Montgomery County Community College celebrated the graduation of 27 nurses during a special pinning ceremony on the Blue Bell Campus. Photo by Linda Johnson
Surrounded by the cheers and applause of family and friends, 27 graduates of the Dr. Stuart H. & Sandra K. Fine Nursing Program at Montgomery County Community College celebrated their milestone achievement, marking the beginning of their careers as nurses.
The College honored the occasion with a special pinning ceremony at the Montco Cultural Center theater on the Blue Bell Campus on May 19. Organized by Pinning Ceremony Committee Co-chairs, Alexandra Bruecks and Caroline Thomas, the event featured inspiring speakers, the presentation of nursing pins and the recitation of the nursing oath.
Upon successful completion of the Dr. Stuart H. & Sandra K. Fine Nursing Program and the NCLEX-RN, graduates may directly enter the workforce as registered nurses and/or seamlessly transfer to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. Some of MCCC’s top transfer schools include Drexel University, Penn State University and West Chester University.
Many of MCCC’s nursing graduates are employed at hospitals, physicians’ offices, clinics and other healthcare settings across Montgomery County and the region. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 2024 median pay for registered nurses is more than $93,600 per year, and the 10-year job growth rate is 5%, which is higher than average.
At the beginning of the ceremony, Dr. Suzanne del Gizzo, Dean of Liberal Studies, gave the opening remarks.
“You are medical professionals. You are nurses,” said Dr. del Gizzo. “But as you stand
here in celebration and jubilance, we also know that behind this moment there were
countless others: long nights of studying, clinicals that tested your confidence,
and moments of exhaustion, sacrifice, stress and doubt. There were likely times when
you wondered whether you would make it to this day, but you kept going. Through discipline,
resilience and determination, you earned your place here.”
Following Dr. del Gizzo’s remarks, the keynote speaker, Christine Dunigan, DNP, RN, MCCC Associate Professor of Nursing, offered her congratulations.
“When I first met you, I told you that I have been a nurse for 41 years and that I
absolutely love being a nurse,” said Dr. Dunigan. “As you begin your new journey as
a graduate nurse, I hope you dream big and that you attain all of them. My wish for
you is that you will cherish your nursing career as much as I cherish mine. Speaking
for the nursing faculty, congratulations to all of you.”
After listening to the history of the pinning ceremony, the graduates individually crossed the stage to receive the special tokens from nursing faculty. Collectively, they recited the Nightingale Pledge, a traditional oath named after Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.
The 2026 Spring graduating class includes Anthonia Adekunle, Lansdowne; Joan Barrios, Croydon; James Berg, Willow Grove; Lina Birman, Huntingdon Valley; Alexandra Bruecks, Lansdale; Madison Conti, Green Lane; Ymeiry Delgado, Warminster; Raul Garcia-Nepomuceno, Norristown; Aiden Gawel, Abington; David Gawel, Abington; Julie Goldsmith, Warminster; Abbigail Kern; Nicole Kleiner, Harleysville; Chaiyah Levy; Destiny Lignore; Mariel Mateo Santana, Willow Grove; Nathaniel McCourt; Grace McLaughlin; Joshua Monastero, Royersford; Rabiya Rabbi, Harleysville; Danielle Saraiva, Plymouth Meeting; Peyton Shuler, Souderton; Patrina Smith-Massey; Caroline Thomas, Phoenixville; Makayla Thompson, Telford; Javier Torres Rodriguez, Pottstown; and Lesly Munoz-Cervantes, Norristown.
This year’s student speaker, David Gawel, had the special experience of sharing his
nursing journey with his son, Aiden Gawel, who also graduated.
With a touch of humor, David Gawel opened his speech by joking with his classmates, “When I started the program, many of you thought I would be collecting Social Security by now rather than graduating.”
He went on to reflect that although the journey was difficult at times, the challenges made them stronger.
“We didn’t get here because it was easy. We got here because we learned to endure,” he said. “Nursing is hard. It is physically demanding, emotionally draining, and intellectually exhausting.”
Through all the intense situations, he said, he has tried to keep a positive attitude,
citing a favorite quote by Albert Einstein: “There are only two ways to live your
life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is
a miracle.”
He said if you choose the first path, you only see patients as room numbers and tasks to be completed, but if you choose the second, you’ll see all the miracles that happen every day.
The ceremony concluded with remarks by Kyle Raczynski, MSN, RN, Director of the Dr. Stuart H. & Sandra K. Fine Nursing Program.
“Congratulations! This moment reflects your hard work, dedication and unwavering determination,”
Raczynski said. “Through it all, you’ve shown not only your intelligence but your
compassion, and that will make all the difference in the lives of your patients.”
For more information about MCCC’s Dr. Stuart H. & Sandra K. Fine Nursing Program, including details about the online information sessions, visit mc3.edu/nursing.
