Brazil Adventist University (UNASP) reached a milestone February 23 as students, families, and school and church leaders gathered at its Hortolândia campus for the inaugural class of its newly approved degree in medicine. The event included a formal introduction to the structure and syllabus of the program, and the traditional whitecoat ceremony.
The February 23 event brought together several officials, including regional health representatives and other public servants such as José Zezé Gomes, mayor of Hortolândia. It also featured a special reflection by Stanly Arco, president of the South American Division, as well as musical performances.
General Conference (GC) Education Department director Lisa Beardsley-Hardy sent personal comments to regional leaders in South America. “It is with great joy and much jubilation that we congratulate you and all the members of your team for your vision, effort, commitment, and perseverance in taking advantage of the opportunity that God provided for starting a school of medicine [program] in Hortolândia,” Beardsley-Hardy wrote in an email to UNASP president Martin Kuhn. “I promised you that the GC Health Ministries Department will continue to be an eager partner in your successful launch and future development.”
GC Health Ministries leaders also sent a congratulatory letter celebrating the milestone. “We witnessed God’s clear guidance and the huge efforts and hard work that made this wonderful project a reality,” the letter cosigned by department director Zeno Charles-Marcel and associate director Milton Mesa read. “We wish you the greatest success in this endeavor.”
New Student Dorms
Leaders also inaugurated student dorms on the Hortolândia campus. The new dorms offer air-conditioned apartments with biometric control. Residents can have meals at the school’s cafeteria and can access personalized support and athletic activities on campus.
Henrique Romaneli, general director at the Hortolândia campus, highlighted the importance of offering housing to students so that they feel at home and can dedicate themselves fully to their studies. “We are extremely happy with the opening of the dorms,” he said. According to Romaneli, the integration between a place to live and the academic environment—which includes living areas, a swimming pool, and wide green spaces—strengthens the tradition of 76 years of training young people who today serve the Seventh-day Adventist Church around the world.
Opening Class
The program also featured a class taught by Ricardo Alves, a seasoned cardiologist and now dean of the School of Medical Sciences. Alves highlighted the inspirations that motivated him in his career and how he found the advice to face challenges in the book of Proverbs. Then he led in a class on cardiac anatomy and other essential health topics, providing students with a first contact with the complexity and importance of medical knowledge.
Alves left students with a piece of advice. “Seek knowledge and wisdom. Do not settle for the minimum. This is honoring God and your parents, who invested in your career,” he said.
Students’ Feedback
Getting into medical school has been a motivating experience for students. For student Fabrizio Ferrari, the decision to study medicine came from a desire to expand knowledge and follow a vocation that has always been present in his life. “My father was a doctor, so I was always in touch with that field. Today I have the opportunity to follow my dream,” he said.
Aline Alves, 22, always dreamed of studying medicine. Inspired by her father, a nurse and her biggest supporter, Alves described the whitecoat ceremony as a special moment. “It is a commitment that we make to take responsibility for people’s lives,” she said.
At just 8, Marcos Antônio Queveluque already knew he wanted to be a doctor. Time passed and challenges piled up, but his dream never lost strength. It took him years of study until, at 42, he is finally able to put on a white coat and work toward the profession he always wanted. “The emotion of my achievement is mixed with the knowledge that the next few years will be intense, but every effort will be worth it,” he said.
The original version of this story was posted on the South American Division Portuguese-language news site.