Sixteen EMU nursing graduates marked a major milestone Saturday morning during a pinning and commissioning ceremony at Lehman Auditorium. The annual event symbolizes the completion of their education, their entry into the nursing profession, and their commitment to providing compassionate care.
Gabriella Seal, a 2026 bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) graduate, opened the ceremony by recognizing the graduates’ supporters—faculty, staff, families, friends, partners, and children—who carried them through moments when the journey felt overwhelming.
“If there’s one thing that defines this class, it’s that no two of us took the same path to get here,” she said. “Some of us dreamed of becoming nurses for years, while others found our way through entirely different experiences and chapters of our lives. Regardless of the path, we all made the same choice: to step into something difficult, meaningful, and deeply demanding.”
She recalled times of exhaustion and uncertainty, when the weight of their training felt especially real.
“Through it all, we continued to show up for our patients, for our future, and for each other,” she said. “Somewhere along the way, this stopped being just about passing exams or mastering skills. It became about learning how to stand beside people in some of the hardest moments of their lives.”
EMU nursing graduates recite “The Nurse’s Pledge,” led by Dr. Laura Yoder during Saturday’s pinning ceremony.
Gabriella Seal ’26 (left) delivers opening remarks during the ceremony. Dr. David Rosie (right) served as keynote speaker.
Dr. David Rosie, an emergency medicine physician at Sentara RMH Medical Center in Harrisonburg who has worked in medicine for 26 years, delivered the keynote address. He said he is continually impressed by how EMU’s “fantastic nurses” rise to the occasion.
He encouraged the graduates to question orders from doctors and physician assistants that do not seem to make sense, think outside the box, seek unconventional solutions, and trust their instincts.
“If you have a sense that something isn’t right, then you should listen to that,” he said. “Sometimes the treatment isn’t right. Sometimes it’s someone being trafficked or abused. Those things don’t announce themselves.”
EMU’s nursing graduates received pins and stethoscopes from those who supported them throughout their nursing coursework.
The ceremony recognized the following BSN graduates, each of whom was pinned by a special person in their lives. Samantha Johnston, instructor of nursing, read their dedications and shared their future plans.
Class of 2026 graduates
Leah Beachy will work in the emergency department at Augusta Health.
Madison Bowyer will work on the organ transplant floor at the University of Virginia Health.
Odesa Elezi will work in geriatric nursing at Bridgewater Retirement Community.
Abigail Foltz will work in medical oncology at Sentara RMH Medical Center.
Emily Guin will work in the emergency department at Inova Fairfax Hospital.
Jacqueline Jackson is exploring her future plans.
Meygan Kyger will work as a registered nurse at the UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Reina Landa will work in the emergency department at Virginia Commonwealth University Health.
Caris Lucas will work in medical oncology at Sentara RMH Medical Center.
Gabriella Seal will work in the emergency department at Augusta Health.
Marianne Short will work in the progressive care unit at Augusta Health.
Elijah Spicher will work in correctional nursing at Middle River Regional Jail.
April Stafford will work in the progressive care unit at Augusta Health.
Joshua Stucky will work in the intensive care unit at Sentara RMH Medical Center.
Emily Suarez Nunez is exploring her future plans.
Kristina Suslaev will work in the emergency department at Sentara RMH Medical Center.
In her closing remarks, Seal told her fellow graduates they will care for people in some of their most vulnerable and meaningful moments. Nurses will be present in times of fear, healing, grief, hope, and heartbreak, she said, and how they show up will matter more than they may ever fully realize.
“Long after people forget the details of their hospital stay, they will remember how they were treated,” she said. “They will remember who made them feel seen, heard, safe, and cared for. That is the kind of nurse each of us now has the opportunity to become.”
Watch a video recording of the ceremony below!
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