Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing’s 2024 Convocation Ceremony

September 27, 2024

The College of Nursing’s Annual Convocation held on the Boca Raton campus on Friday, Sept. 27 brought together students, faculty, staff, alumni and special guests to officially kick off the academic semester and welcome new and returning students. Alumna speaker Dr. Jinga Oglesby-Brihm, founder and CEO of Empower Healthcare, Inc., shared her encouragement and wisdom for the nursing students, “it takes a village to support, to create and sustain a compassionate well-rounded nurse.”

PhD student Hécto Rosso Diaz, a “Watson Caring Science Institute” Senior Scholar, expressed his deep passion for the field of nursing and encouraged lifelong learning, “I have always felt a great admiration for this profession,” he said. “I began learning about nursing when I was 18 and never stopped wanting to learn. Now, I am over 50-years-old and I continue to study this field, growing professionally and as a human.”

Abigail Little, president of the college’s Student Nurses’ Association, described her journey as a nursing student. “By being involved with SNA, I have been able to make valuable connections within the local community by volunteering and participating in various events,” she remarked. “It is also a great way to strengthen relationships with fellow students in the nursing program.”

The event concluded with keynote speaker Dr. Marlaine Smith, Professor Emerita and Director of the Anne Boykin Institute for the Advancement of Caring in Nursing. Dean Smith read the words of Dean Anne Boykin who was unable to attend the ceremony. Dean Boykin began with “This address is for the students. I would like to begin by welcoming you to the dance of caring persons. This dance represents for us a special way of being in a relationship. It communicates the values we hold. The dance calls for us to live a commitment to know ourselves and others as caring. To enter nursing because you care is an important beginning, but to live and grow in caring in the professional sense requires a lifetime of disciplinary effort.”  

To view photos from the program, click HERE .