Medical College of Wisconsin grad participates in hooding ceremony

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Most graduation ceremonies have gone virtual, if they even happen at all.

But that's not stopping a Medical College of Wisconsin grad from partaking in his hooding ceremony.

In recent years, MCW graduates have gathered in the Milwaukee Theater for the ceremony, which happens on the eve of their graduation.

But this year, the coronavirus has essentially stopped mass gatherings.

So the Milwaukee VA held a small ceremony Thursday morning for future Army Doctor William Schaefer-Leber at the Historic Wadsworth Library.

Being a doctor, the pandemic presents a unique challenge for him, but he's ready for it.

"The way I've been thinking about it is that I'm like a basketball player on the bench, I'm coming off the bench to start," he said. "Wherever I can provide assistance, whether that's on the side of a COVID patient or directly with, I'm excited and I'm ready, I feel like I can do that."

So what's next for Schaefer-Leber?

He will be commissioned as a captain and will begin his medical residency June 1 at the Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington.