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.”

91����Ƶ 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 91����Ƶ’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.”

91����Ƶ’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!

“Brittany Scott’s actions changed the trajectory of this patient’s life and exemplify the very heart of the DAISY Award,” it adds.

“With upgraded equipment, 91����Ƶ will provide richer, practical laboratory, research, and project-based experiences to prepare students for lucrative careers in STEM fields and nursing,” states a grant application submitted by Dr. Tara Kishbaugh, dean of faculty and student success for 91����Ƶ.

The grant request also includes a “small salary allocation to support the procurement, calibration, and installation of equipment” and to train faculty and students on its use.

It further states that the upgraded equipment would provide a significant educational opportunity for current students, attract faculty and students to 91����Ƶ, and enhance contributions to STEM and health care fields through research, publication, consultation with local businesses, and a better-prepared workforce in Virginia.

“This project would amplify the impact of our current NSF STEM scholarship program, which increases postsecondary education access for academically talented, Pell-eligible students,” the request states.

The “91����Ƶ grows STEM” project is among a list of community priorities highlighted in the Fiscal Year 2026 federal spending bill, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., announced in a news release in February.

For a full list of projects in the Shenandoah Valley and Highlands regions of Virginia funded through the FY26 spending bill, .

91����Ƶ 91����Ƶ

91����Ƶ is a fully accredited university known for its outstanding STEM and health program preparation. Over 90% of job-seeking graduates of 91����Ƶ find employment quickly, with many in nursing and STEM employed before graduation. 91����Ƶ is a Forbes Best Return on Investment University and is one of the best colleges in the regional South (U.S. News & World Report). 91����Ƶ STEM students gain practical and technical skills through project-based experiences and social networks through mentorship from faculty and supportive learning communities. 

As director, Weaver will manage overall operations for its associate degree program and oversee its curricular outcomes. She looks forward to collaborating with faculty, staff, and students to ensure its curriculum is continuously improving, she said.

“Nursing is a calling, and I think nursing education is even more so,” she said. “We have a great program and faculty here, and I’m excited to continue developing future nurses who provide exceptional care for their communities.”

Since joining the school in April 2023, Weaver has served as faculty, academic advisor, and mentor. She was instrumental in course development, student evaluation, and faculty onboarding, according to a from the school.

From 2019 to 2023, she served as a faculty member for the Geisinger Lewistown Hospital School of Nursing, where she led courses across multiple specialties and contributed to its re-accreditation. In addition to a BSN, Weaver holds an MSN with a nurse educator focus from Chamberlain University.

Rebecca Stoudt, associate dean for nursing student education at the Geisinger College of Health Sciences, said Weaver brings a wealth of experience in nursing education, clinical practice, and academic leadership. “I am confident she will continue to make our school of nursing the first choice for aspiring nurses looking for hands-on education that prioritizes their own communities’ health and well-being,” she said in the release.

Heeding the call

For as long as she can remember, Weaver says, her grandmother lived with multiple sclerosis. “I watched my grandfather really care for her,” she said. “That’s when I started to gravitate toward health care, specifically nursing.”

She was already well-acquainted with 91����Ƶ and its nursing program. Her older brother, Joshua Byler ’07, was majoring in elementary education, and her aunt, Lynda Byler Miller ’74, had graduated with a BSN. “I had heard some great things about 91����Ƶ, and I knew from others that it had a strong nursing program,” Weaver said.

The summer before her senior year at 91����Ƶ, Weaver completed a nurse externship at Geisinger Lewistown Hospital (then known as Lewistown Hospital) and remembers feeling that she had been adequately prepared by her education. “It felt like I had a solid foundation of knowledge,” she said.

Sometimes, when she’s teaching nursing students during clinicals, she reminisces about her own days as a nursing student. One of her instructors liked to read over a patient’s health history and physical and quiz her on some of the more difficult words. “At the time, I don’t think I enjoyed that,” she joked, “but looking back, it was a really helpful learning tool.”

You can always tell the difference between 91����Ƶ nursing graduates and other nurses without asking them, says Kate Clark, associate professor of nursing at 91����Ƶ. 

“It’s what we hear all the time from hospitals and other employers, that there’s something special about 91����Ƶ nurses in their approach to patients and their professionalism,” she said. “One major element is our family nursing class, which helps shape both their self-confidence and their cultural humility.”

That class, the semester-long Nursing & Family in Community course (NURS 426), partners undergraduate nursing students in pairs with refugee and immigrant families in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. Students in the course, who are juniors and seniors midway through their clinicals, visit the families at their homes weekly to promote health education, help them navigate the U.S.’s complicated health system, and teach them basic essential skills to help them adjust to life in a new country.

These skills might include: navigating a phone tree to schedule a medical appointment, setting up taxi rides to appointments, using the bus system, enrolling in an employer-sponsored health insurance plan, and understanding the difference between primary care and the emergency room. Students have been known to ride Harrisonburg city buses with families, walk with them to a local food pantry, help read their mail, attend medical appointments with them, and connect them to community resources such as clothing closets and bicycles through the program (led by alum Ben Wyse ’99). 

Students might tell families they can expect to see people in costumes walking around the neighborhood and knocking on their door for Halloween. They also might help families from warmer climates prepare for cold weather with appropriate winter clothing. 

Students communicate with their assigned families using either their own foreign language skills or a provided interpreter. This semester, there are eight different languages spoken by families in the course’s Family Partnership Project.

Through the course, 91����Ƶ nursing students build long-term therapeutic relationships with families, learn to provide care for a family unit, and experience the barriers that marginalized groups in the community face when trying to access health care.

“Because they get to experience those things from the family’s perspective, it gives them a good understanding of how the health system is not always designed for certain types of patients and the challenges they experience,” Clark said. “Whether or not they pursue home visiting long-term, it makes them better, more compassionate nurses across the board.”

She said the course sets 91����Ƶ’s nursing program apart from others. “I’ve rarely heard of another school that has a standalone family nursing class that involves home visiting,” she said, “especially not one that focuses on refugee and immigrant families.”

A ‘win win’

Many of the families participating in the Family Partnership Project have a tenuous grasp of English, are lower income, and need additional information to be able to navigate this new country. 91����Ƶ’s nursing program partners with , a local office of Church World Service that serves and advocates for refugees, asylum seekers, unaccompanied children, and immigrants in the Shenandoah Valley. The agency identifies local families in need who can benefit from the project’s tailored support, resource referral, and health teaching. The students’ help is invaluable, especially at a time when policies enacted by the current presidential administration have led to funding and staffing constraints for the organization. 

“We’re grateful for 91����Ƶ’s nursing program,” said Susannah Lepley, Virginia director of Church World Service. “I like programs that are a win win for both the university and the families and this is definitely one of those. The students get a lot out of it, the families get a lot out of it, and I think it’s a strong selling point for 91����Ƶ.”

In the past, students have worked with families who have been in the U.S. for only one to two months. This semester, due to fewer refugees entering the country, nursing students are working with families who have been in the U.S. for a year or more. This has allowed them to focus on longer-term concerns such as nutrition, stress management, and mental health.

“You can’t overstate the friendship aspect,” Lepley said. “People often leave a pretty intense network of support back home and they come here and they don’t have that anymore. They have to recreate it from scratch and I think the nursing students are a big part of that.”

The epitome of 91����Ƶ nursing

Clark, who has taught the family nursing class for the past 13 years, graduated from 91����Ƶ with a BSN in 2007. She took the course as a student under longtime professor and mentor Ann Graber Hershberger ’76. During her semester in the course, Clark was paired with a Spanish-speaking single mom in Timberville. 

Up until that course, Clark had questioned whether she actually wanted to become a nurse. She felt like there was never enough time during her clinicals at the hospital and that she was just checking boxes. 

“I knew I wanted to do something with a bigger impact, and when I took that class, I felt like I could finally let out the breath I had been holding since I started the nursing program,” she said. “I don’t know if I would’ve stayed in nursing had it not been for my experiences in that class.”

Another alumna from that year, Rebekah Good Charles ’07, said the class prepared her well for the work she now does as a community health nurse serving families around Lancaster, Pennsylvania. During her semester in the course, she visited with an immigrant family from Mexico and helped them sort through medical bills, contact financial aid, and fill out paperwork. 

“It was interesting to see the health care system from that side,” Charles said. “You can do all these things for your patients when they’re at the hospital, but when they get home, they’re left with all these loose ends to tie up. It was eye-opening to see that and help someone work through that, and it made me realize just how complicated the health system can be.”

Lydia Tissue Harnish ’17, MSN ’23, uses the same skills she acquired from the family nursing class in her job as a maternity educator for the Lancaster Nurse-Family Partnership. During her senior year at 91����Ƶ, she was paired with a refugee family in Bridgewater expecting a second child. Harnish spent the semester preparing the family for what the birthing experience in the U.S. would be like.

“It’s really the epitome of 91����Ƶ nursing,” she said. “We’re in the patients’ home setting, assessing the whole person, their environment, and their family as a whole.”

‘Begin to thrive’

When senior nursing major Joshua Stucky and another 91����Ƶ nursing student met with a Syrian refugee family for the first time in January, only a month after they had arrived in the U.S., he felt overwhelmed at the prospect of helping with their cultural transition.

“They didn’t know how to use their phones or get their kids to school and didn’t have a way to get around,” he said. “And so I walked out of that first meeting thinking, How are we ever going to help this family? … You eventually have to set an expectation that you’re not going to solve all their problems.”

Over the course of the semester together, the pair of students was able to solve some of them. Through a connection he had with Bikes for Neighbors, they were able to provide the family with bicycles. They were also able to ensure the children received the vaccines they needed and that the family had access to a neighbor’s car.

During one of their final home visits with the family, while talking to the parents, he remembers seeing the two younger children bound into the home with their backpacks. “They had been going to school and, even though we didn’t play a huge role in that, it was just the most rewarding thing to watch them begin to thrive,” Stucky said.

Learn more about 91����Ƶ’s nursing program at .

“It’s all of those things,” she said. “It’s about caring for the less fortunate, giving the marginalized a voice, and ensuring that nursing follows its scopes and standards and code of ethics. That’s a unique lens I see in myself and other 91����Ƶ grads: the idea of nursing as a service.”

Furr, a full-time nurse at Sentara RMH Medical Center in Harrisonburg, is deepening her education as an 91����Ƶ student enrolled in her third and final year of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program, a consortium of 91����Ƶ and Goshen College. Last month, she was named the of the Eleanor C. Lambertsen Scholarship for the 2025-26 academic year. The scholarship is awarded annually to a doctoral student in nursing education or administration through Nurses Educational Funds Inc. (NEF).

“I was honestly surprised to get the scholarship,” Furr said. “They don’t tell you how many people apply for it, but they describe it as very competitive. Many of the previous recipients were PhD students doing amazing research, and so it felt validating to be recognized for what I’ve been able to do at a community hospital.”

In her role as Magnet Program Manager at Sentara RMH, she primarily helps in “caring for the caregivers,” ensuring nurses at the hospital get the education, support, and professional development they need, as well as using data and quality metrics to improve the care they provide for their patients. “Having a nurse who really cares makes such a difference,” she said. “For me, that’s how I care for my community—by improving what we do so that every patient gets better care.”

Furr has worked at the Harrisonburg hospital for the past 23 years, starting as a new 91����Ƶ nursing grad, in various roles including registered nurse (pediatrics), patient care supervisor, and nursing professional development practitioner. She taught 91����Ƶ nursing students as an adjunct clinical instructor for three semesters in 2023-24. The scholarship will be used to cover the remaining tuition costs that aren’t reimbursed by Sentara, she said.

Furr graduated from 91����Ƶ with a BSN  in 2001. She earned her MSN in nursing education from Walden University in Minneapolis in 2022.

Driven by a commitment to improving the experience of nurses, her doctoral project will focus on enhancing organizational support for health care staff who have experienced workplace assaults and examine how that support affects staff retention. Research shows that the initial care that staff receive after an assault often determines how well they cope with the experience, Furr said. 

Workplace assaults, including those by patients against providers, are a “very real problem,” said Michael Horst, dean of 91����Ƶ’s Health, Behavioral, and Natural Sciences division. “In every circle I’ve been in, people talk about how difficult it is to recruit and retain nurses because it can be a very unsafe work environment,” he said. “This kind of doctoral work addresses that issue directly, and 91����Ƶ has been preparing Margaret to tackle it since her undergraduate studies.”

Furr said her favorite part of the 91����Ƶ-Goshen College DNP consortium is the small cohort size, which promotes relationships and community building, as well as the opportunity to learn from professors at both universities. The program’s values of stewardship, human flourishing, sacred covenant, and peacemaking also resonate with her, she added.

What can a DNP do?

DNP programs prepare nurse leaders at the highest level to improve patient outcomes and translate research into practice. Furr said she plans to use her DNP degree to manage projects and drive change, support staff growth through nursing excellence, help staff understand data and processes, and develop better educational programs.

91����Ƶ 91����Ƶ’s DNP program

The 33-credit, fully online and asynchronous program, accredited by the Commission of Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), is for nurses who want to work in health care administration, teach, or be a change agent for their workplace. Students complete 10 online courses and at least one residency during the 24-month program. Eligible applicants must hold a master of science degree in nursing (MSN) degree from an accredited school with a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher.

The program combines the best aspects and shared values of both 91����Ƶ and Goshen College. “The key advantage is access to faculty expertise from two universities,” said 91����Ƶ Nursing Professor Melody Cash. “Plus, as a student, you’re learning alongside peers from both schools, which provides a wider range of perspectives.”

The consortium launched in January 2018, with the first cohort graduating in May 2020.

In addition to its BSN and DNP programs, 91����Ƶ also offers an accredited MSN program and graduate certificates in nursing. Learn more about the university’s nursing programs at . 

The application period for the next NEF scholarship process opens Oct. 1 and closes on Feb. 2. To apply for a scholarship, visit .

A 2010 graduate of 91����Ƶ’s bachelor of science in nursing program and a lifelong advocate for high-quality health care, Deibert has held leadership and educational positions throughout central Pennsylvania, including director of nursing at Kadima Rehabilitation & Nursing in Lititz and adjunct faculty at Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences. Her clinical expertise spans long-term care, maternity, pediatrics, and neonatal intensive care (NICU), positioning her uniquely to lead and grow 91����Ƶ’s high-performing nurse aide program.

91����Ƶ’s nurse aide program, known for its exceptional student outcomes—including a pass rate of 99% skills, 99% on the written portion of the Pennsylvania Nurse Aide Competency Exam—continues to meet growing workforce needs in partnership with over a dozen local health care organizations.

As program coordinator, Deibert will oversee curriculum development, student advising, and clinical partnerships, while shaping the next generation of compassionate and skilled nurse aides. “I’m honored to return to 91����Ƶ and lead a program that equips students with the knowledge, confidence, and heart to serve,” she said. “I look forward to working alongside our community partners to expand access to health care education and meet the needs of our region.”

For more information about 91����Ƶ at Lancaster’s nurse aide program, visit:

The history of nursing pinning ceremonies dates back to the Crusades, when monks caring for the sick and injured were given a Maltese Cross, Dr. Cathy Rittenhouse, associate professor of nursing, shared in her opening remarks. Florence Nightingale awarded medals of excellence to her outstanding nursing students, which led to the tradition of presenting nursing graduates with pins. The nursing pin symbolizes graduates’ completion of their education, their entry into the nursing profession, and their commitment to providing compassionate care, Rittenhouse said.

“It is widely acknowledged that an undergraduate degree in nursing is one of the most difficult and challenging majors,” she said. “These graduates have had not only to learn complex and detailed information, but actually apply it in real time in their clinical experiences where their patients’ lives and safety depended on them.”

The ceremony recognized the following graduates, each of whom earned a bachelor of science in nursing. As they strode up to the stage in white coats to receive their pins—many presented by parents and family members—their future plans and biggest inspirations were shared.

Mary Kate Bomberger will work either on the oncology floor at Sentara RMH Medical Center (Harrisonburg) or in the progressive care unit at Augusta Health (Fishersville).

Mild Butsridoung wants to work in an operating room.

Taylor Chandler is exploring her options, with her main interest being intensive care unit and emergency department nursing. Her goal is to earn a doctor of nursing practice.

Liza Churchill remains undecided because “there are so many endless opportunities to choose in nursing.”

Daniela Espinoza will work in the intensive care unit at the University of Virginia Medical Center (Charlottesville). She would like to earn a doctor of nursing practice and specialize in pediatrics.

Rachel Hermosillo will work in the medical-surgical unit at Sentara RMH Medical Center. She would like to earn a master’s degree so that she can teach.

Jordan Kerr will work in the stroke unit at Meritus Medical Center in Maryland. Her goal is to work in the emergency department.

Lydia Lee will work in the medical-surgical unit at Wamego Health Center in Kansas.

Halie Mast will work in the medical-surgical oncology unit at Sentara RMH Medical Center.

Floribella Mendoza will work on a medical-surgical floor. 

Virginia Miller will work in the progressive care unit at Sentara RMH Medical Center.

Yeana Park will work in a medical-surgical telemetry unit at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C.

Trinity Price will work in the progressive care unit at Virginia Commonwealth University Health in Richmond. She plans to become a certified registered nurse anesthetist. 

Ava Shenk will work in the stroke and dialysis unit at Sentara RMH Medical Center.

Aixa Warren will work in the emergency department at Sentara RMH Medical Center.

Jenna Weaver will move to Anchorage, Alaska, and would like to work in a progressive care unit.

Rachel Wheeler will work in the labor and delivery unit at Augusta Health. She would like to become either a women’s health nurse practitioner or a certified nurse midwife.

In a farewell message to the graduates, Hannah Tissue Ferguson ’14, assistant professor of nursing at 91����Ƶ, reminded them that they will always have a support system at 91����Ƶ. “As you begin your next steps, wherever that may be, remember the values that have shaped you here,” she said. “Lean into them and let them guide your calling. And when the work is hard, which it will be, know you are not alone. You are a part of a long line of 91����Ƶ nurses who carry light into dark places and you all, without a doubt, will continue that legacy.”

Olivia Beiler ’23 got an early start in nursing.

At an age when most kids dread the sight of needles, the eight-year-old from Chester County in Southeastern Pennsylvania was giving out flu shots. Every year around Thanksgiving, her grandfather, the late Dr. John Rutt ’59, would immunize their whole family and offer his arm to her for practice.

“Whenever he would give me a flu shot, I would give him one, too,” she said. “It became a yearly tradition.”

Beiler, now a registered nurse at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center’s Pauley Heart Center, is following in the footsteps of her beloved grandfather. At the Richmond-based hospital, she cares for patients with a wide range of cardiovascular concerns, from those recovering from heart transplant surgery to those with arrhythmias.

She said 91����Ƶ’s nationally-accredited nursing program, aided by its small class sizes, prepared her well by giving her experience in all kinds of clinical settings, including in an OB/GYN unit, an operating room, and alongside a nurse anesthetist in a dentist’s office. That’s something that isn’t done at many larger nursing schools.

“91����Ƶ’s amazing nursing program encouraged us to immerse ourselves in our experiences and do as much as we could,” Beiler said. “91����Ƶ boosted my confidence in working with patients and helped me to understand the different roles within nursing.”

Last summer, at the end of her first year on the job, Beiler was recognized for her commitment to care with the New Grad of the Year Award for Nursing Excellence, voted on by the nurses and care techs in her unit. “That was a huge honor,” she said. “It was very affirming in the work I’m doing.”

Before arriving on campus in 2019, Beiler knew all about 91����Ƶ. In addition to her grandfather, her grandmother, Rebecca Hartzler Rutt ’59 (a niece of the library’s namesake, Sadie Hartzler), graduated from Eastern Mennonite. But, having grown up Mennonite and attending Lancaster Mennonite School, her mind was set on studying elsewhere. “I’m going to do something different,” she recalled thinking.

Ultimately, 91����Ƶ’s nursing program proved too promising to ignore. She had been searching for a school with smaller class sizes and hands-on experience that wasn’t ultra-competitive like some other programs. “I knew how amazing the program was,” she said. “It felt like the right decision, and once I made that choice, I felt at peace, knowing 91����Ƶ was 100 percent where I was supposed to be.”

Beiler said that receiving the 91����Ƶ Academic Achievement Scholarship also helped seal her decision to come to 91����Ƶ. It’s scholarships like this one and the financial aid packages given to 100 percent of undergraduate 91����Ƶ students that empower them to pursue a quality college education without financial barriers. “Being able to go to a university where you’re able to get that financial support right off the bat allows you to be more integrated in your program and definitely helps with some of that financial stress,” Beiler said.

Recently, she has taken a nursing student under her wing through VCU’s preceptorship program. She said she’s excited to teach her student all the lessons she learned as a young RN and share her passion for nursing. “I’ve always been someone who loves to care for people,” she said.

Your generous support helps students like Beiler pursue a quality college education without financial barriers. Join us for the 9th annual Lov91����Ƶ Giving Day and contribute to the scholarships that empower future 91����Ƶ students. Together, we can help write 91����Ƶ’s next chapter.

Read the previous profiles in our A Royal Tale series:

Tammie McDonald-Brouwer ’04 opened Plena Integrative Health Center in October. Melody Mast ’00 became partner and joined in January. McDonald-Brouwer and Mast are certified nurse-midwives (CNM) and women’s health nurse practitioners (WHNP). They are graduates of 91����Ƶ and Frontier Nursing University (Kentucky), and have served families in the Shenandoah Valley for more than 15 years.

McDonald-Brouwer credited 91����Ƶ with guiding her toward launching the health center.

“The adult degree program helped me look further than my nursing career, inspiring me to go for my master’s degree and believing I could start my own practice,” she said. 

Mast, an adjunct faculty member of 91����Ƶ nursing, said the program prepared her for a career in health care.

“91����Ƶ, and particularly their nursing department, was formative in my passion for excellent care along with breaking down boundaries to health care,” she said.

The health center specializes in gynecological and primary care services. It aims to be a “one-stop health care destination for women” providing a holistic approach to overall health and wellbeing. The center offers annual physical exams, including thorough lab work, and both providers are equipped to manage acute respiratory infections, mental health disorders, thyroid problems, weight loss, hypertension and early onset diabetes. The center also offers chiropractic, massage and counseling services. 

Plena Integrative Health Center is located at 119-B University Blvd. in Harrisonburg.

For more information, visit .

Five groups of graduating nursing students presented colloquiums in a variety of topics:

• College athlete injuries related to poor nutrition,
• the relationship of trauma and chronic disease among immigrant and refugee populations,
• disparities in the rates of maternal mortality across race and socioeconomic status,
• disparities of treatment and diagnosis of ADHD in adolescents, and
• the challenges that children with chronic illnesses face.

View the presentations on the page.

Throughout the day, visitors could check out the projects that students in the Nursing Care of Children (Nursing 325) class created. The brightly colored and tactile toys were designed to help children enhance their motor, social and cognitive skills.

91����Ƶ Nursing alumna Mirlene Perry ’07 served as keynote speaker. She shared her experiences from working as a surgical nurse in rural Haiti and in Tanzania as well as her journey from her studies at 91����Ƶ, at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing and now as a Ph. D. student at Duke University. A cardiac nurse for the past 15 years, Perry decided to pursue a career as a nurse scientist to address her passion for community-based primary health care in low- and middle-income countries (). “In places like Haiti, Tanzania and other low-income countries, individuals may go through their entire lives without encountering a physician,” she said. “However, nurses and midwives are often the first, if not the sole, provider a person interacts with in their lifetime.”

Following the keynote, 18 nursing students were inducted into the Sigma honor society. New members from the pre-licensure bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) program are: Abigail Aleshevich, Elizabeth Campbell, Jessamine Domingo, Anna Goff, Lauren Hall, Nutifafa Havi, Kylie Heatwole, Kara Kornhaus, Madison LaFlamme, Ashley Mellinger, Hailee Napier, Sarah Pereverzoff, Claiborne Poston, Maddi Rittenhouse, Yasmin Rodriguez, Imogen Stephens, Kendall Stettler and Reagan Stone.

The Pi Mu chapter’s local mission is to enhance nursing scholarship, leadership and networking among students, faculty and nursing professionals in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.

For more photos from the event, visit .

Earlier this winter, the Royals’ 5-10 forward was named Academic All-District in District 5, which includes much of the southeastern states in the U.S.

Rheinheimer studied in Honduras in the summer of 2013 as part of 91����Ƶ’s . She is on the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) All-Academic Team and the Royals All-Academic Team, as well as Eastern Mennonite’s dean’s list.

Just as talented on the basketball court as she is in the classroom, Rheinheimer enters this week’s ODAC Tournament averaging a league-best 19.6 points along with 7.4 rebounds, 10th in the ODAC. Rheinheimer also tops the conference in field goals (183) and is second in three point percentage (42.2%), sixth in field goal percentage (51.0%), seventh in blocks (24) and 12th in steals (40).

An All-ODAC Second Team selection last spring as a part-time starter, Rheinheimer has taken off this year. She was named the USBWA National Player of the Week after scoring 29 points with 12 rebounds against Christopher Newport on Dec. 30 followed by 41 and 10 against Washington on Jan. 3. Rheinheimer has also earned ODAC Player of the Week and D3hoops.com National Team of the Week honors twice each this year.

Eastern Mennonite’s women’s basketball team, coached by in his 10th season at 91����Ƶ, is the top seed in the ODAC Tournament this week, carrying a record of 21-3 overall and 15-1 in the ODAC. The women are also riding a 10-game winning streak and they look for their third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.

“Our philosophy is very different,” said biology professor , PhD, who directs the program. “Biomedicine, health and healing need to be holistic. It takes more than biology, math and physic courses to understand the human person.”

Early visionaries decided to adapt the undergraduate cross-cultural requirement to biomedicine graduate students, giving it a medical twist. They believed that students needed exposure to the kind of diversity they were likely to encounter as biomedical professionals.

The result is a three-week summer course titled Cross-Cultural Health Care/Biomedicine in which students examine the“differentiation of resources, social, psychological, and spiritual ideas, contrasting the student’s personal culture with the explored culture,” according the course description. It also explains that students may study in a variety of different settings, but are expected to keep reflective journals and ultimately write a paper on their experience.

91����Ƶ professors recommend two organizations to biomedical students. One, , works in Guatemala, and the other, , has several locations in Kentucky. Four of the eight students that went on biomedicine cross-culturals this summer went to one of these locations. (One of the leaders in Guatemala of Concern America is 91����Ƶ alumna Jeanette Nisly.) The other four went to Tanzania, Costa Rica, Panama, and West Virginia, as well as to rural Bluefield, Virginia.

The student’s experiences were “eye-opening” said both Matt Tieszen (Guatemala) and Asad Ali (Kentucky) in separate interviews. Both Tieszen and Ali spent most of their time shadowing healthcare professionals as they worked in clinics and hospitals, or did home visits.

“You read about development work and the importance of improving things like maternal healthcare, but you don’t really get to see a lot of it in the States,” said Tieszen, who went to Guatemala (with fellow student Chris Dreikhorn). Tieszen hopes to become a physician’s assistant and is interested in practicing health work in an international setting.

Ali (along with student David Abraham) traveled to Hazard and Whitesburg, Kentucky. For Ali, who is from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, rural Appalachia was just as foreign as crossing the border. He observed patients who came into the hospital with black lung from working in coalmines and shadowed a home health nurse on her house calls. “There were diseases there you just don’t see in a city,” he said. “I thought that small isolated towns didn’t exist anymore, but the cross-cultural was an eye-opener; it showed me that they do.”

Cross-culturals are “necessary for training health professionals because there is such a diversity in healthcare,” said nursing and biomedicine professor , PhD. She added that even though many graduate programs do not require cross-culturals, she believes that the healthcare immersion experience helps students to become more well-rounded, compassionate healthcare providers by exposing them to the kind of variety they are likely to encounter in practice.

Slashcheva emigrated from Kazakhstan to the United States with her family at age 5. She started kindergarten in Harrisonburg, Va., with no knowledge of English. Thanks to an English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teacher, though, she got off to a good start.

“The ESL teacher engaged in my siblings’ and my lives well beyond the classroom,” Slashcheva says, “equipping us with the skills and motivation to succeed and excel in academics even as immigrant children.”

Ten years later Slashcheva was the valedictorian of her graduating class at Turner Ashby High School. At age 16? Yes, she had just finished her sophomore year, but she had acquired two years’ worth of credits by taking classes on the side at Blue Ridge Community College.

That fall of 2009 she planned to follow her older sister who had earned a at 91����Ƶ. “Nursing seemed like an attainable goal for an immigrant child,” she says, “and I was fascinated with science and passionate about serving others.”

But two weeks before starting college, Slashcheva went to a dentist’s office with her father to interpret for him. Dr. Dave Kenee was impressed with her and challenged her to consider a career in dentistry. Within a few weeks, she was shadowing Kenee at his practice and had transitioned into a at 91����Ƶ.

Slashcheva was in a hurry to get started in her life’s work. It took her only 2½ years to get through 91����Ƶ, by taking summer classes and applying previous college credits from Blue Ridge. And she was already building her résumé. While at 91����Ƶ she worked in the university’s , volunteered at , and traveled to Lithuania for three months as part of .

She found time to continue her interest in music by playing flute in and directing the choir at her church, .

Slashcheva looked for a dental school that shared 91����Ƶ’s emphasis on service. She won a competitive scholarship to dental school from the federal government’s , which pays her entire tuition bill as well as a monthly stipend. She chose Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.

So how did Slashcheva spend her time between graduating from 91����Ƶ in December 2011 and entering VCU in August 2012? Take a break and leisurely prepare for dental school? No, she went on a four-month mission trip under the . She worked in dentistry and oral health in Honduras and Peru. “That developed my fascination for public health,” she says.

At age 19, Slashcheva entered the VCU School of Dentistry, plunging into her studies as well as student clubs and professional organizations. Her growing résumé now includes president of and nearby Medical College of Virginia (now with over 300 student members), director of tEEEth talk Community Education Workshops, founder/president of Special Care Interest Group, student leader of Christian Medical and Dental Association, and graduate teaching assistant for undergraduate students who are about her age.

Some of Slashcheva’s professors question why she is so involved in service programs at a time when she should be focusing on her professional development as a dentist. “But I want to be a Christian who happens to be a dentist—and not the other way around,” she says. “I learned that at 91����Ƶ.” She also learned to integrate faith and science.

Slashcheva is active at , where she is the music coordinator and a delegate to .

What’s next for the future Slashcheva when she graduates from VCU in 2016? “As a National Health Service Corps dental scholar, I have committed to practicing dentistry in an underserved area for four years at the start of my career,” she says. The commitment can be deferred, however, if she wants to seek specialty training. At this point she is thinking about post-graduate study in dental public health and geriatric dentistry.

A long résumé is not Slashcheva’s goal. But she is determined to surpass boundaries that were considered insurmountable. And she is driven to pursue a life of service that comes from her Christian family upbringing in a disadvantaged immigrant community.

“Early in my immigrant life, I realized that I may never completely assimilate into my surroundings,” says Slashcheva. “So I found it necessary to choose between being inferior or being extraordinary among my peers.”

In traditional undergraduate population, there was a 2 percent increase, from 912 to 929 students, based on head counts in early September 2012 and 2013.

“I am especially proud of the fact that we attracted a high number of ethnic and racially diverse students,” said Luke Hartman, PhD, vice-president for enrollment. “I believe 91����Ƶ may be heading toward being one of the most diverse liberal arts institutions in the state. Greater diversity will, of course, enhance the university experience for all of our students, developing their critical-thinking abilities and emotional intelligence.”

Older students seeking graduate degrees or returning to school to finish their undergraduate degrees were the most significant area of enrollment growth for 91����Ƶ.

The older-adult group was heavily concentrated in graduate education outside of the seminary, with the total number of students in six master’s programs increasing by 27 percent, from 271 to 343 students.

Two new master’s degree programs – in and in – contributed heavily to the increase, with the former accounting for 61 students, 74 percent more than the previous year, and the latter accounting for 22 students, three times more than were enrolled the previous year, its first year of operation.

Close behind the graduate programs in growth were those serving adults who wish to complete their bachelor’s degrees. There’s a caveat in reporting the adult-program enrollment statistics: these adults study within cohorts that start at irregular intervals throughout the year, rather than being synchronized to the typical two-semester academic calendar. This makes it problematical to compare enrollment at the same point in time for successive years.

Being mindful of the caveat, 91����Ƶ officials are cautiously optimistic that the fall 2013 enrollment statistics may prove to be a harbinger of a jump in total adult enrollment for the coming academic year.

As of Sept. 10, 2013, was 121; last September, it was 79. The Lancaster students are all upgrading their RN degrees to degrees. On the main Harrisonburg campus, enrollment was 102 this fall, compared to 98 last fall. Harrisonburg offers the , as well as a . With 223 students enrolled altogether, these two sites are showing a 26 percent increase in enrollment.

For coursework that is not counted as college credit, has seen a dramatic increase in enrollment, necessitating a move to larger quarters on the Harrisonburg campus in 2012. Since the fall of 2012, IEP enrollment has jumped from 61 to 85, a 39 percent increase.

enrollment has been flat for a number of years, a trend that likely reflects the shrinkage in the membership of traditional churches in wider society.