In their UConn Nursing navy scrubs, students gathered together to celebrate entering the next chapter in their nursing education. In their clinical rotations, students will experience many milestones, from holding their first infant to comforting an end-of-life patient – moments they will truly remember. Guided by the PRAXIS pledge, students will take their learning and apply it to real settings, where humanities are equally as important as biology and chemistry. They will also discover the meaning of caring for the well and the sick during this unprecedented time in health care.

The Class of 2026 heard from Dean Victoria Vaughan Dickson, Ph.D., RN, FAHA, FHFSA, FAAN; Dr. Jean Coffey, Ph.D., APRN, CPNP, FAAN; Dr. Elizabeth Mayerson, DNP, FNP-BC, CNE; Amanda Moreau, MSN, RN; and Ria Karun ’25 (NUR). 

“The significance of this event is to commemorate the nursing student’s entrance into the clinical component of their education. This is a passage for nursing students to begin their journey into the clinical arena. It marks the time when students are applying the theoretical knowledge that they have learned the past two years to the clinical setting. This is just the beginning, as you will continue to learn your entire career and apply evidence-based practice in real life clinical situations,” states Dr. Coffey.

After students’ names were called and celebrated individually, faculty and clinical staff administered lavender essential oils on their hands, symbolizing spirituality, purification, calmness, and higher consciousness. Students took a quiet moment to reflect on why they made the decision to become a nurse while participating in the traditional “Blessing of the Hands”.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, photos were taken with clinical groups on the steps of Storrs Hall. When asked what she is most excited for entering the next phase of her nursing journey, Julia Puprriqi ’26 (NUR) responds, “getting to see real patients, speaking to people from different backgrounds, and being able to implement our learning outside of classes.”

The words of Florence Nightingale rang true in the 1850s, and they still do now:

“Let us never consider ourselves finished nurses. We must be learning all of our lives.”