{"id":240420,"date":"2026-01-30T08:00:44","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T13:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=240420"},"modified":"2026-01-29T10:18:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T15:18:12","slug":"a-symbol-of-compassion-and-generosity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2026\/01\/a-symbol-of-compassion-and-generosity\/","title":{"rendered":"A Symbol of Compassion and Generosity"},"content":{"rendered":"

January 20 marked a pivotal moment for the Elisabeth DeLuca School of Nursing sophomores. Honoring a long-standing tradition, 209 students were given a stethoscope, symbolizing the start of their clinical training.<\/p>\n

\"Saraswathi
Elisabeth DeLuca School of Nursing sophomores at the Stethoscope Ceremony on January 20, 2026. From L to R: Laine Semple, <\/span>Lily Strouse, <\/span>Saraswathi Vemulapalli and Brandon Grenier. (Coral Aponte\/UConn Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Among them were second-year students Saraswathi Vemulapalli and Brandon Grenier \u201928 (NUR). Wearing their nursing uniform, they celebrated a new milestone in their educational journey by receiving stethoscopes on the first day of their Health Assessment course (NURS 3120).<\/p>\n

The course, NURS 3120, led by Michelle Cole, DNP, MSN, RN, CPN, and Yashika Sharma, Ph.D., RN, teaches students essential nursing skills, including history-taking, physical examination, and clinical observation. These skills enable students to collect, interpret, and communicate relevant information that supports safe, patient-centered clinical-care judgment.<\/p>\n

Clinical competencies include vital sign measurement and comprehensive head-to-toe patient examinations, which rely on a stethoscope to guide accurate assessment and clinical judgment.<\/p>\n

Through an endowed scholarship from UConn Nursing alum Margaret E. \u201cPeggy\u201d Sczesny \u201969 (NUR), \u201979 MS, these gifted stethoscopes serve as a\u00a0fundamental tool that enhances confidence and symbolizes professionalism.<\/p>\n

\"Brandon
Brandon Grenier and Saraswathi Vemulapalli ’28 (NUR) at the Stethoscope Ceremony on January 20, 2026. (Coral Aponte\/UConn Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe are so grateful that the school and our alum are giving us the opportunity to be successful with these stethoscopes. It shows how committed they are to nursing as a profession, and that they trust us to enter such an amazing field,\u201d said Vemulapalli.<\/p>\n

Grenier shared similar remarks: \u201cAs students, we put so much effort into our work, and receiving this support is incredibly meaningful. It is one less thing to worry about, and we are truly grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to providing stethoscopes for sophomores, the endowed scholarship also gives nursing pins for all undergraduate and Accelerated Second-Degree BS\/CEIN<\/a> students at graduation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis gift honors the legacy of Margaret E. \u201cPeggy\u201d Sczesny, whose generosity reflected a deep belief in the nursing profession. The stethoscopes symbolize her lasting faith in the future of nursing and in the students who will carry this responsibility forward,\u201d said Cole.<\/p>\n

Through Sczesny\u2019s generosity, generations of Elisabeth DeLuca School of Nursing students will carry a reminder of their educational roots, connecting them not only to their patients but also to their time as a Husky.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To contribute to the UConn Elisabeth DeLuca School of Nursing please visit:\u00a0 https:\/\/nursing.uconn.edu\/info-for\/donors\/.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UConn Elisabeth DeLuca School of Nursing sophomores receive their first stethoscope, gifted by a former alumna.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":229,"featured_media":240425,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2655],"class_list":["post-240420","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-01 03:50:13","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240420","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/229"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=240420"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240420\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":240439,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240420\/revisions\/240439"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/240425"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=240420"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=240420"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=240420"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=240420"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=240420"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}