Eight CSM Students Inducted into Alpha Omega Chapter of the Alpha Delta Nu Honor Society
Eight CSM Students Inducted into Alpha Omega Chapter of the Alpha Delta Nu Honor Society
Students, faculty, and staff of the College of Southern Maryland celebrated the first in-person induction ceremony for the Alpha Delta Nu honor society in two years April 8. The ceremony celebrated eight nursing students who have maintained a high GPA and completed a scholarly project related to the advancement of their profession.
Faculty and students relished the opportunity to celebrate in person, decorating a table with symbols of nursing, including a copy of Florence Nightingale’s “Notes on Nursing” to represent the foundations of the profession; a lamp and lit candle to symbolize the light of knowledge, caring and compassion; and a stethoscope to represent the tools used by nurses in their career.
After Acting Chair of Nursing Sara Cano welcomed the inductees, their families, and distinguished college guests, Jeanne Hill, associate professor of nursing, continued the program by giving the history of the Organization for Associate Degree Nursing (OADN) and the Alpha Delta Nu Honors Society.
“OADN is dedicated to enhancing the quality of Associate Degree Nursing education, strengthening the professional role of the Associate Degree Nurse, and promoting the future of Associate Degree Nursing as an entry point into registered nursing in the midst of healthcare changes,” Hill explained. "To promote scholarship and academic excellence in the profession of nursing, OADN established the Alpha Delta Nu Honor Society and made provisions for the establishment of Institutional Honor Society Chapters. The College of Southern Maryland chapter Alpha Omega was established in fall 2012 and has been an active chapter since then.
“Your dedication to the profession of nursing and your future patients is reflected in the hard work you have done to achieve this honor," Hill continued. “Your commitment to lifelong learning will contribute to nursing as a profession with every single patient you encounter.”
Student speaker Kami Hardin took to the podium to congratulate her fellow inductees. She emphasized that she and her fellow inductees all came from different backgrounds and dealt with their own struggles during nursing school, but that they were united by a commitment to excellence in nursing.
“For our group, meeting the requirements for induction means that we have excelled in navigating an abundance of constantly changing, moving objectives. In addition, we did not accomplish those things in the absence of personal struggle,” said Hardin. “The past two years had an effect on everyone, and the nursing student is no exception. However, being accepted into the Alpha Omegas means not only did we not give up, but that we had a fundamental belief that overcoming uncertainty and struggle could make us better nurses.”
A rose, pin, cord, and certificate were presented to each inductee by CSM nursing professors Deborah Rutledge, Rose Miller, and Lynn Kennedy. Both the pin and cords can be worn by the student with their graduation regalia at CSM’s 63rd Spring Commencement to be held May 13, 2022.
Lauren Guy, assistant professor of nursing, closed the program with words of wisdom for the students as they complete their nursing education and move into the profession.
“As you complete the second year of the program, I encourage you to have patience with yourselves, determination to reach your goals, and contagious excitement as you see the shining light at the end of your nursing school journey. These attributes will allow you to continue with the momentum that you have already begun,” she said.
The students inducted into Alpha Delta Nu were:
Theresa Benton
Alyssa Dawn Dorsey
Kami M. Hardin
Alexis R. Klumpyan
Chandler Erin Maldonado
Andrew Sien
Kiara K. West
Myka Angelica A. Wilkins