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ÂÒÂ×ÊÓÆµ DPT Class of 2025 receives commencement gift in memory of Jaida Payne

Published: 05/23/2025

Jaida Payne family awards DPT graduates gift at commencement

The Gannon University Ruskin Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) class of 2025 received a heartfelt gift prior to commencement in memory of their late classmate, Jaida Payne.

Payne passed away in a tragic car accident in January 2023.

Her parents, Stewart and Brenda Payne, of Menifee, Calif., have been instrumental in creating and supporting the Jaida Payne Memorial Scholarship Fund to financially support the graduating DPT Ruskin students program to cover their licensure exam.

"The response to Jaida's death by her classmates and the faculty and staff at ÂÒÂ×ÊÓÆµ was overwhelming," said Stewart. "It demonstrated the quality of the people that surrounded Jaida.  It was important for us to recognize her classmates because when we needed comfort the most, they were there to share the light that Jaida was in their life. They have never forgotten Jaida, and we have not forgotten them and the efforts they have made to keep Jaida's memory alive. It was our honor to invest in them and their future just as they invested in Jaida and emotionally invested in us during our darkest hour."

Jaida's classmates saw her as a ray of sunshine and they knew she could brighten their day with her positivity and determination.

"Jaida was a ray of sunshine and could brighten anyone's day with her positivity, personality and can-do attitude," said Jaida's classmates in a DPT newsletter from 2024. "She left an imprint on our hearts that will last a lifetime and her ÂÒÂ×ÊÓÆµ family will never forget her."

Over the last two years, they have honored her legacy by displaying her white coat in one of the DPT classrooms, and continuing to serve people and their community, like Jaida would.

The DPT class of 2025 also wore purple during the commencement ceremony to honor Jaida.