WESTMONT NEWS
Celebrating the Success of Two Nursing Cohorts
Two pinning ceremonies celebrated graduates of the third (May 2) and fourth (December 12) cohorts of Westmont Downtown Grotenhuis Nursing, who have earned their Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees.
President Gayle D. Beebe expressed gratitude for their willingness to invest in their vocation. “All of us have developed deep appreciation and respect for the role you play in delivering health care,” he said.
In May, student speaker Xotchil Velasquez expanded on a TikTok trend: Things That Will Send Non-Nursing Students into a Coma. She said her cohort had survived three-and-a-half-hour lectures and passed exams that required scores above 75 percent. “The nurses who will win DAISY Awards for outstanding service and will change and challenge healthcare for the better are sitting right in front of me, and I’m so excited to see where life takes them,” Velasquez said.
Di Hoffman, director of the ABSN program, reflected on the growth and accomplishments of the graduating class while emphasizing their holistic education, critical thinking skills and empathy for others.
Drawing from 1 Peter 4:10, she prayed for the graduates to use their gifts to serve others. “May your nursing journey be filled with service, joy, fulfillment and the profound impact that only compassionate care can bring,” she said.
Hoffman gave the Healthcare Achievement Award to Sarah Ducasse in May. Alumnus Ron Peterson ’71 created the award, an engraved Littmann stethoscope, to honor and encourage medical students.
In December, Sadie Hill, a Westmont women’s soccer defender who earned a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology in 2023, reflected on the shared commitment to nursing in the diverse cohort with their varied educational backgrounds and prior careers (read full speech here). They bonded over their experiences and ethical discussions and developed a deep sense of compassion and professionalism.
“By attending a liberal arts nursing school, we gained a holistic perspective toward nursing, allowing us to dig deeply into scary and hard topics to care for patients in their entirety and not be jaded by the complexity of the human experience,” she said. “Our instructors have modeled it. We’re critical thinkers, active learners and ambitious future nurses who seek to influence the culture and standard of care.”
Stephanie Curtis, associate professor and lead instructor and a certified nurse midwife, reflected on her career and the importance of women’s health and maternal and newborn nursing. She emphasized being prepared for emergencies, discussed the students’ mature and compassionate responses to challenging topics, and advised them to aim high, ground themselves and dedicate their work to God.
“Offering my work to God helped me keep that standard high, no matter what,” she said. “I could always be joyful because I knew I was working for somebody who loved me.”
Nurses Begin Their Career with a Medical Mission
A handful of Westmont’s new nurses who graduated in May participated in a medical mission pilot trip to build a relationship with a new health clinic in a southeastern Indian village and apply their training in compassionate care.
“The Hindu and either Dalit or untouchable residents, the lowest caste, lack access to healthcare,” says religious studies professor Charles Farhadian, who led the trip with Heather Kuljian, assistant professor, and Viji Cammauf, president of Little Flock Children’s Homes, which opened the clinic. Farhadian has led other Mayterm trips to the region. Kuljian, director of nursing, provided nursing care, taught health education and assessed community health needs.
The clinic connected with SRM Institute of Science and Technology, a nearby top-ranked private university, which will send a medical doctor every week and establish a pharmacy. “We’re excited about this continuity of care,” Farhadian says.
“What an amazing opportunity to launch our students into their new professions as nurses by grounding their skills in missional, Christ-centered work while learning from an Eastern culture and health delivery model,” Hoffman says.