned about it, the more I fell in love with being able to give people the confidence to smile,” he said.
Cho acknowledged that some people have a fear of going to the dentist.
“Any health-related thing can be a little intimidating. I want to provide a welcoming environment where I can show patients there is nothing to be afraid of,” he said. “I’d like to think I can help with that narrative.
College of Graduate Nursing Master of Science in Nursing-Entry student Truc Tran said Welcome Week has been really fun but also surreal.
“Everything we have worked toward is coming to fruition,” she said.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in public health and wants to integrate her public health background with the skills and knowledge she gains as a nursing student.
“This is a big milestone for me,” Tran said. “I’ve been interested in nursing since the beginning of undergrad. This is six years in the making. It’s a special moment for me and my family.”
View this post on Instagram
College of Pharmacy PharmD student Chris Oh said he worked as a pharmacy technician for three years. Some of the pharmacists he worked with graduated from WesternU and told him COP is a great school.
“I’m definitely looking forward to learning a lot about medications and how they work,” he said. “After working for a pharmacy for one or two years, I realized it looks like a lot of fun. I do want to get to the point where I can help people be more comfortable because medications can be scary.”
He looked forward to the white coat ceremony.
“I think it will be the most proud I’ve felt of myself for getting to this point and for having a better vision for my future,” Oh said.
College of Pharmacy Master of Science in Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Sciences student Paul Isaac said everyone has been welcoming and compassionate. His professors are smart yet also down to earth. His goal is to earn a PhD, publish his research and advance science.
“One small discovery can effect change for generations,” he said.
College of Health Sciences Doctor of Physical Therapy student Terence Ip said everyone has been very friendly, which took the edge off his nerves.
“It confirmed in my mind this is the right school for me. Everyone is here to help,” Ip said.
Ip was drawn to physical therapy because he loves human movement.
“It slowly developed into the love for patients and the satisfaction you feel from knowing they’re improving,” he said.
College of Health Sciences Master of Science in Physician Assistant Education student Angel Mercado said he grew up in the Pomona area and liked WesternU’s sense of community.
“This gives me the opportunity to grow into the person I want to be and the provider I need to be,” Mercado said.
“It’s very rigorous and difficult. A lot of emotions are going to be involved,” Mercado said of getting through the program. “But I also understand it’s part of the process, and through the process, it can be done through dedication and sacrifice.”
College of Optometry student Andrea Santoyo said the professors she met are supportive and got her excited to study.
“I’m ready to get started,” she said. “This is something I’ve wanted for so long. Wearing this white coat is the official start of my career. It’s kickstarting what I want to do for the rest of my life. It signifies a lot more than just getting coated. It’s exciting.”
Master of Science in Medical Sciences student Nicole Ghabour started her program during the summer, so she didn’t need Welcome Week to get to know the WesternU California campus. Taking the anatomy course was the most challenging thing she’s ever done, she said.
“I joined the MSMS program because I wanted a step up in my career, to show I’m worthy and I can do rigorous courses,” Ghabour said. “This is the best way to do that. It’s a great use of my time and it’s going to push me when I enter dental school to have that motivation to study.”
Donning the white coat for this MSMS program will be amazing, but she is also looking ahead to her ultimate goal, donning the white coat again as she enters dental medicine.
“I think I can use this white coat as motivation to push me through the rest of the year to get the dental white coat, which will be amazing because I will have finally achieved my dream,” Ghabour said, adding that the MSMS program has been amazing. “I really have my best friends forever. I have no regrets. It definitely taught me a lot about myself, how I work with others, and about leadership. I highly recommend making friends in this program because you cannot do it alone.”
College of Podiatric Medicine student Olugbolahan “Bol” Fajolu, MSMS ’26, graduated from the MSMS program earlier this year and donned his second WesternU white coat at the CPM white coat ceremony.
The academic rigor of the MSMS program was exactly what he needed in order to be fully prepared for podiatric medical school, Fajolu said. He wanted to stay at WesternU because of the continuity and because of the leadership opportunities. He will serve as Vice President of the WesternU Student Government Association this year.
“MSMS bolstered my ability to not only advocate for my fellow colleagues, but for my future patients as well, advocating at the policy level,” Fajolu said. “The leadership skills I gained in MSMS is something invaluable that I will carry with me the next four years and through the rest of my career.”
Fajolu entered the MSMS program undecided about his career path, and his time in the anatomy lab and talking with and shadowing CPM faculty helped solidify his interest in becoming a foot and ankle surgeon. His father, a cardiothoracic surgeon, told him “there is always a need for health care. There is always a need for serving your community beyond what you do in the hospital.”
Donning his CPM white coat represents his longest standing dream coming true.
“Since I was a kid I always wanted to be a doctor. This is a culmination of this childhood dream I have,” Fajolu said. “It’s the start of everything, the rest of my life after that, not just the next four years – residency, actually becoming a foot and ankle surgeon. This is the start of one chapter and the close of another.”
