UC Davis School of Medicine greets its newest class of 139 students

The UC Davis School of Medicine’s 139 new students received a warm welcome and valuable advice from a seasoned physician at their white coat ceremony over the weekend.

The keynote speaker was Marcia “Marcy” Faustin, who practices family medicine and sports medicine at UC Davis Health and is a team doctor to well-known Olympic gymnasts. She reminded students that success is the result of hard work, not social media filters that can deceive reality.

“This is a deeply exciting time in your life, and you have worked very hard, sacrificed more than you know and stayed focused, even during the storms, to make it here today,” Faustin told the Class of 2029.

“We are all human, and have to experience the ups and downs, joy and sorrow, success and defeat, triumph and grief of life,” she continued. “Those things don’t define us, they help move us through life and remind us of what is important: the people we take care of.”

Faustin directed her induction ceremony comments to the school’s largest-ever incoming class and hundreds of their supporters at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts on the UC Davis campus.

The daughter of Haitian immigrants began her address by reciting her life story: Grew up outside Chicago, competed in Division 1 volleyball, gymnastics and track, went to medical school, completed residency and fellowship and landed at UC Davis. She later became co-head team physician for the USA Gymnastics Women’s National Team, caring for athletes such as Simone Biles and Suni Lee at major competitions, including the last two Summer Olympic Games.

“So, as you can see, my life is perfect. It was an easy and smooth ride to success,” Faustin said, tongue-in-cheek.

“The reality is, I’ve just put on a few filters for you all, similar to social media. I’d like to reveal a few stories and lessons behind the filters, that will hopefully be relatable.”

She then went on to offer six bits of advice:

• Connection is everything.
• Failure is necessary and will always be a valuable lesson.
• Never take “No” for an answer.
• Find mentors.
• Be present, slow down and take in your success, no matter how small.
• Make self-care a priority and don’t “fill your cup” with social media.

“As I tell the Olympic gold medalists,” Faustin concluded, ‘be average, because your average is amazing.’ To all of you, I say be average, because your average is amazing and is what put you in your seats today.”

Following her speech, fourth-year medical student John Lew also offered his “been-there-done-that” tips.

“Each one of you was hand-selected to be here,” he said. He told the students that over the next four years they will be on a journey of educational, professional and personal growth that will shape them into the doctors they aspire to be.

“I’m not going to lie, the next four years will be challenging,” he said.

At times, it’ll be 1 a.m. in the operating room on a trauma case and students will have been standing for eight hours because there are only three stools, he said: "One for the attending physician to sit on, one for the senior resident and then the third is for the attending to put her foot on.”

The students, all wearing new white coats on stage, roared in laughter.

Lew then turned to offer family members and friends a preview of what life will be like for medical students: “Please know that your loved one is not ignoring your text messages on purpose,” he said. “They’re just really, really busy, or stuck in the OR and can’t answer their phone.” 

Students then made their entry into medical school official: One by one they lined up as a team of three deans — Sean Muñoz, Debbie Lupeika and Charlene Green — read students’ names aloud and placed stethoscopes around their necks.

The audience cheered loudly. In four years, they’ll return to cheer again. Perhaps even louder.