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During their April 4 white coat ceremony symbolizing the transition from the classroom to the clinical phase of their program, students in the Doctor of Physical Therapy Class of 2026 received one more lesson from their keynote speaker.

Assistant Professor Selina Morgan, PT, DPT, NCS, shared her practice of choosing one word to focus on each year. This year, she told the students, her word is “gratitude.” She encouraged the students to focus on what their patients need — and to be grateful for their guidance. 

“Your patients will tell you how to treat them,” said Morgan, assistant director of clinical education for the program. She urged the students to be “grateful for opportunities, their family and for this pathway to make a difference in people’s lives.”

Class President Alyssa Nail found Morgan’s message to be inspirational.

“We’ve built that foundation of the knowledge that we have from the classroom, and we get to take it out in the clinical world and the impact that we hope to make on the patients in front of us,” Nail said. 

Students will start their first clinical rotations in May, said Nail, whose first clinical rotation will be in an outpatient orthopedic setting. She said being part of a patient’s rehabilitation process motivates her.

“You get to see that spark come back,” she said, noting that the regular visits physical therapists have with patients provide an opportunity to watch — and celebrate — their progress.

“I deeply value being able to build that relations with that patient,” she said.