Description of the video:

[Slides] May 8, 2021. One Day to celebrate

[Slides] The memories you'll keep. The friends you've made. The things you've learned. The ways you've grown. Your journey is coming to an end. But a new one is beginning. For as you begin a live devoted to caring for others. . .

[Slide] Today is Day One

[Slides, each with a photo of groups of IUSON students]

[Slide] School of Nursing, Indiana University, Bloomington logo. May 2021 Recognition Ceremony

[Slide] A message for our graduates from Governor Eric J. Holcomb

[Governor Holcomb] Hello, IU Bloomington Nursing School grads. I'm Governor Eric Holcomb. Wow. The year behind us unprecidented challenges your way. I'm inspired, quite frankly, by the way you've adapted and it has only seemed to really strengthen your resolve, and I couldn't be more grateful for how you've stepped up to help conduct COVID testing and administer life-saving vaccines. And while this year's graduation looks a bit different, it doesn't for one minute diminish what you've accomplished to get here. On the contrary, your hard work and your desire to help your neighbors at their moment of greatest need has led you to this day and beyond. So as you prepare to transition from your classes to your career, caring for Hoosiers, there's never been a time when what you've chosen to do matters more to so many. So many people live their life wondering if they've made a difference in this world. Nurses have never had that problem because Hoosiers all across Indiana are counting on you, and you'll be reminded of that and the critical work you'll do to help them get to a better place. You make us all proud. Congratulations, graduates.

[Slide] A message for our graduates from IU Provost Lauren Robel

[Vice President Robel] Congratulations to every one of our nursing graduates. The world has never needed your compassion, your devotion to the ethical tenets of your profession, and your skill more than it does right now. So along with my congratulations, please take my thanks and the thanks of a grateful nation for everything you will be doing as you enter the nursing profession in this extraordinary time.

[Slide] A message for our graduates from Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton

[Mayor John Hamilton] Hello. I'm Mayor John Hamilton here in the city of Bloomington and I want to express my congratulations to the graduates of IU School of Nursing 2021. Way to go! We're so glad you've been with us in Bloomington over these past months and years. They've [sic] been an unusual last year, and we've certainly as a community and country come to appreciate more, I hope, by the essential work done by you, your colleagues, the profession you're entering. We all try to take care of each other. We know how important that is. You know how to do it with great skill, and we are so proud of your graduating this day. I know it's a little different, but, you're headed into a wonderful profession, and you've already been helping our community even during your schooling, I know. We thank you for that, and we're so proud of your time here in Bloomington. Best wishes as you go forth. If you don't stay in Bloomington—which you're welcome to—if you don't stay in Bloomington, we certainly want to welcome you back any time to come back to this place where you've finished this part of your schooling. Again, terrific work. Thanks for all you've done while you were here, and best wishes and thank you for all you're going to do for the people around you in the months and years ahead.

[Slide] A message for our graduates from our IU Coach Teri Moren

[Coach Teri Moren] On behalf of Indiana Women's Basketball, we would like to send our congratulations to the spring graduates of IU School of Nursing. Today marks a remarkable new chapter for you, and we honor you for choose to dedicate your life in the service of others. We honor your sacrifice, passion, dedication, and team work, which has been especially challenging as we continue to navigate this global pandemic. We are so proud of your accomplishments and we are thrilled to send our congratulations to you, the Class of 2021. Go Hoosiers.

[Slide] A's were critical to your success as a nursing student. However, Associate Dean Mary Lynn Davis-Ajami reminds us that some C's are the most important lessons to learn.

[Associate Dean Mary Lynn Davis-Ajami] Hello, Graduating Class of 2021. Congratulations for this milestone and watershed in your life. We are very proud of you and at this moment in the graduation ceremony, we give an opportunity for your parents, friends, family, colleagues to stand and clap and cheer you on. So we're going to pause briefly as they all give you a great big shout-out for your accomplishment [Dr. Davis-Ajami clapping]

This is a special day for you. You are entering the first day of your nursing career. We hope you do well in all your endeavors. You are entering nursing at an historic and unprecidented moment in the middle of a pandemic and during a time when nursing is expected to be a very growing profession. Your future is bright in terms of job prospects, and the meaning of nursing is more important than ever. You are essential to the health and well-being to this country and to individuals. You will, will, no matter where you practice will have an opportunity to touch lives, families, and the healthcare system. You have a very prestigious, strong degree. An IU degree—whether you are a traditional BSN student, a second-degree accelerated student, or an RN to BSN student—has great value. You will be welcome in any sphere that you touch. So, congratulations, and I wish you so much good fortune as your lives unfold.

So, at your journey here included a lot of hard work. A lot of studying. And, a lot of achievement. Many times in your classes, you all strove to get A's. Your A's are for accomplishment and your A's are for grades, but as we pause at this particular moment in your graduation ceremony we want to take a look at little bit at the C's. The C's in your work aren't so much what you wanted in your grades, but they are essential to your practice of nursing.

• Your C's will draw you towards caring. You will care for patients, and you will be careful in that caring.
• You are graduating with a degree that allows you to be competent in your skills, compassionate and confident.
• You operate within the sphere of some compliance regulations, but you have a commitment to ethical practice. 
• You carry with you our core values of respect, responsibility, trust and dialogue.
• And you have courage. You have faced courage this year with the pandemic, with the mitigation testing, and vaccinations that you've done, in the face of having to be in clinical settings where there was increased risk of infection, and we protected you with personal protective equipment, and you learned more, probably, about infection control than most classes. But, you have courage. And you also had the courage to complete this degree. You've stayed the course. Just like IU says, you're never daunted.

So you and go and you can celebrate your accomplishments. You have many in this class—this is a very talented class amongst the traditional, second degree, and RN to BSN students, and I personally want to applaud you. I encourage you to stay connected. You have a community of professionals that surround you, and you have an immense group of colleagues here at this school. So, again, congratulations, and now that we know what all the C's are that are the foundation of your practice, go out and celebrate your accomplishments with your family, friends, colleagues and have a very successful career. Congratulations.

[Slide] The Class of 2021 is diverse, coming from many different backgrounds and with many colorful life stories. In welcoming you to today's ceremony, Dean Robin Newhouse salutes your accomplishments and recognizes just how special YOU are.

[Dean Robin Newhouse, some with photographic slides] On behalf of the faculty and staff Indiana University School of Nursing, congratulations on your graduation and entry into the nursing profession. I know this last year has been different than any of us ever expected. When I think of you, the words resilient, dedicated, and tenacious come to mind. I imagine that you will carry those characteristics with you through your lifetime, and, after all, you are an IU Nurse.

You will accomplish much and make a difference to the health of countless people, their families, and communities. For example, let me start with some statistics: 30.4 million. 550,000. Big numbers. Important priority. These statistics are cases of corona virus—30.4 million people and deaths, 550,000 people related to corona virus. Nurses have been central to the response to corona virus on the front lines of infection control, delivering healthcare in all settings—public health, home visits, community, ambulatory, acute care, long-term care. I know that as a clinician you personally and collectively will improve the lives of patients, families, and their communities, protecting, promoting and optimizing their health. You will prevent illness through your assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation of your plan. You will prevent injury through strategies as patient education and policy advocacy. You will alleviate suffering through your diagnosis and treatment of a human response. You will have an opinion about policy and will advocate for healthcare for individuals, families, communities, and populations.

I am exceptionally proud of you and congratulate you on your graduation. I know you, and I know how important you are now and will be to the health of the nation because you are an IU Nurse. And,

[slide] Today is a good day to be an IU Nurse.

[slides] photos and music

[Nurse Blake] What's up Indiana University School of Nursing?! I am here to say congratulations on graduating. That is so huge, and such a big accomplishment because, listen, nursing school is not easy. It is difficult. It is challenging. You are studying all day, all night. You got labs. You got clinicals. You have lectures, exams, freakin' "select all that apply" questions. Don't even get me started on those. But all of you did it, and you did it during a pandemic. So, I'm so proud of you and you should be so proud of yourselves. Cause now you get to go into your community as nurses and care for others and save lives. So, I'm sending you so much love and positive vibes, and can't wait to see where your nursing journey takes you.

[Slide] Our seniors have asked Dr. Angela Opsahl to deliver today's Commencement Address. In her remarks, Dr. Opsahl stresses the importance of ethics, passion, the pursuit of excellence and the need for self-care in the nursing profession.

[Dr. Angela Opsahl] Good day. Welcome Dean Newhouse, faculty, staff, students, parents, spouses, partners, loved ones and all our wonderful guests. I am so honored to share a few of my thoughts on this special day to celebrate your Indiana University School of Nursing graduation.

What a last year we have experienced and continue to do so as we work to thrive in uncertain times. We have experienced over 560,000 deaths in the United States and over 3 million globally from COVID to date. Nurses have served our communities so well during this time of global pandemic and social injustices, and they have met these challenges with dedication and compassion, which is a testament to our uncommon resilience even as our communities continue to grieve. To our students, our dedicated faculty and staff are so proud of you as have met these challenges with grace, resolve, and fortitude. I have a few take-aways today that I hope will serve you well on your journey as you transition from student to professional practice.

First, seek a mentor. Find someone you admire in nursing. Spend time with them and learn from them. Learn how they think and how they lead others. These relationships are so valuable and prized as we ultimately learn from each others' life experiences.

Second, provide self-care. "Give yourself the same care and concern you have afforded others" (Dr. Sara Horton-Deutsch) for we cannot pour from an empty cup. Work on those mindful practices and exercises that will prepare you for the demands of this marathon that is your career.

Lastly, be an advocate. We must meet our patients and families where they and without judgment. Be present. Listen and advocate for them. We must always treat others with respect and learn to respect their perspective in a situation as we have all life experiences and biases that we bring to the table. Never forget our code of ethics class. "Know that we have [a] responsibility to [help] guide [the] decision-makers and [our] society to be more ethical" (Sandy Summers) and are obligated to turn knowledge into advocacy. I have been a nurse for over 30 years, and I have always been proud to be a nurse but never as today knowing what we have accomplished and how we will impact the future. Remember that you are a part of Indiana University School of Nursing and this university and your faculty will always be part of you. I hope that you will continue your education into graduate study to become advanced practice clinicians, scientists, healthcare leaders, faculty, and policy makers. As a graduate and now alumni like myself from one of the finest nursing schools in the nation, you are the future, and we look to you as leaders to impact the well-being of our community.

I want to leave you with a quote from Nelson Mandela, "There is no passion to be found in playing small, in settling for a life that is less than the one that you are capable of living" so I ask you to lean into this next part of your journey, understand your worth, value, and potential impact. This is your path. Take your leap and fly.

Thank you, and congratulations on this wonderful accomplishment.

[Slide] "Everybody in the world needs to recognize the importance of what nurses do." Dr. Anthony Fauci

[Slideshow of photos]

[Sage Steele, Class of 1995] Hi Guys, this is Sage Steele from ESPN, a loud, proud graduate of Indiana University. I hear congratulations are in order. It's about that time of year, right? May. Time for your graduating seniors to get that degree from the IU School of Nursing, and that, to me, is absolutely incredible. So, number one, congratulations on pushing through such adversity and then, I want to thank you—thank you for pushing through and being so committed to making a difference. From one Hoosier to another, I just wanted to say congratulations, and thank you so much for committing to do what you're about to—what you've already done—what you're about to do as well. I will be thinking about you, and just know, the appreciation is endless.

[Steve Alford, Class of 1987] To the IU School of Nursing graduates, this is Steve Alford. Just like to say, congratulations on earning your degree, and doing so in a very difficult, challenging time, knowing we've been in a pandemic for almost a year. It's always difficult getting the degree, but getting it during these challenging times, I hope you feel a little bit extra special for all that you've done and all the work that you've put into it. Nursing is all about serving others, as you know, and as you are now equipped with your degree and all that you've learned, congratulations. I wish you all the very best and God's blessings.

[Slide] "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." Mahatma Ghandi

[Slide] Service to others is the hallmark of the IU School of Nursing.

[Slide] Whether through our Honors Program, Sigma Theta Tau or Student Nurses' Association, you have made extraordinary contributions to others through your hardwork and dedication!

[Slide] The Honors Program

[Slide] Dr. Amy Hagedorn Wonder tells us the history of our Honors Program and introduces this year's honors projects.

[Amy Hagedorn Wonder] I would like to commend our honors students and their faculty mentors. To provide some background, the Undergraduate Honors Experience began when Dr. Deanna Reising mentored a single student in the year 2000 and five additional students in the years that followed. In 2004, the Honors Experience was formalized as the Undergraduate Honors Program. This elective coursework allows eligible students to gain experience in research, evidence-based practice, and dissimination under the mentorship of faculty.

This year 12 students were enrolled in the program bringing the number of students who have had an honors experience at Indiana University School of Nursing Bloomington to a grand total of 60. I would like to present Dr. Greg Carter, Dr. Pei-Shiun Chang, Dr. Angela Opsahl, and Dr. Deanna Reising. These faculty members mentored individual students and cohorts in a variety of meaningful projects.

[Greg Carter and slide with Jada Boyer's photo] I would like to congratulate Jada Boyer for her success with the Nursing Honors Program here at the IU School of Nursing in Bloomington. Jada was able to balance her senior-level course, one statewide research project, one national-level project, her clinicals, and working with me all during a global pandemic. So, that's a lot. It's a lot for any student and I, again, am really happy to have this opportunity to congratulate her on this work as COVID presented many obstacles to community-based research; however, Jada and I, in conjunction with our colleagues in the School of Medicine and the Kinsey Institute, were able to develop our projects and move them forward despite the barriers we faced. 

I'm happy to say that Jada was instrumental in gathering information regarding healthcare access and STI prevention among marginalized populations in Indiana and among active-duty men throughout the United States. The results of this work will be presented and published on an international level. In the fall of 2020, she had an abstract accepted for the Sigma International Nursing Research conference. We have two more abstracts that will be submitted in April of 2021, which will be presented in the fall of 2021, if accepted. And, finally, there are two manuscripts that are currently under development that we will submit for review during the summer of 2021. So to summarize for everyone listening, in one year Jada has had an abstract accepted for international presentation, two more abstracts submitted in April of 2021, and two manuscripts in process that will be submitted here in the coming weeks.

Jada's commitment to improve the lives of underserved and marginalized individuals underscores what it means to be an IU School of Nursing graduate, and I know she will continue to do amazing things, and I'm just happy to have played a very small role in her education. Thank you, Jada, for your work, and I wish you great success in the future.

[Pei-Shiun Chang and slide with Ivy Enamorado and Ariel Edrington photos] Our Honors Program this year focuses on improving the quality of intervention fidelity among Qigong research. Qigong research is a type of traditional Chinese methods and exercise. It combines gentle body movements, control and repeat the ... movement patient. There is a long-standing methodology called  ... existing in the area of Qigong research, which is intervention fidelity. In order to improve the intervention fidelity, a standardized movement checklist is needed. This movement checklist will be used to provide researchers to assess intervention delivery and information receipt. In other words, this checklist will help researchers to more accurately evaluate how well the Qigong exercise is delivered as planned to the participants, and how much of this intervention has been actually received by the participants.

Ivy and Ariel, in the past year, were active members of our research team, and heavily involved in developing the Qigong Exercise Movement Checklist. Moreover, they spent their summertime learning and practicing Qigong exercise in order to better facilitate this Honors project. Ivy and Ariel also conducted a series of Sunday Qigong exercises sessions. They were open to the School's faculty and students during the pandemic. Through the Honors projects, Ivy and Ariel have opportunities to learn how to collaborate with other researchers, including a certified Qigong and Tai Chi instructor and the associate professor at IUPUI School of Health and Human Sciences. Our collaborators like it a lot because Ivy and Ariel demonstrate the impressive working ethic and critical thinking ability. They made constructive critiques and provided many more suggestions during the development of the Movement Checklist.

In addition, Ariel and Ivy collaboratively presented the result of this project at the meeting of the Midwest Nursing Research Society this March. They are currently working on drafting a manuscript based on the finding of this project. They are definitely a valuable team members. It has been a great pleasure to work with Ivy and Ariel.

[Angela Opsahl] I have had the pleasure of being the Honors Coordinator for the Traditional nurse cohort at IU School of Nursing in Bloomington. This Honors cohort is made up of the following students.

[Slides with name and photo of each student]
Tricia Abbott
Emily Hawkins
Lauren Heiman
Bailee Leathers
Kennedy McCrea

[Angela Opsahl] They have worked closely with nursing administration and nurse educators at the IU Health Bloomington Hospital. Their research study consisted of coordinating the transition of technology-mediated instruction from face-to-face educational orientation utilizing innovative teaching strategies for new employees. This group created educational modules that were recorded and uploaded onto the hospital learning system for implementation as a video-on-demand for asynchronous learning.

Outcomes from their study were presented at the IU Bicentennial-sponsored conference, “Beyond Boundaries” as part of the Indiana Academy Symposium on April 9. They have additionally had their work selected to be presented at the Sigma Theta Tau International 46th Bienennial Convention. This will occur November 6-10 with an audience of over 2,000 Sigma members and global leaders in nursing. This exceptional undergraduate Honors group will additionally be submitting their manuscript for publication in the peer-reviewed journal, Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing this month at the request of Dr. Yoder-Wise, the editor.

They have been focused, driven, and I congratulate them as I know they are off to greater opportunities. Well done, ladies. I am so proud of you.

[Deanna Reising] I'm happy to provide information about four graduates who have completed two research studies with me.

[Deanna Reising and slides with Ashlynn Waldrip and Emily Burnette names and photos] The first study is “Evolution in Nursing Education Practices” in the graduates on this study are Ashlynn Waldrip and Emily Burnette. The purpose of their study was to explore the prevalence of nursing practices that are no longer best nursing practices. These include reusing saline syringes, saline lavage for endotracheal suctioning, the use of sternal rub for neurological exam, the dorsal gluteous injection site, and wet-to-dry dressings. Our goal is to shed light on these out-of-date practices that we found are still in use and provide information on newer, evidence-based practices so that we will have on improving patient care.

[Deanna Reising and slides with Chloe Bartley and Neida Revolorio names and photos] The second study is “Student Nursing Skills in Clinical Settings” and the graduates for this study are Chloe Bartley and Neida Revolorio. The purpose of this study was to determine what nursing skills are allowed by clinical practice partners for student nurses. The results showed a good amount of variance in what is allowed and variance in the type of supervision allowed for student nurse skills. We will be providing nursing schools and clinical facilities with information about variance practices and some barriers that need to be addressed so that students may enter the practice setting having been able to complete more nursing skills while in their nursing programs.

Again, we congratulate all the Honors graduates and faculty. It has been a pleasure working with these graduates in each of the Honors research projects. Look for us in future presentations and publications where we will showcase our advances in nursing science.

[Slide] Sigma Global Nursing Excellence

[Pei-Shiun Chang] Sigma Theta Tau, which in Greek means love, courage, and honor, is the international honor society of nursing, which was started by six nurses at the Indiana University Training School for Nurses, which is now IU School of Nursing in Indianapolis, Indiana, 1922. It now has roughly 540 chapters throughout more than 100 countries with more than 135,000 active members. The mission of this honor society of nursing is advancing world health and celebrating nursing excellence in scholarship, leadership, and service. Qualifications to become a member of Sigma Theta Tau International RN and IU grade point average cumulative of 3.50 or higher. I am pleased to announce that there were 20 different nursing graduates inducted into Sigma Theta Tau International in April of 2021. They are granted the purple and white honor cord for being a member of this society.

[Slide Sigma Global Nursing Excellence logo] Our new Sigma Theta Tau members are:  

[Slides with graduate photo and name]
Ericka Alvarez
Allison Barnette
Rachel Blair
Jada Boyer
Hanna Braunecker
William Cox
Ariel Edrington
Ivy Enamorado
Chloe Fisher
Brooke Hayden
Lauren Heitman
Carolanne Houghton
Jill Kleinpeter, RN
Taylor Knight
Bailee Leathers
Kennedy McCrae
Tyler McDowell
Emily O'Brien
Georgia Pappas
Neida Revolorio
Kaitlyn Schafer
Kali Sroka
Mia Volk
Kaitlin Wagner
Abbie Waters
Olivia Woodrow

[Pei-Shiun Chang] Please give those new STTI members a round of applause. Congratulations.

[Slide] NSNA National Student Nurses' Association. Insight. Inspiration. Ingenuity.

[Jamie Titzer, SNA Faculty Mentor] Hi Seniors. I'm very proud of you all. Good luck in all your future endeavors. The Student Nurses' Association is awesome and I love being a part of it. As your advisor, I am very happy for the effort SNA has done with the mentorship program selling of nursing school apparel, making a Groupme, grading questions that involve a link, social media accounts for ways to connect, and an NCLEX Bowl that they hosted here in the last month. The SNA Senior members are as follows:

[Slide]
President Emily Hawkins
Vice President Abby Marschel
Secretary Taylor Knight
Mentorship Program Director Brooke Williams
Treasure Kaitlin Wagner
Director of Marketing and Apparel Carolanne Houghton
Director of Philanthropy Olivia Woodrow
Director of Philanthropy Reagan Allen

[Jamie Titzer] Thanks again, SNA members.

[Slide with Pomp and Circumstance playing the roll call] The moment has arrived for your entry into the nursing profession.

[Slide] At the request of our seniors, Dr. Marsha Hughes-Gay will now call the roll of our 2021 graduates.

[Marsha Hughes-Gay] I'd like to present to you at this time our May 2021 graduates

[Slides with each graduate's photo and name]
Tricia Abbott
Emily Adair
Reagan Allen
Ericka Alvarez
Jenifer Anderson
Allison Barnette
Chloe Bartley, Highest Distinction
Tristen Bauer
Megan Beaver
Jesalyn Bennett
Rachel Blair
Jada Boyer
Hanna Braunecker
Olivia Bridges
Dakota Brunswick
Emily Burnette
Kristina Chamberlain
Abbigaile Cooper
William Cox
Fatoumata Diallo
Ann Eckerman
Ariel Edrington
Audrey Edwards
Ivy Enamorado
Chloe Fisher
Jaida Fordham
Morgan Forrest
Morgan Fuze
Kara Gasaway
Kayla Hadfield, RN
Madeline Halter
Jamie Hancock
Keara Harvey
Emily Hawkins, Highest Distinction
Brooke Hayden, Highest Distinction, Grossman Award
Lauren Heitman
Grace Hess
Aubrey Hilborn
Carolanne Houghton
Maddie Kiesle, Highest Distinction
Josie Kirk
Jill Kleinpeter, RN
Taylor Knight
Bailee Leathers
Emily Malone
Abby Marschel
Giselle Martinez
Jessa May
Camden McCarthy
Kennedy McCrea
Tyler McDowell
Jocelyn Millan
Lucas Mills, RN
Camryn Morris, Highest Distinction
Nicole Myers, RN, Highest Distinction, Grossman Award
Emily O'Brien
Georgia Pappas
Jahnvi Parekh
Hank Phillips, RN, Highest Distinction, Grossman Award
Leah Plummer
Savannah Powell
Neida Revolario
Joy Riggs, RN
Carice Rodney
Ben Rorick
Nathan Roth
Addisen Rudge
Kaitlyn Shafer
Spencer Shaffer
Conner Smith
Kali Sroka
Youngnok Suh
Kathryn Turner
Diamond Turner
Carmen Urbanski
Stephanie Vjestica
Mia Volk, Highest Distinction
Kaitlin Wagner
Ashlynn Waldrip
Abbie Waters
Brooke Williams
Celena Williams
Olivia Woodrow
Krystal Yankauskas

[Slide School of Nursing, Indiana University Bloomington logo] August 2021 Graduates. RN to BSN Graduates:
Leah Bowen, RN
Gabrielle Bowie, RN
Ashlyne Connolly, RN
Michelle Fleener, RN
McKenzie Jobin, RN
Sara May, RN
Garrett Smith, RN
Erin Welch, RN

[Marsha Hughes-Gay] Congratulations to all of our 2021 Indiana University School of Nursing graduates

[Slide] JibJab animation of Dr. Roxie Barnes in cap and gown on a roller coaster. Text: It's been a wild, crazy ride, AMAZING ride And the THRILLS are just beginning. HAPPY GRADUATION

[Slide] As the Class of 2021 looks to the future, Class Spokespersons Jada Boyer and William Cox believe the future is defined by three words.

[Slide] Growth, Balance & Comaraderie

[Jada Boyer, Class Spokesperson] Good afternoon and hello IU School of Nursing Class of 2021. We have finally made it. Thank you for choosing us to be your graduation speakers. We are truly honored to be here today. I'm so sorry that we can't be in person to celebrate our achievements with our family and friends but switching to a virtual graduation is just one of the many sacrifices we've had to make in our undergraduate careers. When we decided to become nursing students, we decided to embark on a very unique undergrad experience. We didn't get to go to every party or get-together and instead we went to bed at 7 p.m. so we could wake up at 3 a.m. for our Bedford clinical. We sacrificed a lot of sleep and free time to study or to finish an assignment, and even when we allowed ourselves a few minutes of free time, we probably were thinking of something we could have been doing at that time. But with the sacrifices that we've had in our undergrad experience, we've also had a lot of unique advantages. One, I think, is that we have created a community amongst each other. One time I had a question at 6 o'clock in the morning—I was working on homework—and I put it into our nursing group chat and I had five replies in in 10 minutes. What other group of 20-year-olds is doing homework at 6 a.m. All I had to do was ask and I knew that anybody would be there to help us. Last year, Will and I unfortunately got COVID and Jocelyn brought us groceries until we were able to leave our house again. I broke my leg, and Cameron, Hanna, and Ivy drove me to my doctors' appointments until I was able to drive again. I fed Ashlynne's cat last summer when she went on vacation.

As we move into our new role as nurses, I want us to remember the way we took care of each other and I want us to apply that as we move on into our next chapter of life and we take care of other nurses. COVID has taught us a lot, but it's also taught us that healthcare is a very rigorous field, that nurses often treat themselves as martyrs. We have to remember that this is the field that asks us to give a lot but that we can't give ourselves away, and we often hear that nurses will eat their young, but we don't have to let them eat us. We went to school in the middle of a pandemic; not only were we college students, we were nursing students. We have unique strengths so we don't even know yet. I want us to take what we've learned in our classes—not only the course materials but also the way we treated each other and supported each other and take that and apply it to our practice so that we can empower nurses and grow in our profession.

I wanted to say congratulations, Class of 2021. We should be so proud of what we've accomplished, and I'm so glad I've gotten to know each and every one of you. Good luck in the next chapter of your life.

[William Cox, Class Spokesperson] Hello and welcome to the IU School of Nursing graduation ceremony. After four years we have finally arrived. Go ahead, and take a breath. There's no test next week, no clinical we have to wake up at 6 a.m. for. We can push aside tests, licensing and paperwork, and just focus on this moment. And, rightfully so. After everything that has happened during our time here at IU, it's important to acknowledge how far we've come. We've completed long clinicals, sometimes commuting hours away, volunteered for a variety of events, and had to put up with those dreaded fake babies. Along the way, each of us been presented unique challenges, pushing us to think differently and work together to achieve a common outcome, helping others. We've become something that others look up to in our communities. Something that people trust. Trust is something in healthcare that has rarely been tested like it has in the last year. We've witnessed first-hand how scared, angry, and isolated people have been. This health crisis has laid bare our shortcomings as a society and left a lasting impact on each of us. Between being a full-time student, going to work, and managing live in a pandemic, it would be all too easy to lose sight on why we chose this path in the first place, but I would urge each of us to remember the oath that we took on our first day of nursing school that said we would care for all those who need our help. No matter your reasons for entering this program, we have a duty—a responsibility—to give our patients the best care possible, and our communities need us now more than ever.

So, as we all take on the next challenges in our careers, my main message to you is this: don't remain complacent. Be a sponge! Soak up as much information as you can by asking questions, learning new skills, and taking risks. We've all heard the first year out of school is the hardest, and coming into a new job on the heels of a pandemic is no exception. So, please, remember your worth, and take time off for your health and well-being. Find that balance between being a sponge and being a couch potato. I leave you with this. This program has afforded me the opportunity to meet some wonderful people, and make great friends. Our program is unique, and I'm proud that I can call myself a graduate with the likes of you. You're intelligent, compassionate, and motivated, and I have no doubt you will all accomplish your goals and, in the process, become leaders in your community. You are more than this university could ever hope for, and I know you are only getting started. Congratulations, Class of 2021, and Go, Hoosiers.

[Slide] As the