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A graduate receives his diploma and congratulations from Patricia Cowan, dean of the College of Nursing. Image by Bryan Clifton

UAMS College of Nursing Honors 183 Graduates at Commencement Ceremony

May 21, 2025 | The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Nursing celebrated commencement with a May 16 ceremony that recognized 183 graduates as new colleagues in the nursing profession.

This year is the first in which UAMS’ five colleges and graduate school held separate commencement ceremonies to honor their graduates. The College of Nursing event, held at the First Pentecostal Church in North Little Rock, featured the college’s traditional pinning and hooding ceremony along with the conferral of students’ degrees.

Patricia Cowan, Ph.D., RN, dean of the College of Nursing, congratulated the graduates and encouraged them to make a commitment to lifelong learning. She noted that her nursing career began in the 1980s as the AIDS epidemic forced health care workers to confront new challenges in treatment and prevention.

“As hard as it is to believe, you will learn much more after you graduate than you did in nursing school,” she said.

Cowan also urged them to practice with kindness and integrity and to engage in self-care.

“We need to fill up the well so we can draw from it to give to others,” she said.

Stephanie Gardner, Pharm.D., Ed.D., UAMS provost and chief strategy officer, attended the ceremony to formally accept Cowan’s recommendation that degrees be conferred to the graduating class. She praised the College of Nursing’s degree programs and noted that each represents an integral component of the nursing profession.

“Many of you pursued this pathway because of a deep desire to help and care for others, and I encourage you to remember what drew you to nursing and let that be your guiding light,” she told the graduates.

The pinning segment of the ceremony honored students graduating with their Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degrees. The pins, part of a tradition that originated in the 1960s, symbolize the graduates’ transition from students to colleagues.

J.D. Adams, a BSN graduate, delivered an undergraduate address that focused on the Creedence Clearwater Revival song “Proud Mary,” drawing laughter from the audience and from his fellow students. Adams used the lyrics to encourage his classmates to reflect on their accomplishments.

“For the last two years, it’s felt like we we’ve been ‘working for the man every night and day’ in nursing school — through clinicals, exams, evaluations and simulations — just to get to this point,” he said. “As we accept our pins, as we take our boards and as we start ‘rolling on the river,’ I want you all to be proud of everything that we’ve been through.”

Kristen Hoover, a graduate of the College of Nursing’s accelerated BSN program in Northwest Arkansas, spoke about the shared sense of purpose that helped her class form a lasting bond.

“It’s hard to explain the unique experience of nursing school, and it’s even harder to explain why someone would choose an accelerated version,” she said. “We all chose this path because we care deeply for others and want to make a difference in our communities.”

In the hooding portion of the ceremony, the College of Nursing recognized graduates of the Master of Nursing Science (MNSc) and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs. The use of hoods in academia can be traced back to the Middle Ages in Europe, when the first universities began accepting students for the purpose of higher learning.

Nicklas Campagna, a graduate of the DNP Nurse Anesthesia program, thanked the families, partners and faculty members who supported the graduates at every stage of their education.

“The belief that everyone had in us really kept us going,” he said.

Campagna described his journey to the commencement stage, which began with a dream that he could become a nurse with a General Educational Development (GED) credential after dropping out of high school. He said many of his classmates have their own stories of persevering through life’s challenges.

“We chose this profession not because it was convenient or easy, but because we wanted to ease the suffering of others,” he said. “Every time we show up to work, we have an opportunity to change someone’s life.”

Tekelia De Flanders, a fellow DNP Nurse Anesthesia graduate, said the road to success was filled with twists and turns as well as unforeseen roadblocks. After a delay pushed back her graduation date by a year, she had to overcome her struggles with self-doubt about her place in the nursing profession, she said.

“Vision is not just the ability to see the destination; it is the ability to stay the course even when the path is unclear,” she said. “Trust in the path that you’ve walked, and know that even when the roads bend unexpectedly, you have the strength to keep pressing forward.”

The ceremony also featured a presentation of awards for students in the College of Nursing. Those were:

Undergraduate awards

• Faculty Gold Key, presented to the BSN graduate who demonstrates academic excellence, leadership in professional and community activities, excellence in nursing practice, and personal and professional growth: Madison Renae Wolf
  

  Several College of Nursing graduates gather for a group photo after the ceremony.Image by Bryan Clifton

• Virginia R. Jarratt Award, presented to the BSN graduate who demonstrates scholastic achievement, excellence in the art and science of nursing, awareness of the heritage of nursing and current forces affecting the delivery of health care, and performance that reveals appreciation of nursing as a caring profession: James Wilson Kitchens
• Faculty Award for Outstanding Achievement and Contribution, presented to the BSN graduate who demonstrates exceptional leadership efforts that enhance student/faculty relationships and who encourages other students to participate in their professional organization: John David Adams
• Ina Swetnam Award, presented to the graduate who has achieved scholastic excellence and who demonstrates excellence in the care of maternity patients: Victory Marie Divine Jackson
• Gloria Rauch Award, which honors the pursuit of excellence in nursing care of children and is presented to the BSN graduate who demonstrates scholastic achievement and excellence in practice with infants, children and their families: Carson Edward Brown
• Daisy in Training Award, presented to the BSN seniors who went above and beyond to deliver compassionate care: Nicolas Alexis and Ayana Harris
• Nightingale Award, presented to the leader who demonstrates a desire to contribute to the nursing profession and has participated in civic and community activities at the state and national level: Grace Elizabeth Bornemeier
• Nurses’ Nurse Award, for the nurse(s) that you would most like to care for you if you were ill, and whose loyalty lies with the patient first: Lauren Gail Clevenger and Jordan Lenox Sarno
• Nursing Excellence Award, presented to the graduate who demonstrates outstanding class and clinical preparation, confidence and competence in nursing; who communicates well; who is creative in delivery of care; who looks further than the textbook for answers; and who assists other students when needed: Emily Grace Proffitt
• Most Supportive Student Award, presented to the graduate who supports other students through triumphs and trials, facilitates group morale, shares time and talents, and gives sincere positive encouragement: John David Adams

 

Graduate awards

• Outstanding Future Nurse Leader Award, presented in recognition of exceptional potential for outstanding future contributions to the profession as a nurse leader: Amber Gene Westpheling
• Kathryn P. “Bucky” Thomas Award, presented to the graduate student who demonstrates kindness and compassion, gives positive encouragement to others, and shows respect for and loyalty to the College of Nursing: Taylor Madison Hall
• Veronica McNeirney Award, presented in recognition of clinical excellence in the care of seriously ill adults: Elizabeth Reagan Zangari
• Willa Belle Adams Award, which recognizes a graduate who exemplifies clinical nursing skills: Bonnie Marie Davis