Students

Experience the proud moments and inspiring stories from this year’s commencement ceremonies at both our Kansas City and Joplin campuses. Congratulations to the Class of 2025.

As Kansas City University celebrates commencement, three remarkable medical students reflect on the experiences that shaped their journeys. Their stories are a testament to courage, compassion and the power of purpose in medicine.

When Megan Stacy applied to the police academy, it wasn’t part of some grand plan, it just felt right.

At the Carmelo de Nazareth Convent, nestled in a remote mountain village in the highlands of Guatemala, Kansas City University’s team of student doctors, faculty and alumni physician volunteers were hard at work.

Olivia Kaufman, a second-year medical student at Kansas City University, is gaining hands-on experience with the kids she hopes to treat one day—not in a clinic, but on a baseball field.

Kansas City University clinical psychology doctoral students achieved a 100 percent match rate in this year’s national internship cycle—an important milestone on their path to becoming licensed psychologists.

Alexon Tiem, a second-year dental student, has been appointed District 9 Trustee for the American Student Dental Association.

Kansas City University and Kansas City Public Schools (KCPS) have partnered through the Center for Population Health and Equity to provide psychological services and support mental health needs in KCPS elementary schools. 

Bridging the gap between care and creations. This simple yet powerful mission statement guides a group of students at Kansas City University who have turned their passion for knitting and crocheting into a force for good.

For Shazreh Bukhari, the decision to pursue medicine was deeply personal. Born and raised in Pakistan, she spent years struggling with undiagnosed endometriosis, enduring pain that was often dismissed as “just part of life.” But when she moved to Canada at 17, everything changed.

Students at Kansas City University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine are making significant strides in medical research, with projects that have earned national awards and publication in prestigious journals. Guided by Bryan Beutel, MD, assistant professor of Primary Care and an orthopedic surgeon at Sano, these students have tackled fascinating topics that could shape the future of medicine.

In a world where connections can emerge in the most unexpected places, the bond between Reed June Apostol, a first-year medical student at Kansas City University, and Denise Wunderler, DO, FAOASM (COM 2004), a passionate advocate for Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood, is truly inspiring.