Brookdale Celebrates 56 Nursing Graduates at 2026 Pinning Ceremony

Brookdale Celebrates 56 Nursing Graduates at 2026 Pinning Ceremony
Dean Dr. Jayne Edman recognized for decades of leadership in a program serving students since 1974

Brookdale Community College proudly celebrated the achievements of 56 nursing graduates during its 2026 Nursing Pinning Ceremony, a deeply meaningful tradition that welcomes students into one of the most trusted and essential professions.

The ceremony brought together faculty, families, and distinguished guests to honor a graduating class defined by resilience, compassion, and perseverance. It also marked a poignant milestone for Jayne Edman, EdD, RN, Dean, School of Health Sciences, whose efforts have helped shape and sustain Brookdale’s highly competitive nursing program, a program that now maintains a waitlist and a reputation for excellence.

“This is the most challenging program at Brookdale, and you stand here as its graduates,” said President David M. Stout, PhD. “You have demonstrated incredible perseverance and emotional resilience. Few callings are more important than preparing graduates who will go on to save lives.”

The evening opened with a welcome from graduate Silvanna Greaux, who reflected on the diverse and nontraditional paths that led her classmates to this moment.

“We are not typical students,” Greaux, said. “We came from different backgrounds, careers, and walks of life. We balanced work, family, and real-life responsibilities, but through it all, we had each other. We became more than classmates. We became a community.”

Graduate speaker Caitlin Caruso echoed that sentiment, highlighting the determination and strength shared across the class.

“We didn’t just go to school; we built our lives around it,” Caruso said. “There were moments when we continually felt overwhelmed. Some of us faced challenges that could have stopped us in our tracks, but we didn’t stop. We kept going. That kind of strength doesn’t show up on a transcript—but it’s here, in every one of us.”

Caruso emphasized that nursing is not about perfection, but presence: “It’s about showing up for someone when they need you the most. And that’s something every person in this room has already learned how to do.”

In her remarks, Edman reflected both the significance of the ceremony and the legacy of the program she helped lead for decades.

“I have been at pinning ceremonies since 1974, sometimes twice a year,” Edman said. “It is an extraordinary moment. Fifty-six graduates —that’s the number of people in this room who have worked incredibly hard to reach this milestone.”

She explained the deeper meaning of the tradition: “We call it pinning because it symbolizes your connection to one another, to the faculty who guided you, to your families, and to the nurses who came before you. When you receive your pin, it marks your welcome into the world’s most trusted profession.”

Edman also underscored the essence of nursing: “Nurses are the people who stay—when a diagnosis is frightening, when a family is overwhelmed, when it is the middle of the night. This profession is defined not only by skill and science, but by presence.”

Selected by the graduating class as the evening guest speaker, Lisa Mannino, MSN, RN, Associate Professor of Nursing, reflected on witnessing the students’ transformation from their first days in the classroom.

“I watched you grow from novice nursing students into skilled and compassionate caregivers,” Mannino said. “You were receptive to learning, collaborative with your peers, and committed to your success. You made me proud then, and you make me proud now.”

She added, “We are kind and empathetic individuals—the very qualities that will make you exceptional nurses. You proved that you ‘got this.’”

Helen Heinmets, MSN, RN, CNE, Assistant Dean, School of Health Sciences and Professor of Nursing, led the traditional ceremonial presentation of pins, symbolizing each graduate’s entry into the nursing profession and their connection to a legacy spanning generations. The first eight pinned are members of the Alpha Delta Nu Nursing Honor Society, Alpha Sigma Chapter; Caitlin Caruso, Grace Dalton, Bridget Gould, Sivanna Greaux, Clariss Jacob, Antonina Leonard, Kelley Matthews, and Jillian McGuinness.

As they move forward, Brookdale’s newest nurses carry not only clinical knowledge but also the resilience, compassion, and commitment that defined their journey.

“Hard things will happen,” Caruso said. “But they do not get to decide who we become. We do. And that’s exactly the kind of nurses this world needs.”