SOM Class of 2027 Celebrates Friendsgiving
The Event Featured Fun Activities, Faculty Speakers and Time to Share with Classmates During a Turkey Dinner
The annual tradition of Friendsgiving was celebrated by members of the School of Medicine Class of 2027 on November 16. The celebration, which brings first-year medical students together to express thanks to their peers and mentors for supporting them through the first few months of medical school, began with fun activities in the Mods, including trivia, Pictionary and ping pong ball relay races, before everyone headed to Nevins Auditorium for a toast by Neil Schluger, M.D., dean of the School of Medicine.
Students also heard from several faculty and staff speakers who were chosen by the first-year students for having made a particularly strong impact on them during their first block of classes. The speakers, who each offered words of encouragement to the students, included Anthony Sozzo, M.S.Ed., M.A., associate dean for student affairs and director of student financial planning and student activities; Susan Rachlin, M.D., executive associate dean for student affairs and associate professor of radiology; Roger Bender, M.P.H., instructor of cell biology and anatomy; Ernest Lee, Ph.D., instructor of cell biology and anatomy; and Kenneth Lerea, Ph.D., Phase One curriculum director and professor of cell biology and anatomy. First-year medical student Jenny Yang was also recognized by her classmates with a professionalism award for her commitment to supporting the Class’ success and well-being.
Students then went on to enjoy a grand Friendsgiving dinner, including turkey and traditional accompaniments.
"Looking back, I truly can't believe it's only been a few months since we started our medical education. I am so grateful to our fellow students and our upperclassmen for creating such a wonderfully supportive environment. It is my great pleasure to help organize this event for our class with my amazing fellow senators. I very much hope everyone found it to be a fun and significant end to a memorable first block," said Noura Gouda, SOM Class of 2027, who organized the event along with her fellow SOM Class of 2027 student senators -- Nadia Briones, Dorothy Liu, Jared Sasaki and Amber Zhao.
“We were so excited to thank the wonderful faculty for their hard work this semester,” said Liu. “Now that our class has finished the first module, we can take time to celebrate with collaborative games and amazing food. Shout out to Dean Sozzo for his help planning.”
“Friendsgiving was an awesome opportunity for our class to get to know each other better while working together in friendly competition,” said Sasaki. “We also can’t forget the delicious Thanksgiving food that NYMC graciously provided for us and our hungry bellies. Friendsgiving was an unforgettable event with lots of laughs, good food and great company."
