Maya Dube, MSPAS, PA-S ’26, took a breath and smiled at the 44 classmates in their black caps and gowns before delivering her commencement speech.
“This truly has been the fastest and slowest 27 months of our lives,” said Dube, the Class of 2026 PA Program Student Society President. “It feels like just yesterday we were all walking into the classroom for the very first time, eager and nervous for what lay ahead. Little did we know how much we would grow and what would change.”
Over their time in the program, the group, she noted, had quickly gone from strangers to family — a cohort that survived their first pathophysiology didactic exam together and everything beyond, and brought laughter and light to one another in academically challenging times.
On March 21, Bryant University's Physician Assistant Studies Class of 2026 celebrated the completion of their nearly two-and-a-half-year program. In a day filled with heartfelt advice and praise for students’ achievements, Provost and Chief Academic Officer Rupendra Paliwal, Ph.D., looked to the future, emphasizing the current urgent need for healthcare providers and the significant role today’s graduates will play in an evolving industry.
“You will rise to this challenge and succeed because you are part of a strong tradition of physician assistants who have trained at Bryant and are active, empathetic contributors in our complex and rapidly changing healthcare system,” said Paliwal. “I urge you to carry that culture of care you have experienced at Bryant University with you as you enter into professional life.”
PA Program Director Ashley Iacone, DMSc, MSPAS, PA-C, commended the students on the skilled and compassionate healthcare providers they’d become and expressed tremendous pride in the class.
“You represent the best of what healthcare can be,” said Iacone.
Putting her educator cap on one last time for their benefit, she reminded the Class of 2026 to never stop learning, practice with humility and confidence in equal measure, remember the human being behind every complaint, take care of themselves, and to never forget why they chose this path.
“In the difficult moments, and there will be difficult moments, reconnect with that initial spark,” Iacone said. “Remember the desire to serve, to heal, to make a difference. That purpose will sustain you through the challenges and remind you of the privilege it is to be called a physician assistant.”
John Froehlich, MD, whose career has been dedicated to advancing orthopedic medicine, delivered the Commencement address — providing insight on the current state of the PA profession. There are approximately one million practicing physicians in the United States, noted Froelich — who also received an honorary degree from Bryant that day — and nearly 200,000 of these individuals are physician assistants. The number of PAs in the country has increased by 75 percent in the last decade, and they see roughly 9.9 million patients per week, on average.
Emphasizing the important role that graduates will play in the healthcare industry, Frohlich shared what he called the “secret sauce” to becoming a successful healthcare provider. Providers, he advised, should be affable (lead with kindness and patience), available (seek balance in your professional and personal lives), able (be lifelong learners), and active (mentor others).
Following the conferral of degrees by Paliwal, Iacone, Clinical Associate Professor Stephanie Potts, MS, AT, PA-C, and Bryant trustee Erin Champlin ’85, Stephen Wright, MSPAS, PA-C ’19 — also a Bryant trustee — welcomed graduates to the program’s alumni association.
“During your time here, you've built something special with each other. That community does not end today; it expands,” said Wright. “You are now part of a much larger network of Bryant alumni and PA graduates spread across the entire country.”
After reciting the Physician Assistant Oath, students were met with resounding applause and a standing ovation as they exited the hall, ready to begin their next chapter. Abigail Farrar, MSPAS, PA-S ’26, however, admitted that it still hadn’t mentally clicked that she’d officially graduated; it still felt like just yesterday that she walked through the doors of Bryant for the first time.
“I’m very excited to start seeing my own patients and providing care,” Farrar said.
Joseph Lindsey, MSPAS, PA-S ’26, noted that the moment felt surreal, but he was looking forward to what lay ahead.
“I feel like I have a good clinical knowledge that's going to set me up in the future to be successful,” said Lindsey, who has accepted a position at a New York City Urgent Care facility.
Reconvening with family and friends after the ceremony, flowers and hugs were exchanged. After all, as Dube told the family members and friends in the audience during her speech, “You are our backbone.”
“When we put on our white coats today, it's important to remember that we did not put them on alone. You carried us through every late night, every doubt, and every obstacle,” she shared. “This coat may rest on our shoulders, but it was stitched together with your belief and your support.”