The graduates gathered in Guggenheim Pavilion.
The Phillips School of Nursing at Mount Sinai Beth Israel celebrated 87 new graduates at its 115th Commencement on Thursday, May 16. During the ceremony, which was held at Stern Auditorium, three types of degrees were conferred: 41 Associate in Applied Science (AAS); 37 Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN); and 9 Bachelor of Science in Nursing for registered nurses (RN-BSN).
Todd F. Ambrosia, DNP, MSN, FNAP, Dean of the Phillips School of Nursing, began the joyous ceremony by welcoming the graduates, guests, faculty, and staff. Fifteen graduates were inducted into the Honor Society for achieving a grade point average of 3.7 or higher. Sara Kohn and Julie Pearson were valedictorians for the ABSN program; Simeon Gayle was valedictorian for the AAS program; and Christina Kim, RN, was valedictorian of the RN-BSN program—an honor she also earned 15 months ago when she received her AAS degree.
Two students received the Dr. Eileen Melnick Award for Team Spirit: Carl Javier for the ABSN program and Kelli Morse for the AAS Program. Mr. Javier, whose parents graduated from the Phillips School of Nursing, also received the Annette Stauber Cohn Award for Continuing a Family Tradition of Outstanding Nursing.
“Nursing is a profession where your scientific knowledge, critical thinking, leadership skills, and especially your attitudes and values will be challenged every day,” said the commencement speaker, Aliza Ben-Zacharia, DNP, ANP-BC, Assistant Professor of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Associate Director, Center for Nursing Research and Innovation, The Mount Sinai Hospital. “Demonstrate leadership in your own area of practice,” she told the graduates. “And always remember your days as students when it is your turn to mentor others.”