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Norwalk native Rachel Kessler was one of the 27 graduates who earned a pin and took an oath to serve patients during a ceremony in the Pepsico Theatre.
“It’s surreal,” Kessler, who now lives in West Haven, told the Daily Voice shortly before the ceremony. “I can’t put words to it.”
Kessler said she was inspired by her mom — a 2013 graduate of the program — to study nursing.
During her time in the program, she completed rotations at Norwalk Hospital, Stamford Hospital and Greenwich Hospital. She developed plans of care for patients, which increased in complexity as she progressed in the degree.
“This is a great program,” Kessler said, adding that her teachers were very dedicated. She plans to apply for full-time nursing positions and earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing.
Students from the program provide “exceptional care” in medical facilities across Fairfield County and beyond, NCC President David Levinson said.
Levinson said he always meets a graduate from the school’s nursing program when he visits Norwalk Hospital.
“Everywhere I go, I have the opportunity to meet one of our nursing graduates,” Levinson said.
Levinson congratulated the students on completing a demanding academic program and praised the program’s nursing faculty and staff.
Following remarks, nursing faculty presented the students with their pins amid applause and hugs. Each student then lit a candle before taking an oath to serve their patients.
Students walked off the stage to the applause of their families and Rachel Platten’s “Fight Song” booming from the speakers.
NCC students study nursing in a four-semester program, which is “designed to prepare registered nurses to function in the professional role utilizing current standards of nursing practice.”
Coursework includes classes in social sciences, biology, liberal arts and nursing.
For more information on The Norwalk Community College Division of Nursing and Allied Health programs, visit its website here.
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