UMSON Grads, 'You’ve Got This'

Perseverance — through support and lessons learned from mentors, faculty, families, and friends — was the overarching theme May 14 as the 2024 class of University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) students celebrated their graduation.

“Graduates, I’d like you to please remain standing. While you most assuredly deserve the awards we bestow upon you today, you must also acknowledge that you did not reach this moment alone,” Yolanda Ogbolu, PhD '11, MS '05, BSN '04, NNP, FNAP, FAAN, the Bill and Joanne Conway Dean of the University of Maryland School of Nursing, said during her welcome. “Throughout this journey, you relied on the support, encouragement, and sacrifices of your family, friends, and classmates who gave you the confidence to persevere, especially when you were sleep deprived, juggling many responsibilities, and didn’t think you would make it.”

This year’s ceremony — which was split into two events — resulted in nearly 250 new nurses entering the workforce and a total of 479 graduates. The day began with the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and Master of Science in Nursing Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) Ceremony and was followed by the Master’s and Doctoral Ceremony.

During the ceremonies, 225 BSN degrees, 96 master’s degrees (including entry-into-nursing CNL), 152 Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degrees, three Doctor of Philosophy degrees, and three certificates were conferred.

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