Since its inception in 2009, the Alice Ramez Chagoury School of Nursing (ARCSON) had, among its many objectives, a clear aim to establish a solid community of nurses on campus and beyond. As 72 graduating nurses walked on stage to receive the school’s honorary pins and launch their careers at the 10th Annual Pinning Ceremony, there was no doubt that the aim was realized, celebrated and strengthened.

“Today we fully appreciate the pivotal role of nurses and assign a top premium to their education, training, and continued professional development,” affirmed LAU President Michel E. Mawad in his opening remarks.

He motivated the graduating students to take note of the human dimension in healing. “The nursing profession is always in need of human interaction involving compassion, understanding, empathy, emotional intelligence, listening, kindness, and patience,” added Dr. Mawad.

Interim Dean Costantine Daher reminded the graduates that their profession is ever evolving and urged them to embrace new challenges and opportunities. “Advancements in technology, breakthroughs in medical research, and shifting demographics demand that we remain steadfast in our pursuit of knowledge,” he said.

Dr. Daher encouraged them to commit to lifelong learning, to “continue to push the boundaries of your expertise, be advocates for change, champions of innovation, and beacons of progress within your profession.”

Hoping that this first decade of ARCSON will be the first of many, Program Director Bahia Abdallah recognized the students’ diligence throughout the hardships that collided with their formative years. “You have spent more than half of this academic journey under the most challenging of circumstances and one day you will appreciate the magnitude of the situation that you not only survived but actually flourished in,” she said.

Dr. Abdallah further noted how their generation is the country’s “hope for a better future, infusing empathy into healthcare,” as they become “advocates and future leaders dedicated to improving the health of the people of Lebanon, the Middle East and the world.”

She highlighted how nurses “can influence policy discussions, policymaking, health policy development and implementation and shape the future of healthcare.”

Reflecting on the school’s early years, ARCSON Founding Dean and keynote speaker Nancy Hoffart recalled how the very first class of LAU nurses consisted of 13 students. She spoke about how the adoption of the Interprofessional Education Program helped them widen their sense of community as nursing students engaged with peers from the health sciences, nutrition and social work programs.

“It is the integration of skills and compassion with the knowledge base from the physical and social sciences and the data generated from clinical research that make a professional nurse,” said Dr. Hoffart.

At the event, the late nursing student Mohammed Hajjaj was remembered and honored by the school and his colleagues.

An honorary plaque was presented at the ceremony to Wildlife Photographer, philanthropist, and owner of Dima Healthcare Michel Zoghzoghi, in recognition of his generous support of the school, where he had established the Dima Healthcare Scholarship Fund to benefit nursing students in need of financial support for the past ten years.

After the graduates received their pins at the ceremony, class speaker Samira Shaaran celebrated the joy of graduation and extended her thanks to family and friends. The momentous occasion, she told her peers, was also about “the patients we will look after, the families we will assist and the communities we will serve while upholding the values of our school and the moral standards of our profession.”

The following students were also recognized at the ceremony:

• Dean’s Inspirational Award: Arwa Jomaa
• Dean’s Award for Clinical Excellence: Valyria Nasr
• President’s Award: Marianne Papazian
• Torch Award: Charbel Kosseifi
• Lions Club Award: Yassine Jazieh