CLASS OF 2026
Pinning Celebration Bouvé College of Health Sciences August 20, 2026
PROGRAM Welcome Stacey Waite Assistant Dean, Nursing Pre-licensure Programs
Dean’s Address Amanda Choflet Dean, School of Nursing
Keynote Address Laura J. Wood
Student Address Jack Massari
Recognition of Graduates Stacey Waite Assistant Dean, Nursing Pre-licensure Programs
Student Awards Presentation Tiffany Kim Associate Clinical Professor
Closing Remarks Amanda Choflet Dean, School of Nursing
PINNING TRADITION The School of Nursing pin is a distinctive mark, rich in history and meaning. It can be traced to heraldry, which is the system of devising and granting insignias for Coats of Arms. The Pinning Ceremony is a time-honored nursing school tradition, dating back to 1855 when Florence Nightingale was awarded a brooch by England’s Queen Victoria for her efforts in the Crimean War. It signifies the integrity and tradition of badges worn by the early healers and crusaders of care. Over the course of time, the Pinning Ceremony has evolved and for most, marks the passage from that of student nurse role to the practice role, and for some, the attainment of advanced education. Each school adopts its own symbol to indicate the excellent nursing education the student received. In the Pinning Ceremony performed today, each baccalaureate student may receive a pin that proudly displays Northeastern University’s motto Lux Veritas Virtus. Regardless of where their new careers in nursing take them, their pins will let their colleagues and patients know where they earned their nursing credentials. The pin also signifies the acceptance of the many responsibilities incumbent upon those entering into the profession and practice of nursing. Wearing of the nursing pin is a source of pride.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER Laura J. Wood Laura J. Wood embodies the connection between clinical nursing practice and executive health system leadership. She serves as executive vice president for patient care operations, and system chief nurse executive at Boston Children’s Hospital, where she sets strategic direction for nursing practice, quality, and safety across one of the world’s foremost pediatric health systems. Yet she has never lost sight of the bedside. Her leadership is grounded in a direct, firsthand understanding of what it means to be a registered nurse and advanced practice nurse, the backbone of the healthcare workforce she now guides at the highest level. Wood’s path from clinical nurse specialist to national health system leader reflects the trajectory Northeastern’s School of Nursing prepares its graduates to pursue: rigorous clinical grounding, lifelong learning, and a commitment to advancing the profession beyond the individual patient encounter. Prior to joining Boston Children’s Hospital in 2013, Wood held progressive leadership positions at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania Health System, and within digital health at Siemens Healthcare IT (now Oracle Health). A nationally and internationally recognized leader in pediatric nursing, she has advanced significant initiatives in patient safety, quality, workforce well-being and digital health. Her commitment to both patients and the profession reflects the values the School of Nursing instills in its graduates. Her commitment to the profession extends well beyond her own institution, as evidenced by her service on numerous regional and national boards, including The Joint Commission’s Chief Nurse Executive Advisory Board, the Controlled Risk Insurance Company (CRICO), Simmons University, and the Children’s Hospital Coalition, where she serves as president and board chair. She also chairs the board of the American Nurses Credentialing Center, which governs the Magnet Recognition Program, Pathway to Excellence Program, and the credentialing programs that set the standard for nursing excellence nationwide—the very standard the Northeastern School of Nursing’s graduates are joining. She is an alumna of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellow program and an elected Fellow of the prestigious American Academy of Nursing. Wood earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from West Virginia University, her Master of Science in maternal-child nursing/pediatric oncology clinical nurse specialist practice from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and her Doctor of Nursing Practice from Johns Hopkins University.
ACCELERATED BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN NURSING Madison Bradbury Sara Brodsky § Briahn Bruno Kacie Caracciolo § Abigail Carroll Man Hang Chik Jasmine Cuevas Mariama Diallo § Jillian Duffield Colleen Dunn Grace Ferrara Sophia George Oliver Gosselin Juliana Guzman Claire Hacker Rebecca Ishola Fiona Kean Rebekah Lashley Olivia Leong Jillian Lotito § Hongting Mao Jack Massari § Dagonara Mendoza
§ Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society
Waldah Meronnis Olivia Mitrano § Gabriella Montenegro Royanna Moore Margaret Morningstar Caitlyn Murphy Cherish Otaru Zachary Payne Yarielis Perez-Castillo Samantha Perrin Margaret Polk Julia Paz Jodi Princiotta Brianna Seaver Maria Sena Nova Aidan Tacheron Caitlyn Tong Saige Tudisco Peyton Weidner Joyce Welch Connor Whiffen Haijing Zhuang
BOSTON CAMPUS NURSING FACULTY Amanda Choflet, Dean, School of Nursing, and Associate Dean, Bouvé College of Health Sciences Lynn Reede, Assistant Dean, School of Nursing Graduate Programs and Director, Doctor of Nursing Practice Program Jane Saczynski, Assistant Dean of Research, School of Nursing Yiyuan Sun, Associate Chair, School of Nursing Stacey Waite, Assistant Dean, Nursing Pre-licensure Programs
Jane Adams Kayla Alvares Kaye Bemis Caitlin Bradley Mary Bronski Jennifer Cocio-Thompson Jillian Costa Janet Dewan Jacki Diani Mary Lynn Fahey Gretchen Forsley Karen Fotino Kelly Gallant Susan Hall Marilyn Hammer Gretchen Hamn Liz Howland Melissa Jasset Tiffany Kim Dami Ko Kate Leonard Connie Lorette Carol Anne Marchetti Kristen Mathieu Gonzalez Mary McDonough
Sharon Milne Katie Minnick Nancy Mizzoni Aqid Nasim Ann Polcari Rachel Pozzar Valeria Ramdin Marketa Rejtar Lisa Rinke Junior Senat Lynne Sheppard Katherine Simmonds Maria Sorensen Lauren Spendley Kristin Stankard Julie Steele Kisha Thompson Jacquie Tolosko Maria van Pelt Vanessa Vath Stephen Wood Lichuan Ye Moka Yoo-Jeong Ning Zhang
Forever a Husky