Finger Lakes Health College of Nursing and Health Sciences graduated its ninth class with a pinning ceremony and commencement exercises in May. 47 students were pinned and graduated this year.
The pinning ceremony took place on Friday evening, May 18, at the Geneva Ramada Lakefront. The commencement ceremony, held at The Smith, took place in the afternoon on May 20th. Photos from both events can be viewed on Flickr and accessed from Finger Lakes Health’s website at www.flhealth.org.
Dr. Jose Acevedo, President & CEO of Finger Lakes Health, welcomed students to the commencement ceremony and recognized the faculty for a job well done. Dr. Jose Acevedo gave the President’s Address and Dr. Victoria Record, EdD, RN, Dean of the College gave the Dean’s Address. The Honorable Brian Kolb, New York State Assembly Minority Leader 131st district, gave the keynote address and class president, Scarlette Seaman, gave the class address. Dr. Jose Acevedo, Eileen Gage, VP of Nursing Finger Lakes Health, and Dr. Victoria Record presented the diplomas.
Dr. Victoria Record and Kathy Mills, MS, RN presented special awards. The Staff Choice Award is given to a staff nurse at Geneva General Hospital, who by class vote has influence and improved the learning experiences of the graduates. This year’s graduates chose Rajdeep Bajwa to receive the award.
The Clinical/Simulation Learning Award goes to a faculty member chosen by the class who has demonstrated innovative, structured experiential learning practices or activities in the clinical or lab setting and promoted the development of life-long learning and career skills students can use to transform experience into knowledge. Kelly Bowen was this year’s recipient.
The Student Service Award is given to a member of the Student Services Department who has demonstrated to the student’s outstanding customer service. This year’s Student Service Award went to Karen Cook.
The Academic Achievement Award is an award is given to both a student who started the program in September and to a student that transferred into the program in January. This year’s recipients were Carrie Holcomb and Mia Harper.
Amber Mosher received the Clinical Practice Award, given for outstanding service in medical surgical nursing.
Grace Coley received the Geriatric Practice Award which is given to those individuals who have demonstrated outstanding nursing care to the geriatric population.
The Patricia Schillaci Memorial Award is given to honor Patty Schillaci a nurse at Geneva General Hospital who committed to using technology to enhance patient care delivery. This award, recognizing a student who demonstrated the ability to couple technology with caring compassionate nurse’s care, was presented to Michael Bonner
Finger Lakes Health College of Nursing & Health Sciences Class Choice Award is by class vote, given to the graduate nurse who has demonstrated principles of relationship based care through creating healthy relationships. This year’s class chose Janell Mclawrence to receive the award.
The Outstanding Student Achievement Award, an award given to a student who has demonstrated consistent commitment and growth in the academic and clinical setting, was awarded to Qudsia Mohammadi, Latandrea Wright and Tamara Scott.
The Heart of Nursing Award, given to the graduate who has consistently shown enthusiasm for nursing throughout the program, was awarded to Brittany Cunningham.
The Florence Nightingale Award t is given to the graduate nurse who demonstrates a sprit it improve the healthcare environment. This year’s recipients was Jessica Nocilly.
The Emily Carson Memorial Award, is given in memory of Emily, a 2010 graduate who was an extraordinary nurse, a loving mother, daughter and sister and an unwavering patient advocate. Emily had such a powerful connection to people in our organization and within the community because of her great spirit, warm sense of humor, dedication to the nursing profession and the compassion she displayed for her patients. Amanda Brown was honored with this award.
The William J. DiCicco Memorial Award is given to the graduate nurse who exhibits the attributes that Bill demonstrated through his life; devotion to family, a strong work ethic, the value of education and love of country. This year’s recipient was Sheena Bozman.
The Aubrey DeMillo Memorial Award is given in honor of Aubrey, a member of the Class of 2013. This award is given to a graduate who shares the same philosophy of nursing that Aubrey evidenced with every interaction she had with patients, peers and faculty; patience, compassion, determination to learn, confidence and passion. Jessica Leone was presented with this award.
In honor and recognition of James J. Dooley, past long-tenured President & CEO of Finger Lakes Health, who served as the first President of the Finger Lakes Health College of Nursing,the James J. Dooley Memorial Award was presented to Heather Reed for serving as a role model and mentor to others and demonstrating a love for family, community and the healthcare profession.
The Graduate Nurse Engagement Award, recognizing a graduate nurse who has demonstrated the 5 C’s: Clarity, Competency, Confidence, Collaboration, and Commitment, was presented to Amanda Whitmore.
The Susan O’Brian Cecere Memorial Award is given to the graduate who has displayed genuine caring for classmates as well as patients. This graduate displays selfless acts and affects everyone around them with their obvious caring qualities, calm demeanor and nurturing personality. This year’s recipient was Carrie Holcomb.
Finger Lakes Health College of Nursing Five Star Bank Scholarships for $2,500 each were awarded to two students who completed their first year of the Finger Lakes Health College of Nursing RN program. The funds will be allocated to support the students second and final year of the program. This year’s recipients were Brittany Updike and Morgan Smalls.
Finger Lakes Health College of Nursing graduates for 2018 are Lucy Bamberger (Rochester), Brittany Bianchi (Rochester), Michael Bonner (Auburn), Dedevie Booth (Canandaigua), Sheena Bozman (Gates), Kelly Bradford (Webster), Hannah Bradley (Stanley), Amanda Brown (Branchport), Snizhana Carroll(Keuka Park), Octavia Christian (Rochester), Lisa Clark (Rochester), Grace Coley (Rochester), Kathleen Cook (Auburn), Brittany Cunningham (Watkins Glen), Kendall Cyr (Canandaigua), Katelyn Farron (Palmyra), Mikka Gates (Canandaigua), Mia Harper (Canandaigua), Denasia Hayes (Henrietta), Megan Hill (Penn Yan), Carrie Holcomb (Interlaken), Stephanie Lareau (Ontario), Kimberly Leonard (Rochester), Jessica Leone (Newark), Olga Levchuk (Brockport), Casey Lupian (Auburn), Trista Mann (Auburn), Frederick Mbuyee (Rochester), Janell McLawrence (Brooklyn), Qudsia Mohammadi (Rochester), Amber Mosher (Waterloo), Brandy Mosher (Waterloo), Persephone Nelson (North Chili), Jessica Nocilly (Auburn), Jonique Ponder (Rochester), Heather Reed (Ovid), Christina Ritchlin (Canandaigua), Anna Rohr (Macedon), Tamara Scott (Rochester), Scarlette Seaman (Rochester), Tina Stein (Williamson), Nichole Ripoll (Baldwinsville), Amanda Whitmore (Williamson), Angela Thom (Rochester), Marissa Wyskowski (Auburn), Kristine Wilson (Rochester) and Latandrea Wright (Rochester).
Finger Lakes Health College of Nursing and Health Sciences offers flexibility to students seeking an associate’s degree in Applied Science with a major in nursing. As a privileged part of Geneva General Hospital, its unique hospital-based program allows for students to gain clinical experience on its campus in Geneva, NY. Finger Lakes Health College of Nursing also has a dual degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree in partnership with Keuka College.