June 2022 Graduates
Trinitas Regional Medical Center’s School of Nursing Celebrates Graduates at Commencement Ceremony
Elizabeth, NJ–Trinitas Regional Medical Center’s School of Nursing recently celebrated 49 graduates at its 168th commencement ceremony. The graduation ceremony featured a traditional pinning ceremony that symbolizes a rite of passage into the professional world of nursing and the nurse’s commitment to those they care for.
While nursing school is uniquely challenging for all who enroll, the students that made up Trinitas Regional Medical Center’s School of Nursing class of 2022 faced unprecedented challenges throughout their two-and-a-half year nursing school journeys which started in January 2020 just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. During that time the students navigated multiple challenges with resilience including transitioning between remote and in-person learning multiple times, adhering to safety protocols including smaller clinical groups, social distancing, mandatory masking and face shields, COVID screening, weekly COVID testing and relocating on campus after Hurricane Ida flooded the Trinitas School of Nursing educational center on the Union County College Campus. Additionally, nursing students in the class of 2022 participated in vaccination efforts with supervision from faculty, administering some of the first COVID vaccines to the community.
“It is my pleasure to congratulate the Trinitas School of Nursing Class of 2022,” said Gary S. Horan, FACHE, President & Chief Executive Officer, Trinitas Regional Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas Health facility. “The past two and a half years have been unexpected and unforgettable, but our nursing students rose to every challenge they were faced with. We are very proud of students as well as our faculty and staff, for doing this important work during a very challenging situation, all while keeping with the mission of Trinitas Regional Medical Center upholding a commitment to providing high-quality care to a diverse population.”
Akosua Amekudzi-Arkoh
Norician Florentyna Marie Anderson
Phoebe Araujo-Misitichi
Mary Gorety Awino
Alexander D. Bautista
Lory Y. Caicedo
David Cannon Jr.
Tiana Lissette Herrera Castillo
Jacqueline Carpio
Keyla Janeth Cruz
Frank M. DeGeorge
Myriam F. Dessources
Talisha Devoe
Altagracia R. Diaz Hernandez
Luis Yordano Garcia Hernandez
Jed Domingo
Wanda Duchard
Branden Embree
Eliana A Escarria
Kimberly Akemi Hirakawa Flores
Analiz Garcia
Taisha L. Georges
Sasha B. Gibbs
Lucia Gimenez Gonzalez
Nicole S. Irvine
Vianca Marie Jeffrey
Winsha Julien
Mackenzie A. Keim
Rashidatu Al-Jannah Kwarteng
Mayra E. Leon-Machare
Sarah Levin
Jeanine R. Maiello
Annabel Mejia Rodriguez
Jhon Alejandro Mesa-Bedoya
Jasmina Milord
Juliana Z. Njuakang
Mark Bethwell Opolot
Olubusayo U. Osunsanya
Mohanakala Pakeerathan
Elizabeth Pena
Jessica Pineda
Danielle Nichole Pisano
Sandjina Preval
Martinha S. Rodrigues
Sarai Santos
Jennifer M. Scotto
Jennifer L. Skeenes
Antonio Eduardo Teruel
Angela R. Thomas
Established in 1891, the Trinitas School of Nursing is fully accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Nursing Education, Inc. and the New Jersey State Board of Nursing. In 1971, the School made a commitment to serve educationally disadvantaged students, the non-traditional, and those seeking a second career and/or career mobility. This commitment resulted in the formation of a Cooperative Nursing Program (CNP) in partnership with Union College, which allows students in the CNP to graduate with a Diploma in Nursing from Trinitas School of Nursing and an Associates in Science from Union College. Upon graduation, all students are also eligible to sit for the National Council Licensing Examination for Registered Nurse Licensure. (NCLEX).
Trinitas School of Nursing is committed to providing and sustaining an excellent nursing education program for a diverse student population representative of the community Trinitas Regional Medical Center serves in Elizabeth, NJ. On average, 81 percent of Trinitas School of Nursing students represent ethnic minority groups, contributing to the cultural diversification of the nursing workforce. In the Spring of 2021, the demographic profile of the school showed that: 37% of the students were African American, 7% Asian, 13% Caucasian and 33% Hispanic. For more information about the Trinitas School of Nursing, please visit: https://trinitasschoolofnursing.org/.
About Trinitas Regional Medical Center
Trinitas Regional Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, was established in 2000 following the consolidation of Elizabeth General Medical Center and St. Elizabeth Hospital. Previously in 1990, Elizabeth General acquired the Alexian Brothers Hospital, also in Elizabeth. The spirit of the three Elizabeth hospitals lives on in Trinitas, a major center for comprehensive health services for those who live and work in Central New Jersey. Trinitas is a Catholic teaching medical center with Catholic oversight provided by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth. With 12 Centers of Excellence across the continuum of care, Trinitas has distinguished itself in cardiology, cancer care, behavioral health, renal care, nursing education, diabetes management, wound healing, breast health, senior’s health care, women's health care, and sleep medicine. For more information, visit https://www.rwjbh.org/trinitas-regional-medical-center/, or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.