The UConn Elisabeth DeLuca School of Nursing held its commencement ceremony at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, May 9, 2026. The school celebrated 266 graduates with friends and families gathering from all over to congratulate their loved ones.

Dean Victoria Vaughan Dickson, Ph.D., RN, FAHA, FHFSA, FAAN, opened the ceremony with heartfelt remarks to the graduates.

“As we celebrate your graduation during Nurses Week, this year’s theme, ‘The Power of Nurses,’ could not be more fitting. Nurses are the heart of healthcare – leading with compassion, resilience, knowledge, and advocacy every day,” said Dickson. “As graduates of the Elisabeth DeLuca School of Nursing you represent that power and will help shape the future of healthcare across Connecticut and beyond.”

UConn President Dr. Radenka Maric was in attendance and spoke to the graduates on their accomplishments.

“It is an honor and a privilege for me to help mark this significant milestone in the professional lives of you, our hard-working, dedicated nursing students,” said Maric. “You have all undoubtedly worked hard to reach this point, and at this moment, I can’t think of a program that will have the kind of immediate impact on our lives than this one.”

Maric also conferred the Honorary Degree Recipient, Elisabeth DeLuca ’69 (NUR), president of the Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation and the Elisabeth C. DeLuca Foundation. DeLuca is a graduate of UConn Nursing whose work has impacted the education and long-term outcomes of thousands of nurses and allied health professionals. She gained her first employment experience as a surgical nurse at Bridgeport Hospital. She then went on to work at the Veterans Administration Hospital where she practiced in the Surgical and Medical ICUs and Geriatric Intermediate Care Unit. After several years of working as a nurse, she joined her husband in building his global network of restaurants.

Today, as president of both the Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation and the Elisabeth C. DeLuca Foundation, she has supported many charitable initiatives and impacted thousands of individuals through transformative and strategic giving. Inspired by her mother’s sacrifices to provide formal education for Elisabeth and her two siblings, Elisabeth’s philanthropy is based on sustainable models, innovative partnerships, and programs that remove barriers to education and career advancement. She is among the nation’s largest philanthropic supporters of nurses and allied health professionals resulting in education and upward mobility opportunities for thousands of people who otherwise would not have had such opportunities.

Among her most enduring contributions is her landmark gift to UConn to support a major expansion of the Elisabeth DeLuca School of Nursing, including a new facility to advance instruction, simulation-based learning, and innovation in the training of nurses.

“The world is open and there are so many opportunities in nursing, which is why I think nursing is such a wonderful profession,” said DeLuca. “I want you to be the best that you can be, So work with your hands and work with your heart.”

The ceremony also included student speakers: Allison Gonzalez (bachelor’s graduate and Class of 2026 president) and Hannah Scheibner (Ph.D. graduate).

Gonzalez congratulated her fellow graduates and offered words of wisdom as they embark on a new chapter in their lives.

“As we begin our careers, there’s no clear finish line. We may have an idea of what our career path will look like, but the reality is we don’t know where we’ll end up, what specialties we’ll choose, or what life will throw at us along the way,” said Gonzalez. “While that can be scary, there’s also so much power in it. We have limitless possibilities, and no matter where we go, we will make a difference in people’s lives.”

Scheibner reflected on her nursing career: from earning a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Vermont to graduating with a Ph.D. from UConn Nursing. She urged her fellow graduates to dream big and take on new challenges.

“I encourage you to imagine the unlimited possibilities of your nursing future. As nurses, we are innovators who are uniquely positioned to ask questions that can change systems and improve lives,” said Scheibner. “Wherever your path leads, it starts here at UConn Elisabeth DeLuca School of Nursing. We are one community with one goal to improve the health of individuals, families, and communities.”

A Bachelor of Science was given to 118 students and there were six valedictorians: Lauren Canniff, Braydon Cretella, Caitlin Mancuso, Andrea Ngo, Juliana Sassano, and Nadine Schmitt. The Carolyn Ladd Widmer Undergraduate Leadership Award was presented to Madeleine Willett. The Clara Williams Holistic Nurse Award went to Maryam Shabazz, and the Sigma Theta Tau undergraduate honor was presented to Braydon Cretella.

Six students graduated with a Doctor in Philosophy degree (Ph.D.): Tyler Driscoll, Confidence Francis-Edoziuno, Julia McNeil, Cristina Chandra Mills, Taylor Reilly, and Hannah Scheibner. Francis-Edoziuno received the Carolyn Ladd Widmer Award for Outstanding Research and Chandra Mills received the Sigma Theta Tau Ph.D. honor.

There were 32 Doctor of Nursing Practice degree (DNP) recipients. The Josephine Dolan Award for the Scholarship of Application went to Sunitha Abraham, and the Sigma Theta Tau honor went to Lori Tuccio. The Eleanor K. Gill Award for Excellence in Clinical Practice and the Regina M. Cusson Healthcare Innovations Award was presented to Desiree Mahon.

A Master’s of Science (MS) degree was given to 110 students. The degrees were divided into eight categories: Adult/Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (28), Family Nurse Practitioner (24), Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (23), Post-Graduate Certificate NNP (1), Post-Graduate Certificate FNP (2), Post-Graduate Certificate AGACNP (4), Nursing Administration and Leadership (10), and Nurse Educator (18).

The Eleanor K. Gill Award for Excellence in Clinical Practice was presented to three master’s students: Courtney Conlan (Nursing Administration & Leadership), Nicholas Sturgis (Family Nurse Practitioner), and Robert Carr (Neonatal Nurse Practitioner). The Sigma Theta Tau Master’s honor was presented to Brittany Sendzik (Adult/Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner), Gabrielle Ray (Family Nurse Practitioner), Brenna Izatt-Chatham (Neonatal Nurse Practitioner), and Emily Kempka (Nurse Educator).

Three faculty members also received awards. The E. Carol Polifroni Scholarship of Praxis Award went to Associate Professor Eileen Carter, Ph.D., RN, FAAN. Sherene Fagon, RN, MSN, C-EFM, a clinical instructor, received the John McNulty Excellence in the Scholarship of Clinical Education Award and Assistant Professor Mallory Perry-Eaddy, Ph.D., RN, CCRN, received the Regina M. Cusson Healthcare Innovations Award.

Lastly, three faculty members were presented with the Pellegrina (Peggy) Lacovella Stolfi Clinical Teaching Award: Sherene Fagon, RN, MSN, C-EFM, Patricia Papacoda, MSN, RN, and Victoria Startz, MSN, RN, TNCC.

Congratulations to all award recipients, and an even bigger congratulations to the Elisabeth DeLuca School of Nursing class of 2026. As Dean Dickson said in her remarks “You are the future of healthcare; the future of nursing. You are UConn Nurses! I am confident that the nursing profession and the health of the nation and beyond are in good hands.”

You may not be students any longer, but you are and always will be huskies forever!