Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts was packed with family, friends, and supporters of this year’s largest BS/Certificate of Entry into Nursing (CEIN) graduating class on Tuesday, Dec. 17. 

CEIN students go from having a bachelor’s degree in another field to becoming a licensed Registered Nurse (RN) in Connecticut in just one year. It is a rigorous accelerated program, (the longest-running one of its kind in the state), that provides a pathway for students of all ages and backgrounds to join the nursing profession. 

Achieving this feat in such a compact time frame requires an enormous level of dedication, especially for students who are returning to higher education after a gap period, caretaking, or working – sometimes all three. 

The program is offered in Storrs as well as at three of UConn’s regional campuses – Stamford, Waterbury, and Avery Point – and runs from January to December. 

This cohort was the 22nd accelerated nursing class to graduate from the School of Nursing. In keeping with tradition, the ceremony began with a greeting from Del Siegle, Ph.D., MS, BS, University Marshal who serves as the Lynn and Ray Neag Endowed Chair for Talent Development. 

The School of Nursing’s Dean Victoria Vaughan Dickson, Ph.D., RN, FAHA, FAAN led the processional welcome and introduced this year’s commencement speaker Lucinda Canty, Ph.D., CNM, FACNM, FAAN, FADLN, recipient of the Excellence in Nursing Leadership Award.  

We chose to be nurses. We chose to be the ones in scrubs, the ones at the bedside, the ones who care deeply and serve selflessly. – David Broughton, ’24 (NUR), CEIN Class President

This year’s Pellegrina (Peggy) Lacovella Stolfi Clinical Teaching Awards went to Melissa Rembish, MSN, RN-BC, (Health Assessment Instructor); Sherene Fagon, RN, MSN, C-EFM, (Population-based Course Instructor); and Lori-Anne Lowry, MSN, RN-CVBC, CNL, (Adult Care/Community Health Instructor). 

CEIN’s class president, David Broughton, delivered a speech of encouragement and hope to his fellow graduates. “We’re ready not only because we’ve gained the knowledge and skills, but because we have the resilience, the heart, and the support of each other,” Broughton said. “Yet, in a world filled with choices, we all found our way to the same path. We chose to be nurses. We chose to be the ones in scrubs, the ones at the bedside, the ones who care deeply and serve selflessly.” 

Students from all four campuses lined up to enter the stage and receive their pins – some from family members, friends, and spouses. Elizabeth Mayerson, DNP, FNP-BC, CNE, president of the Sigma Theta Tau Mu Chapter, presented the candidates; over 80 CEIN students (more than half) were inducted into this international honor society in November, which has more than 10,000 active members worldwide.  

Nine students received acknowledgement for their veteran or active-duty service, and students with a 4.0 GPA, (who are automatic members of the American Holistic Nurses Association), were recognized for their excellence in academic achievement. The Sigma student award was received by Stamford student Morgan Moltzau. 

As you transition from nursing student to professional nurse, always remember that you are UConn nurses, our best and our brightest, and that we will always be proud of you. – Dean Victoria Vaughan Dickson

After each student crossed the stage, the UConn Nursing PRAXIS pledge was led by president of the School of Nursing alumni board, Diana Filipek-Oberg, BSN. Vice provost for health sciences, Amy Gorin, Ph.D., followed with the time-honored Conferral of Degrees before closing remarks by Dean Dickson. 

Dean Dickson imparted a message of pride and inspiration as these students enter the next chapter in their nursing journey. “As UConn nurses, you are essential to the future of nursing and of health care,” she said. “You are well-prepared to care for individuals, families, and communities from diverse backgrounds to optimize well-being. As you transition from nursing student to professional nurse, always remember that you are UConn nurses, our best and our brightest, and that we will always be proud of you.” 

She went on to say, “Graduates – I charge you now to fully assume the responsibilities of your new status … to build upon the foundation of knowledge through a commitment to lifelong learning and to seek out opportunities through practice and service to exemplify the vision of UConn Nursing: innovative, evidence-based, and caring nurses transforming health care and promoting health equity for all.”

In response, the words of class president David Broughton ring true. “We are the UConn Husky Nurses, today, tomorrow, and forever, and we carry that pride with us as we step forward into our futures.” 

To learn more about UConn’s second bachelor’s degree in nursing program, visit Home | Certificate Entry into Nursing (CEIN) Program.