During National Nurses Week, hundreds of viewers tuned in to Facebook for the School of Nursing and Health Studies’ first-ever Virtual Spring Awards Ceremony.
Traditionally SONHS hosts its pre-commencement event for graduates and their families each Spring and Fall at the University of Miami Shalala Student Center. This time, instead of students, faculty, parents, grandparents, and friends filling the auditorium with applause, they flooded the school’s Facebook comments feed the morning of May 8 with congratulatory messages, orange and green hearts, and emojis of graduation caps and hands throwing up the “U.”
“Congrats to all,” posted former Black Hawk helicopter pilot Taylor Skelton, BSN ’20, who received the Accelerated BSN Excellence in Leadership Award. “Thank you to our educators!”
In addition to the presentation of a dozen individual awards, degree pins were symbolically conferred to the school’s more than 220 new graduates in the following programs: Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing, Master of Science in Health Informatics (online), Bachelor of Science in Nursing (traditional and accelerated), Bachelor of Science in Health Science, and Bachelor of Science in Public Health.
“I have to acknowledge the sense of sadness I imagine we all feel at not being under one roof for this momentous occasion,” said SONHS Dean Cindy L. Munro. However, she continued, “no physical distance can diminish the significance of our educational journey together to this point. … Nothing can separate you from the support of your collegial family, those who know the skills, joys, and sacrifices unique to our health-focused professions.”
Herveline Saintil, BSN ’20, a Foote Fellow graduating magna cum laude with a double major in nursing and psychology, watched with her family via the internet from their Fort Lauderdale home. “My name was the first one called. We were just shocked,” she said of learning she’d won the school’s Traditional BSN Excellence in Academic and Clinical Performance Award. “It brought a tear to my eye. It was very exciting.”
It was bittersweet, too, though, acknowledged Saintil, adding, “I was thinking of how different the moment would have been if I was there in person, but it doesn’t take away from the sentiment and the meaning behind the award. I’m very grateful.”
As a child, Saintil spent many hours in the hospital being treated for sickle cell anemia. Now, after four years of hard work at SONHS, she’s eager to become the kind of compassionate nurse she recalls from those days. She’ll soon have that chance as a new member of Memorial Healthcare System’s nurse residency program. Though her start date was postponed from July to September due to COVID-19, Saintil is undeterred.
“This pandemic has solidified my purpose and reassured me that going into nursing is the best thing I can do to care for patients and be a smiling face they need,” she said. “The University of Miami has gone above and beyond to prepare me for the health care world, and I know I have the power to be an amazing nurse and provide quality care. I know people are losing their lives, and I’m just excited to go into this field and be a helping hand.”
The following are the SONHS Spring 2020 individual awards recipients:
Undergraduate Nursing Awards:
- Traditional BSN Excellence in Academic & Clinical Performance Award: Herveline Saintil
- Traditional BSN Excellence in Leadership Award Matthew C. O’Brien
- Accelerated BSN Excellence in Academic & Clinical Performance Award: Jade Yu De Boer
- Accelerated BSN Excellence in Leadership Award: Taylor Eugene Skelton
Community Partner Awards:
- University of Miami Hospital Clinical Performance & Service Excellence Award: Ashley Danielle Vance
- Jackson Health Systems Academic Excellence Award: Tate Alexander Chambers
- Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, Miami Children’s Health System Pediatric Excellence Award: Mia Sandra Klasner
- VITAS Healthcare, Compassionate Heart Award: Lily Anne Zuker
Undergraduate Health Studies Awards:
- Bachelor of Science in Health Science Excellence in Academic Performance Award: Emily Nicole Kalbac
- Bachelor of Science in Public Health Excellence in Academic Performance Award: Maryam Yasmeen Jawid
Faculty Awards:
- Teacher of the Year Award: Beatriz Valdes, PhD, RN, CHSE (BSN ’99)
- Clinical Excellence Award: Balkys Bivins, PhD, APRN (BSN ’95, MSN ’97)
The following SONHS graduates were also recently recognized at UM during virtual events:
- Cachay Byrd, BSHS ’20, was honored by the Division of Student Affairs as a graduate of the prestigious UM Civic Scholars Program.
- Brianna Scott, BSPH ’20, a public health/Africana studies double major and chair of UM’s Black Student Leadership Caucus, received the Senior Mwambo ceremony’s Nanga Award, presented by Multicultural Student Affairs.
UM’s postponed Spring Commencement ceremonies are rescheduled for December 18 and 19. For updates visit, https://commencement.miami.edu.
