Class of 2021 commencement

Celebrating our 12th graduating class

The Class of 2021 at Gatton College of Pharmacy received their doctoral hoods on Thursday, May 6, in ETSU’s Mini-Dome, officially becoming part of the college’s 12th graduating class where 72 student pharmacists walked across the stage.

This commencement and hooding ceremony was part of ETSU’s commencement weekend, which was expanded to four days to allow in-person ceremonies with health and safety protocols in place. These measures included required face coverings, limited attendance, physically distanced seating, enhanced cleaning protocols, and more. The commencement ceremonies were live-streamed for those unable to attend.

Dr. Debbie Byrd, Dean of Gatton College of Pharmacy, thanked the graduating class in particular for the impact they made fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Never underestimate the difference you make as a pharmacist and let this past year always be a reminder of that,” Byrd told the graduates at the ceremony.

Byrd also praised the graduates’ success in research, leadership, and their student organizations, which have led to multiple national honors. Members of the graduating class helped the college’s American Pharmacists Association - Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhAASP) Generation Rx committee become the most nationally recognized group in the country with four national wins, including the current national championship. The core mission of Generation Rx is to educate the community about prescription drug misuse.

Other graduates helped the college’s APhA-ASP chapter earn national awards and the Student National Pharmaceutical Association earn Overall Chapter of the Year in 2019, in addition to nine other national honors.

Dr. Brian Noland, ETSU president, addressed the graduates, noting their significant accomplishments both in the region and in national leadership positions within student organizations.

“For more than a decade, students at Gatton College of Pharmacy have left their footprints on our university and beyond, focusing their efforts on the mission of our institution to improve the quality of life for the people of this region,” Noland said. “The Class of 2021 is part of that legacy of serving the underserved and improving health care in rural communities.”

Jessica Brumit, president of Gatton’s Class of 2021, also spoke at commencement, thanking her fellow graduates, professors and preceptors.

“We would not be here today without the help of others,” Brumit said. “To our faculty and staff who help make up our Gatton family, we cannot thank you enough. You taught us, celebrated us and took care of us. Thank you for always making Gatton a place that feels like home.”

Two members of the class, Dawnna Elisabeth Metcalfe and Amber Nicole Seay, were recently inducted into the ETSU 1911 Society, which honors the university’s most distinguished graduates who embody ETSU’s original mission of improving quality of life for people of this region as exemplified through academic excellence, service and leadership.

In addition to the doctoral hooding, several individual awards were presented, including the Pharmacy Valedictorian Achievement Award recognizing the highestranking students in the graduating class including Jennifer Renae Bradley, Jessica Caroline Brumit, Amber Jordan Johnson, and April Marie Weaver. They all achieved perfect 4.0 grade point averages. Other awards included: the Gatton College of Pharmacy Patient Care Award to Miranda Adkins Green; the Gary Mabrey Community Service Award to Courtney Lauren Clarke; the Merck Award for Pharmacy Excellence to Rebecca Marie Maloney and David Rexford McWethy; the Viatris Institute of Pharmacy Excellence in Pharmacy Award to Parker Renee Wade; United States Public Health Services Excellence in Pharmacy Award to Austin Jackson Maynard; the Wolters Kluwer Health’s Fact and Comparisons Award for Outstanding Communication Skills to Mariah Ann Huskey; the Baeteena M. Black Leadership Award to Dawnna Elisabeth Metcalfe; and the Guy B. Wilson Jr. Leadership Award to Jessica Caroline Brumit.