Congratulations to the 2024 graduating class! We are so proud of the inquisitive nursing professional you have become. During this important time, you will be shaping patient care and finding smarter ways to serve your patients and our communities. The knowledge that starts here spreads out with every graduate from the College of Nursing. That is us – that is you! Go Lobos!
Thursday, December 12, 2024
UNM Popejoy Hall
Students & Faculty Arrive at 2:45 PM
Ceremony Starts at 3:30 PM
All Students and Guests must have a ticket to enter the venue
We are proud to share the speech delivered by Alex Braverman, the student speaker for the Fall 2024 College of Nursing Convocation. Alex was part of the first Accelerated 2nd Degree BSN cohort to graduate.
"It’s difficult to culminate over a year’s worth of adversity, moments of relief, waves of disheartenment and glimpses of progress into a single statement. Over the course of 16 months, we progressed day by day, which to us may have felt like an eternity, but to those along for the ride, we finished exactly what we set out to start in the blink of an eye. I realize, with the friends and family joining us today, that many of us have not met each other yet. As the most integral part of our success, you have been on the other end of numerous phone calls, tears of regret and perhaps a few recounted days when we acknowledged we’re doing exactly what we’re meant to do. Your unwavering presence and confidence in your person’s journey that you are here for today, was shared between each one of us as we interwove our support systems to steadily (with excessive but warranted complaints) take care of each other. There’s nothing like a good ice breaker to get to know one another even better, so here is ours for today; the group introduction game where you will be guessing two truths and lie about moments from nursing school.
Statement #1: On day one of clinicals I walked into a patient room, introduced myself as the patient’s name instead of my own, thought I was cleaning my hands with hand sanitizer, but really it was soap, and walked out after having stood there silently for 5 minutes, with soapy hands, trying to subtly count respirations but not actually counting anything because I was standing too far away from the patient. Statement #2: on average we spent at least 1,300 hours enduring time in class and clinical, with another 1,000 hours of studying and submitting assignments, 99% of those assignments were submitted at 11:59pm on the due date. Statement #3: there wasn’t a single moment when we questioned what we were doing here and how we could get out. I’ll give you a hint, we had A LOT of questions about our status and contrived escape plans. Honestly, we still do, but there is enough of a thrill in balancing our belief in ourselves, with facing our own doubts and fears to continue seeing where this all goes.
Two truth and a lie can certainly paint the picture of our first moments on the hospital floor, distaste for homework, and temptation by the exit door. However, I think it’s finally time to shift the narrative to where we are now and where we WILL go; savoring the satisfaction, reward and gratitude for what we just finished. After an intro comes the deeper, more vulnerable opportunity to reminisce; a good reason for all of us to show up here today. So, after two truths and a lie, here are your 3 reflections and 1 feeling to acquaint yourself with the long-awaited close to nursing school.
Reflect on your curiosity. Curiosity is the engine for your practice. It’s the thrill of knowing a little bit more than you did yesterday, and the foundation for your spirit in this field. Remember in your first clinical rotation, following closely behind the nurse, but not too close, and getting that hit of enthusiasm by knowing where to fill up the patient water cups and where to find the Jello? Curiosity has taken us a long way from the comfort of the water and snack stations on the floor. Reflect on your tools. What do you say to yourself to calm your nerves? Who do you text when you need a good laugh. Remember week 1 when we received those black briefcases brimming with foley catheters, IV bags and wound care equipment, with the looming expectation that we would know how to use them someday? Well, those tools and knowledge are forever part of your practice now. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, remember your team. We are the people who will laugh with you about asking the fake, mannequin patient during simulation lab, to wiggle his toes for you. We will walk right into your day and build you up, validate your presence in these complicated, emotional and chaotic days, and let you know that despite your own uncertainty, you are the best nurse for the job.
We went from operating in complete unknown to owning our curiosity, finding our tools and leaning on our teammates for guidance and support. This reminded me of a book I read (not a textbook, believe it or not) called One Giant Leap, about the first U.S. mission to the moon and formation of the space program. In the race to make the impossible possible, there only existed a starter crew of humans, with an intention to create, explore and to land on a distant object. As the first cohort of our ABSN program, we formed our crew with the simple aspirations to learn, advance and eventually navigate towards an RN; building our networks, successes, mistakes and knowledge along the way. Over time we became a family, we checked in about each other’s first experience in a rapid response, taught family members about their child’s illness, surpassed our own expectations for how meaningful clean sheets and a bed bath can be for a human with human needs, and eventually landed on what once felt like a foreign object thousands of lightyears away: nursing. Going to the moon was about taking a risk to do something spectacular. It was about transcending doubts, being bold, knowing the destination was barely visible at times, but doing it anyway. And that’s just what we did, as a team.
One giant leap from wherever we came from to a landing that wasn’t necessarily perfect, but it’s a true mark of how far passion, kindness, some really good humor and the ultimate confidence in each other can take us, both in this field and in our lives. And here’s where the one feeling comes in. Think about the way we’ve held space for each other, inviting vulnerability, sharing fears, and finding a smile. Understanding each other’s humanness and the little things we loved to do to make the day better; the laughs outside room 257, so many coffees, lying on the grass swapping vacation dreams; that spirit of energy, connection and ability to comfort is what we bring to nursing. Feeling the power to invite openness in healing, to dream big, to love your community and to love yourself, that’s how it feels to land on our moon. Relative to the rest of our careers this may have felt like the “one small step” along the way. However, the captivating impression of our moment, right now, is that it really was “one giant leap” to a fulfilling, proud and defining moment as new nurses. And once this time of much-deserved reflections and feeling has settled, then we can begin working on our next landing."
Students will not receive their diploma at Convocation or Commencement. Official diplomas are mailed by the UNM Office of the Registrar 6-8 weeks after the end of the semester. If there are questions regarding diplomas or transcripts, students should contact the Office of the Registrar at (505) 277-8900 or by email at degrees@unm.edu
The College of Nursing Spring Convocation is held each May during the last week of the semester and is typically scheduled towards the end of the week just prior to the University’s official Commencement Ceremony. This formal convocation in academic regalia recognizes the graduates from the undergraduate and graduate programs. Students graduating in the Spring semester as well as those who graduated in the previous fall semester are invited to attend the Spring Convocation.
The specific date and time for the Spring Convocation will be emailed to graduating students by the first week of February each year once confirmed with the University.
The College of Nursing Summer Convocation is held each August during the last week of the semester and is typically scheduled towards the end of the week prior to the University’s official Commencement Ceremony. This formal convocation in academic regalia recognizes the graduates from the undergraduate and graduate programs. Students graduating in the Summer semester are invited to attend the Summer Convocation.
The College of Nursing Summer Convocation is held each December during the last week of the semester and is typically scheduled towards the end of the week. This formal convocation in academic regalia recognizes the graduates from the undergraduate and graduate programs. Students graduating in the Summer semester are invited to attend the Summer Convocation.
The specific date and time for the Spring Convocation will be emailed to graduating students by the first week of September each year once confirmed with the University.
It’s time to take your nursing career to the next level.
Our graduate students define the care of New Mexico. They conduct groundbreaking research. They even shape health policy. Not to mention, educate and lead the future of nursing. Taught and mentored by faculty who are leading the nation in nursing science.
