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A large, enthusiastic crowd celebrated the 15 recent graduates of the �Ļ�ӰԺ Downtown | Grotenhuis Nursing program at a pinning ceremony on May 1 at Montecito Covenant Church.

In the student speech, graduate Rosalba Barbosa recounted the challenges the nursing students faced, including long clinical hours, sleepless nights, and emotional burdens, but also highlighted the growth and resilience achieved. “We didn't just learn to read EKGs, insert catheters and think critically, we learned the true meaning of compassionate and patient-centered care, something no textbook could teach us,” she said.

She concluded by quoting Marianne Williamson in “A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of ‘A Course in Miracles’”: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Nursing faculty Heather Kuljian praised the graduates dedication and politeness despite the challenges of the Christian liberal arts program. “These students had to study far more than just the science of nursing,” she said. “Through doctrine and theology and philosophy and history and ethics, they learned the art of nursing. Those liberal arts parts were worth it because it’s turned out dynamic students that are going to stand out.”

Kayla Lee was given the Healthcare Achievement Award, an engraved Littmann stethoscope that is funded annually by alumnus Ron Peterson ’71 to honor and encourage future medical students.

The graduates of the fifth cohort of �Ļ�ӰԺ’s nursing program include Barbosa, Lee, Rosalyn Alvarez, Stefanie Alvillar, Bryan Briones, Mary Decker, Marianne Fernandez, Ariana Garcia, Mark Ilano, Kaila Khordian, Lauren MacDonald, Yuliana Montes, Josselin Ortiz, Isabelle Warzocha and Mackenzie Weber.