Dominican Spirit, healing hands: Mount pins nearly 120 nurses
Mount Saint Mary College’s Nurse Pinning ceremony honored nearly 120 graduates of the program on Friday, May 16. Additional photos here.
Photos by Lee Ferris
To some, it might just look like a pin.
To the nearly 120 graduates of the Mount’s Nursing program who graduated in May – and millions of nurses around the world – it’s a promise to give patients the best care possible.
The Mount’s pinning ceremony on Friday, May 16, was the largest the Mount has hosted in recent memory.
“This is a very special day for our graduates and all of you, family and friends,” noted Lynette DeBellis, associate professor of Nursing, Chair of the School of Nursing, and proud Mount alumna, as she welcomed the Class of 2025. “The journey to become a registered professional nurse is not an easy one. It’s packed with many challenges, hard work, dedication, just a little bit of stress, just a few tears, but always the joy of success.”
Fr. Gregoire Fluet, Vice President for Mission and Ministry, blessed the pins, which were presented to the graduates by chosen family members and friends.
Dr. Robert Gervasi, president of the Mount, praised the students for their positive attitudes and commitment to their craft: “The Mount educates nurses to not only have top-notch technical expertise, but also to develop themselves as persons of caring and concern,” he said. “We really look forward to your success in the coming years.”
The students and their families then enjoyed a congratulatory message from Ann Marie Brooks, Interim Dean of the School of Nursing.
“I’m looking at these well prepared, highly motivated women and men, that understand the privilege of being a nurse – and we are so excited,” she said. “I want each of you to make sure that you build the life you want, filled with joy…Say, ‘what am I doing lately to make a difference in the lives of others?’ You’re well-prepared to do that.”
Students Gianna Robertson, president of Mount’s Student Nursing Association; Keith Agyeman, a first-generation American; and Taylor Horne offered their reflections on the group’s journey to becoming nurses.
“I feel humbled and incredibly proud of all we have accomplished,” said Robertson. “This moment isn’t just the end of our time in the nursing program, it’s the celebration of a journey that transformed us in ways we’ve never imagined…Today we stand here as professionals equipped not only with clinical skills, but a deeper knowledge of, and appreciation of, nursing practice.”
Agyeman added, “Those clinical rotations reminded us of why we chose this path in the first place. We chose it to care, to heal, to connect, to make a difference.”
The ceremony’s keynote speakers were DeBellis and Carol Wanyo, assistant professor of Nursing. The professors congratulated their students on a job well done.
“This Mount Saint Mary College nursing pin that you’ll receive today represents a sign of achievement,” said Wanyo. “It shows your hard work, your dedication, and your commitment.”
The graduates were full of praise for their families. Maria Aguilar was pinned by her husband and two children.
“I dedicate my pin to my family,” she said. “My husband Michael for his love and support through every challenge; my parents Teresa and José; my mother-in-law Antoinette; and my greatest motivation, my children…This is for all for you.”
Near the end of the ceremony, Brooks recognized several students for academic excellence. Robertson and Mary Kate McGivney earned the School of Nursing Leadership Award; Lisa Marie Gordon and Sabrina Salvadori were given the Clinical Excellence Award; Alexa J. Beckham and Mia Therese Cruceta received the Spirit of Nursing Award; Alexander J. Minnerop and Alyssa Lynn Salfelder received the Perseverance Award; and Gordon and Victoria Damiano earned the General Excellence Award.
Gordon and Brooks also thanked Mount Biology Professor Thomas Sarro for his tireless work with Mount Nursing students, awarding him an honorary nursing pin. Sarro is one of the longest-serving professors the Mount has ever known, with five decades of service and counting.
To close out the ceremony, the proud graduates recited “A Nurse’s Prayer,” which speaks of dedicating one’s life to helping others.
Nearly 40 white coats awarded
Additional photos here.
Photos by Lee Ferris
Just a week earlier, the Mount celebrated about 40 students from the Nurse Practitioner program at the Spring 2025 white coat ceremony.
The graduates’ white coats were presented to them by their chosen family members, from spouses and children to parents and grandparents.
The ceremony reflected the students’ transition to the professional nurse practitioner role. Nurse practitioners are advanced practice nurses who provide high quality healthcare services. They can diagnose, treat, and prescribe across a wide range of health problems.
After welcome speeches by Marilyn Lashlee, associate professor of Nursing and School of Nursing Graduate Coordinator, and Dr. Gervasi, students and their families enjoyed a congratulatory message from Brooks.
“You need to build the bridges of trust with every patient,” she said. “I look forward to hearing about everybody doing great things…so go out, save lives, and stamp out disease. But also, surround yourself with people who are going to lift you higher. Go forth, lift yourselves and others higher.”
Michael Ciaffone, adjunct instructor of Nursing at the Mount, was chosen by the graduating students to be the ceremony’s keynote speaker. Ciaffone noted that he also started his healthcare journey at the Mount, about 20 years ago.
“Every step, even the painful ones, brings you right where you need to go,” he said. “Remember, you will have tough days. But you’ll also have beautiful ones.”
Graduate Eric Ablordey was selected to discuss the group’s progression through the Mount’s nurse practitioner program.
“White Coat is more than just an event,” said Ablordey. “The white coat we receive today…is a promise to uphold the values of compassion, integrity, innovation, and excellence.”
After the graduates received their white coats, Rebecca McGuire and Franklin Owusu were recognized for excellence in their studies with the Sigma Award. Likewise, Nicholas Terzulli was honored with the Sr. Leona DeBoer Graduate Nursing Award, named after one of the Dominican Sisters who founded the Nursing major at the Mount.
