UMass Chan pinning ceremony welcomes 35 students to nursing profession

The Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing at UMass Chan Medical School recognized 35 new nurses from prior careers in fields such as construction, behavioral therapy and human resources at the annual Graduate Entry Pathway (GEP) Pinning Ceremony on Monday, Sept. 8. The ceremony, which can be watched on YouTube, acknowledges each student’s successful qualification as a registered nurse with additional study leading to a Doctor of Nursing Practice or a PhD in nursing. 

“We’re marking the end of an academic chapter, and welcoming the start of lives dedicated to service, healing and humanity,” said Akwasi A. Duah, PhD’17, RN, assistant professor of nursing and director of the Graduate Entry Pathway Program. 

“The nursing pin represents a calling to service, a lifelong journey of learning and the trust society places in you as guardians of health,” said Joan Vitello-Cicciu, PhD, the Donna M. and Robert J. Manning Chair in Nursing, dean of the Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing and professor of nursing, noting that she herself was a second-career nurse.  

“As a proud Lao American, from a family of refugees, and the first generation to be born here, this moment means more than I can say—not just for me, but for the journey it represents,” class speaker Saylee “Timmy” Phongsamphanh said in his remarks. “We came into this program from all walks of life—wedding cake bakers, researchers, teachers or those already working in health care. I co-owned a roofing business and trained as an electrician, then became an EMT. At UMass Chan, we grew into the kind of people you’d want at your bedside on the worst day of your life.” 

Several awards were presented. Fuller Hospital was recognized as Outstanding Clinical Partner and Carole Aghassi, MSN, RN, instructor in nursing, earned the Outstanding Preceptor Award. 

Seven GEP students earned honors for remarkable achievements: Abigail Patnaude and Benjamin Popkes received the Academic Excellence Award; Maegan Daly and Robert “Bobby” Muniz accepted the Award for Clinical Excellence; Marie Wing-Maher and Rafael Ray Reformado received the Spirit of Nursing Award; and Kay-Ann Davis accepted the Student Daisy Award. 

“I love one-on-one patient connection, giving great care and spending time with my patients,” said Davis, who grew up in Jamaica and moved to Boston to work as a nursing assistant at Massachusetts General Hospital before entering the GEP program. “Winning this award means advocating for patients, working above and beyond just the nursing title, and putting my whole heart and spirit into nursing.” 

Nursing student Stefanie Valladares of Franklin discovered she passed the National Council Licensure Examination while preparing for her pinning ceremony. The mother of three shared that she pivoted to a nursing career after her father was hospitalized. 

“My father was in the ICU for years on and off, so I was the family member who appreciated his nurses and later wanted to provide clinical care and emotional support for patients and families,” said Valladares, a student in the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Track of the DNP program. “Before nursing, I was a little bit of everything. I was a stay-at-home mom for a while, a server for a long time, worked as an AVR tech, worked as a chiropractic technician and did insurance administration. I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up, but I finally found where I’m supposed to be now.” 

The Graduate Entry Pathway Class of 2025 is listed below: