Class of December 2023 Celebrated with Light and Hope

UMSON hosts Graduation ceremony for Baltimore, Universities at Shady Grove graduates.

The University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) celebrated an extraordinary group of health care professionals on Dec. 21 at a ceremony honoring summer and fall 2023 graduates from its locations in Baltimore and at the Universities at Shady Grove in Rockville, Maryland. 

Thursday’s graduation was the first led by Yolanda Ogbolu, PhD ’11, MS ’05, BSN ’04, NNP, FNAP, FAAN, the newly appointed Bill and Joanne Conway Dean of the University of Maryland School of Nursing, who began her tenure in July. 

“This is always an exciting time for us, as educators, when we celebrate the milestones reached by our students and revel in their success, because their success is our success as well,” Ogbolu said. “It is a time for us to reflect on our essential purpose – to foster the development of human potential that lies within each of us, to enrich our lives and enable us to contribute to improving the lives of others – in particular, through our nursing careers.” 

At the ceremony held at the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore, University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, conferred 275 degrees, including 192 Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), 76 master’s (including entry-into-nursing Clinical Nurse Leader [CNL]), four Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), and three PhD, as well as three certificates. 

Thursday’s celebration focused on the important patient care that nurses provide. The event’s keynote speaker, Katie Boston-Leary, PhD, MBA, MHA, RN, NEA-BC, director of nursing programs at the American Nurses Association, acknowledged the challenges that exist in nursing but also implored graduates to recognize their strengths and their power to bring change.  

“You have light and darkness, two opposing forces that play off of each other. And they also depend on each other to function. It is also a choice of who we choose to be every day when we show. Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that,” she said. “Hope and despair, another set of opposing concepts. It is easy to feel despair at the state of the world that we live in today. Almost everything is being upended, and there's so much unrest. We need hope.” 

During the ceremony, DAISY Awards for Extraordinary Nursing Students were presented to Wendy Yamileth Bonilla Flores, a graduate of the BSN program, and Helena Elyse Preis, a graduate of the CNL option. DAISY Awards are given each fall and spring to two entry-into-nursing graduates who demonstrate empathetic care and service to patients and their families. The award was created by  The  DAISY  Foundation to remind students, even during their hardest days in nursing school, why they chose to become a nurse. 

The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Faculty was presented to DeNiece Bennett, DNP, RN, assistant professor and director of the NCLEX Success Program. The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Faculty was created by The DAISY Foundation to recognize and celebrate the contributions that faculty members make to the future of nursing. 

“Dr. Bennett embodies the quintessential qualities of an exceptional nursing professor, and she will always be the driving force behind my and many others’ achievements at UMSON,” one of Bennett’s students wrote in her nomination. “Every aspect of her teaching and her tireless commitment to the success of her students, including her respect, commitment to education, enthusiasm for teaching, outstanding service, and more, exemplifies the qualities that make her undoubtedly deserving of the DAISY Award.” 

Preceptor Awards, given to preceptors who have facilitated a transformational experience for students with whom they have worked in the clinical setting, were presented at the graduate level to Diamond Hale, MSN ’22, RN, and at the undergraduate level to Hannah Abdelahad, BSN, RN. 

During the ceremony, Ogbolu also recognized Jan Wilson, DNP ’09, MS ’94, BSN ’74, CRNP, NNP-BC, C-ELBW, FAANP, former assistant professor and director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice Neonatal Nurse Practitioner specialty, who retired this month after 19 years as a faculty member at UMSON. She was the first-ever neonatal nurse practitioner in the state of Maryland, and she served as the mace carrier during the ceremony. 

“Educators are the cornerstone of any university, and that’s particularly true for the School of Nursing. Every year we also select a faculty member to carry the mace, in recognition of all that the faculty has contributed to students, the institution, and community,” Ogbolu said. “This year, our mace carrier is Dr. Jan Wilson. This is a very special time for me as the new dean of the School of Nursing because Dr. Jan Wilson was also my preceptor when I first became a nurse practitioner. So it’s really special to be full circle with her.” 

Kiara Gabrielle Stevens, a Class of 2023 Bachelor of Science in Nursing graduate, provided student remarks during Thursday’s ceremony, focusing on embodying the “very essence of compassion, care, and healing.” 

“As we embark on this transformative journey as qualified nurses, it’s imperative to introspect and appreciate the distinctive paths that have led each of us to this momentous juncture,” Stevens said, later adding, “Regardless of the source of inspiration, what unites us today is the shared commitment to service and the understanding that our impact extends far beyond the boundaries of immediate gratification.” 

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The University of Maryland School of Nursing, founded in 1889, is one of the oldest and largest nursing schools in the nation and is ranked among the top nursing schools nationwide. Enrolling more than 2,000 students in its baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs, the School develops leaders who shape the profession of nursing and impact the health care environment.