One by one, over 150 students traversed the stage during the School of Nursing and Health Studies Spring Awards Ceremony, held May 11 in the Shalala Center Ballroom. Each accepted an award or a pin with a smile, maybe even posed for a quick photo, then returned to their seat amid applause from enthusiastic peers, family, and friends. But Carl Leveille took a different route after receiving the VITAS Healthcare Compassionate Heart Award.
“I’m going to give this to my mom,” he announced, crossing the crowded ballroom to find Nadine Leveille. Cheers erupted as he gave his mother, a telemetry nurse at University of Miami Hospital, his plaque along with a big hug.
Leveille, B.S.N. ’18, was one of the 182 graduating members of the School’s Class of 2018, which represented a variety of SONHS programs, including Ph.D., D.N.P. Family Nurse Practitioner post-master’s certificate, online master’s in health informatics and in nursing informatics, and nursing, health science, and public health bachelor’s degrees.
Welcoming them all to the annual Spring Awards Ceremony was Dean and Professor Cindy L. Munro, Ph.D., RN, ANP-BC, FAAN, FAANP, FAAAS. “You have already made your mark here at our school with your amazing accomplishments,” she declared. “I am inspired by your energy, your call to service and scholarship, and your dedication to learning.”
During their time at the School of Nursing and Health Studies (SONHS), the students led community health fairs, performed admirably in large-scale simulated disaster scenarios and on the National Council Licensure Examination for registered nurses, and contributed to the discovery of new knowledge through research. Many were also inducted into Beta Tau, the School’s chapter of Sigma Theta Tau, the International Honor Society of Nursing. “Thank you for continuing to raise the bar for healthcare,” Munro said.
She also recognized SONHS faculty for their critical role in preparing these students to excel. Two faculty members received individual honors based on student voting. Family nurse practitioner Erick Zarabozo, D.N.P. ’17, won the Faculty Clinical Excellence Award. Zarabozo, who joined the SONHS in 2014, said his focus “is to make students succeed and to equip them with the skills they need to provide the best bedside care to those patients.” He felt particularly honored and gratified to know his students “thought of me so highly and recommended me for the award,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting it.”
Carmen Presti, D.N.P. ’12, an assistant professor of clinical and an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner who teaches pathophysiology, role transition, and inter-professional health care, was named SONHS Teacher of the Year. “I am grateful to the SONHS for the opportunity to share my passion for nursing with my students,” said Presti, a two-time past winner of the Faculty Clinical Excellence Award. “This was a wonderful surprise because I am generally thought of as a tough teacher, and it was nice to see students understand that the high standards and rigor of the nursing program are meant to help them become excellent nurses, to benefit their practice and eventually their patients.”
Munro singled out Assistant Professor of Clinical Debbie Anglade, M.S.N. ’10, Ph.D. ’14, for her exceptional leadership of the SONHS Alumni Association, and longtime SONHS employee Jude D’Haiti, B.A. ’18, for earning his bachelor’s degree at UM while working full-time and “giving of his time, funds, and heart to volunteer with our faculty and students in his native Haiti each year.”
“You may be an alumnus of the College of Arts & Sciences now,” Munro told D’Haiti, “but you will always belong to your School of Nursing and Health Studies family.”
Before sending the students off to their next destinations, the dean offered some advice. “You will need to add new knowledge and skills as you progress in your careers, and I hope you will return to us for your continuing education as you advance your profession,” she said. “President Frenk’s initiative is that we will be your education home for life.”
As the ballroom emptied, Elise, B.S.N. ’77, M.S.N. ’81, and Oscar R. Morales, B.S. ’75, M.D. ’79, lingered to savor the moment, snapping photos of daughter Jessica Morales, B.S.N. ’18, now a second-generation ’Cane nurse. “This is an unbelievable experience,” remarked Elise, who met her husband at UM over 40 years ago. Added Oscar, a member of the SONHS Visiting Committee: “As Legacy parents, we’re very, very proud. It’s a wonderful day.”
At the awards reception before Commencement, Carl Leveille celebrated with his mother, Nayara Barros, B.S.N. ’18, and Sheila Lopez Pena, B.S.N. ’18. The three classmates have been inseparable since the start of their B.S.N. program, they said, and plan to go on to get master’s degrees together too. “The program is tough,” Leveille admitted of his time at the SONHS. “But I came here with nothing and I’m leaving with a family, so I can’t complain.”
Besides Leveille, the other individual student award winners for 2018 were Anna Desmarais, B.S.N. ’18, (B.S.N. Excellence in Academic & Clinical Performance Award), Haley E. Jones, B.S.N. ’18 (Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Miami Children’s Health System Pediatric Excellence Award), Rebecca Kingsland, B.S.N. ’18 (Jackson Health System Academic Excellence Award), Casey E. Pearce, B.S.N. ’18 (B.S.N. Excellence in Leadership Award), Nicole L. Taplin, B.S.N. ’18 (Baptist Health of South Florida Service Excellence Award), Ashley E. Temple, M.B.A. ’02, B.S.N. ’18 (University of Miami Hospital Clinical Performance and Service Excellence Award), Alexander J. Thompson, B.S.N. ’18 (B.S.N. Alumni Award), Allison Elizabeth Villane, ’18 (B.S.H.S. Excellence in Academic Performance Award), and Kristiana Lee Yao, B.S.P.H. ’18, B.B.A. ’18 (B.S.P.H. Excellence in Academic Performance Award).
