Atlantic Veterinary College welcomes Class of 2025

The Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC), University of Prince Edward Island, officially welcomed a new cohort of students during the AVC-Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) Blue Coat Ceremony and Dinner at the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) on Friday, October 29.

Usually held in August, the Blue Coat Ceremony is a deeply rooted tradition at AVC. The event not only welcomes the incoming class, but also symbolizes the start of their veterinary medicine journey. Hosting the ceremony were Dr. Greg Keefe, dean (now interim president of UPEI), Atlantic Veterinary College, and Dr. Erin MacDonald (DVM ’07), Prince Edward Island representative, CVMA.

Traditionally, students are “cloaked” in their blue coats by friends and family, but due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the ceremony had to be adapted for COVID-19 protocol. This year, the students’ supporters joined the ceremony via Facebook Live and were able to share written letters of support that were tucked into the students’ coat pockets prior to the ceremony.

“The Blue Coat Ceremony is a time to celebrate and recognize all of the hard work, sacrifice, and dedication it took for students—and their loved ones—to reach this goal,” said Dr. Keefe. “This is a resilient group of students who have overcome much adversity to get here. We are excited to see them develop and grow over the next four years.”