The newest class of Knight nurses is ready to Charge On to care for the community as providers, leaders, educators and researchers.
On Friday afternoon, UCF will award 379 nursing degrees and graduate certificates at the Spring 2024 commencement ceremony at Addition Financial Arena.
The newest class of Knight nurses will join more than 16,000 UCF nursing alumni across the state and nation to positively impact the health of their communities and answer a call for more nurses from the bedside to the classroom.
New Knight Nurses Answering the Call
Of the more than 300 students graduating with a bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN), nearly 200 are newly licensed nurses and will join the frontline to help address the critical nursing shortage.
Among the Spring Class of 2024 graduates is Rebekah May who was awarded UCF’s Order of Pegasus, the highest student honor recognizing exceptional achievements. May credits the college’s faculty and instructors to her success.
“They truly care about my success as a student and as a future nurse leader. If I had not had that level of encouragement, I would not have dreamed so big,” she says.
In addition, 54 academically talented and high-achieving students earned the distinction of graduating with University Academic Honors — five students achieved the accomplishment of graduating with a perfect 4.0 GPA:
- Anna Bettis
- Marissa DeJesus
- Abby Kuczajda
- Mariia Nuzhnaia
- Jasmin Wieloszynski
In addition, 19 nursing students graduated from UCF’s Burnett Honors College and 12 of which completed an Honors Undergraduate Thesis to contribute to and advance nursing science.
At yesterday’s College of Nursing recognition ceremony, a time-honored tradition to honor graduating student achievements, four students were recognized with awards from UCF’s hospital partners.
- Yahav Keren Tzur, Orlando Health Student Excellence Award
- Faith Perkins, AdventHealth Mission of Excellence Award
- Gianna Rivera, AdventHealth North Mission of Excellence Award
- Mariia Nuzhnaia, Parrish Medical Center’s S.L.I.C.E.S. Student Nurse Award
New Knight Nurse Practitioners, Leaders and Educators
In the Spring Class of 2024, 31 students will graduate with a master’s degree in nursing (MSN) completed one of UCF’s online programs, which are ranked among the nation’s best. Those programs include Nurse Educator, Leadership and Management, and Healthcare Simulation.
Sixteen students graduated with Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree, from the nurse executive, advanced practice nurse, and nurse practitioner programs. These graduates each completed a quality improvement scholarly project and will continue to make an impact as practitioners and leaders at the highest level.
To view all doctoral scholarly projects and more details on the Spring Class of 2024, click here.
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