Compassion in Action Westmont Graduates 25 New Nurses
Westmont celebrated the accomplishments of 25 new graduates of the Westmont Downtown | Grotenhuis Nursing program at a pinning ceremony Dec. 18 before a standing-room only crowd at Montecito Covenant Church. This is the sixth cohort to graduate from the 16-month accelerated bachelor of science in nursing program, housed at 26 W. Anapamu.
Dianthe Hoffman, ABSN program director thanked the family and friends of the nursing graduates, whose love and support made this day possible. “Thank you for the late nights, early mornings, packed lunches, quiet encouragement and for pretending to understand pharmacology when they needed to talk it out,” she said.
President Gayle D. Beebe said it took the global pandemic of 2020 for all of us to stop and recognize how central nurses are, not only to the delivery of healthcare, but to our very spiritual and emotional wellbeing.
“Nurses are compassionate, they're person and patient centered, and they often end up being our advocates as they interface with other medical personnel,” he said. “Ultimately, because of their spirit of service and their concern for the wellbeing of every individual, they not only embody the great model of service, they inspire our moral responsibility as citizens of a wider community.”
Nursing student Emma Blaschke described the moment as bittersweet, excited for what's to come while missing her fellow graduates. “It has truly been the honor of my life to learn with you and grow beside you,” she said. “In a world full of anger, division and sickness, where our earthly bodies are destined to fail, I am truly grateful that it’s all of you stepping into the field of nursing, being positive forces in the world and taking care of future generations of babies, children and adults.”
Phoebe Dutra earned the Healthcare Achievement Award, which includes an engraved Littmann stethoscope donated by alumnus Ron Peterson ’71.
The pinning ceremony, which welcomes newly graduated nurses into the profession, is modeled from the ceremony in the 1860’s when Florence Nightingale was awarded the Red Cross of St. George in recognition for her service during the Crimean War.
The new graduates are: Silvia Acosta Perez, Gabriela Beedle, Emma Blaschke (Cum Laude), Alexander Chu, Harpreet Chumber (Cum Laude), Emily Dall, Phoebe Dutra (Summa Cum Laude), Claire Early, , Natalie Felix, Erin Hoffman (Magna Cum Laude), Camdyn Johns (Magna Cum Laude), Hayley Killion (Cum Laude), Alicia Lewsadder (Summa Cum Laude), Marisol Ortiz, Samantha Parker (Cum Laude), Amelia Perry (Cum Laude), Krystina Rivera Ochoa (Cum Laude), Casside Salcido, Lauren Salsbury (Cum Laude), Sarah Savedra, Briana Silva, Chloe Sorrell, Nicole Thompson, Alyssa Villa (Cum Laude), Shelby Williams (Cum Laude).