Dr. Janice Phillips BS ’76, assistant director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, encouraged students to mentor others and lean on family while pursuing their nursing degrees at North Park University’s White Coat Ceremony.

During the September service in Anderson Chapel, Phillips helped honor about 80 nursing students in the undergraduate and graduate programs as they received their white coats in preparation for starting their clinical rotations.

“You’re now entering the next phase of your three-step career: You learn, you earn, you return,” said Phillips, who earned her white coat at North Park. “Thankfully, you are in a stellar nursing program that will prepare you to pursue a demanding and honorable profession.”

During the formal yet joyful presentation, families cheered on their nursing students as they took an oath to their future patients and pledged to uphold North Park’s values.

Phillips has received the Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award, the University of Illinois College of Nursing SAGE Award, and the National Black Nurses’ Association Lifetime Achievement Award, among other honors. In 2000, she was inducted into the American Academy of Nursing for her distinguished contributions to addressing breast cancer disparities nationally and internationally.

In her opening remarks, Dr. Peggy Kotowski, associate professor of nursing and baccalaureate program director, welcomed students and encouraged parents to offer simple words of encouragement.

“A simple ‘I’m proud of you,’ can make all the difference in the world,” she said.

A reception followed the ceremony in the Anderson Hall lobby.