Brookdale’s Fall 2025 Nurse Pinning Ceremony was an unforgettable celebration of perseverance, tradition, and purpose as a new cohort of graduates stepped proudly into the nursing profession. The evening carried the energy of a milestone long awaited and hard earned, rooted in decades of nursing excellence at Brookdale.
The most heartwarming moment came at the very start. As the procession music began and swelled through the venue, students walked in as part of a proud and celebratory tradition. The crowd erupted in cheers, horns blowing, hands clapping, families rising to their feet, voices shouting with emotion. The powerful walk-in, paired with the ceremonial music, set the tone for an evening brimming with pride and possibility.
Lio Velasquez, President-elect of the Brookdale Student Nurses Association, served as Master of Ceremonies, guiding the evening with a leadership and presence that resonated throughout the ceremony. Opening speaker Vincent Delgado delivered a moving reflection, including heartfelt moments from his clinical rotations.
“I will never forget the moment we saw a beautiful baby boy welcomed into the world during my rotation,” Delgado shared, describing the emotional weight and awe of observing a C-section. “It was wild, and I was fighting back tears, but it reminded me why we do this.”
President David M. Stout, Ph.D., underscored the significance of the ceremony and the caliber of the nursing program.
“This is the most rigorous program that Brookdale offers,” he said. “And I can’t think of another program that represents our values better than this one. Compassion, Collaboration, Creativity, and Courage are lived here every day. You carried those values through every clinical, every exam, every moment you wanted to quit but didn’t. That is what it means to be Brookdale. And we are in awe of you.”
Dean Jayne Edmon, Ph.D., MSN, RN, echoed his praise, recognizing the larger community of support surrounding the students.
“You chose this field because something in your heart called you to help save lives,” she said. “That calling is sacred. Brookdale continues to be the number one community college in the state of New Jersey because of people like you, and the village standing behind you.”
The pinning portion of the evening brought even more emotion. Families shouted loving affirmations into the audience: “That’s my sister!” A child cried, “That’s my mommy!” eliciting collective awes and ahhs from the crowd. Classmates greeted each pinning moment with double high-fives, fist bumps, body bumps, and lots of hugs. Associate Professor Diane Booker, NP, MSN, BSN, BA, RN, selected by the class to speak, delivered inspiration anchored by the poem: Be the Ocean, by Michael F. DuBois
“Enjoy the swim,” Booker encouraged. “You were tossed into the ocean two years ago, but you learned to swim together. The waves will get high. The rocks may feel sharp. But you know how to turn broken glass into treasure. So be the ocean. Enjoy the swim. And never forget you were built for this.”
Delgado was also honored as one of three graduates inducted into Alpha Delta Nu, the National Honor Society for Associate Degree Nurses, alongside Ricky Saurel and Eryk Wlodkowski. Assistant Dean Helen Heinmets, MSR, RN, CNE, bestowed the first ceremonial pin of the night to Delgado, marking the program’s legacy and the start of something new.
Eryk Wlodkowski delivered the evening’s closing remarks, thanking faculty, administrators, families, and peers for helping shape the journey that brought them to the stage.
The graduates now step forward toward their board exams; many have a job or are already enrolled in BSN programs, advancing their education with the same momentum that carried them through Brookdale’s rigorous pathway. And while this student chapter may have ended, the story they began at Brookdale will continue to ripple across hospitals, clinics, and communities, one patient, one hand held, one life changed at a time.