At first, Lissette Gutierrez was scared. “I didn’t think I’d get accepted,” she said. “I didn’t think I was smart enough. It had been years since I’d been in school. I was working full time. But I said yes.” Gutierrez, M.S.N. ’25, shared her story of earning a Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) degree on the Family Nurse Practitioner track as the faculty-nominated speaker for the School of Nursing and Health Studies Summer 2025 Graduate Awards Ceremony.
The school’s pinning and award ceremonies are a longstanding tradition. This summer’s took place August 1 at the Lakeside Village Expo Center for 148 newly minted M.S.N., Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.), and Post-Master’s Certificate graduates and their guests. Addressing an audience of about 400, Gutierrez opened with another admission. “I’ll be honest,” she said. “Public speaking is one of my biggest fears and I thought, if I can get through this nurse practitioner program, I can do anything!” During her brief remarks Gutierrez reflected on her 20-year nursing journey, from pediatrics to adult care to the pandemic. “My unit became the COVID floor,” she said. “That was my crash course in life, loss, resilience. It reminded me that nursing is about courage in the face of the unknown.”
Gutierrez experienced that deep well of courage first-hand after her father and sister died in two consecutive semesters during her M.S.N. program. “I wanted to give up,” she confided. “But this program, this community, became my anchor. It gave me purpose when everything felt uncertain. As alone as I felt at times, I did not walk this road alone.” In fact, she said, these profound losses, as well as other personal setbacks, like two prior back surgeries, fostered her “full-circle” moment of becoming an advanced practice nurse committed to caring for “every person with dignity and empathy.”
Gutierrez, who currently manages four UHealth multispecialty clinics, concluded by urging her fellow graduates—her “village”—to keep saying “yes” on their own life journeys. “Today, I stand here a proud Cane, a proud nurse practitioner, and a proud representative of every single one of us who chose to take this step,” she said. “We did it. We stepped out of our comfort zones, and if we can do this, we can do anything!”
Awards announced
Marking his first anniversary as the school’s dean, Hudson P. Santos Jr. praised the graduating class for their resolve and vision. “As nurse practitioners, you will be vital to strengthening our health systems. Your advocacy has the power to enact real change,” he said. Like Gutierrez, he also urged them to embrace their future opportunities with courage. “Don’t be afraid of technology,” he said. “It won’t replace you!”
Dean Santos and faculty leaders announced four individual awards during the event. The Master of Science in Nursing Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Excellence in Academic and Clinical Performance Award went to Reinier Acosta Perez, B.S.N. ’18, M.S.N. ’25. The Master of Science in Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner Excellence in Academic and Clinical Performance Award went to Nia Washington, B.S.N. ’21, M.S.N. ’25.
Associate Professor of Clinical Patricia Larrieu-Jimenez received an enthusiastic standing ovation from her students when she was announced as recipient of The DAISY Award® for Extraordinary Nurse Educators in 2025 from the School of Nursing and Health Studies. “I feel very emotional,” she said after the ceremony. “I’m very proud of my students.” The school’s DAISY Award® for Extraordinary Nursing Students went to M.S.N. Family Nurse Practitioner graduate Evelyn L. Santos Guerrero, M.S.N. ’25, a registered nurse at Miami’s Bruce W. Carter Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
“I’m so proud to receive my first DAISY Award for maintaining my compassion and loving what I do,” said Santos, who was a medical doctor in Ecuador before starting her journey as a nurse in the States. “Our culture, and our population, at the VA Medical Center is totally different from other hospitals. I really love caring for the people who served our country.” Even though she is done with her degree, Santos said she plans to “keep studying, keep educating myself so I can do better every day.”
The DAISY Award is a well-known recognition program that celebrates extraordinary nurses around the world by collecting nominations from patients, families, co-workers, and, more recently, students and educators. Local organizations present the award in partnership with the nonprofit DAISY Foundation, which was created by the family of J. Patrick Barnes in honor of his nurses.
’Cane family pride
The ceremony continued with each graduate called to the stage individually to receive their school nursing pin. “These pins distinguish you as ’Cane Nurses with a long and proud legacy!” said Dean Santos. For Ventasia Smith, M.S.N. ’25, that legacy stretches back nearly a quarter century to her mother, Venus Miller, M.S.N. ’02, a psychiatric nurse practitioner and program graduate.
Their family’s ’Cane legacy could well extend another 25 years, as Smith’s cheering section included her 3- and 5-year-old sons. Smith, meanwhile, said she hopes to continue following her mother’s footsteps by becoming an adjunct professor for the school as well.
After the event, which concluded with a class photo, Harry Rodriguez stood alone at the side of the Expo Center auditorium, holding a colorful summer bouquet for his daughter, Valentina Rodriguez, M.S.N. ’25, as he waited patiently for her and his wife to reemerge from the phalanx of family members crowding the stage to take selfies with their graduates. “My wife is a nurse at UM, so this really does feel great,” he said. “It feels like mission accomplished!”
These University Centennial summer graduates, who had the option to walk in the Spring or Fall 2025 commencement ceremonies, must now pass their national boards to be certified as advanced practice nurse practitioners in their chosen specialty. Nurse practitioner, or advanced practice nurse, continues to be considered a fast-growing career, topping popular job lists such as 100 Best Jobs, Best Health Care Jobs, and Best STEM Jobs.
Learn more about our advanced practice degree programs at sonhs.miami.edu/academics.
View the event Photo Gallery.
