Commencement is a celebration of the culmination of a student’s academic career. Mercy College of Health Sciences typically celebrates one ceremony in the spring. Graduating students from that academic year – whether they graduate in fall, spring, or summer – are invited to attend the annual spring ceremony.
Sara Colglazier is a recent graduate of Mercy College’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. During her time at Mercy College, she served as a student nurse tech at MercyOne, and as a work study in the Admissions department, acting as a tour guide and resource for potential new students, in addition to various other responsibilities.
A week before she was scheduled to take part in the Spring 2022 Commencement ceremony in April, Colglazier had a family emergency and was unable to attend the event. As a result, the Admissions team planned a small graduation party in honor of Sara’s work with the department as she concluded her classes this summer.
"We really wanted to congratulate Sara for all the hard work she’s done both in her program and in our department,” Senior Admissions Counselor Katelyn Schmitt said. “She’s become such an integral part of our team, and she’s overcome so much in the last year that we felt we needed to recognize her accomplishments – especially since she couldn’t make it to the Commencement ceremony last spring."
Members of the Mercy College campus gathered to congratulate her on her completion of the Accelerated BSN program. Unbeknownst to Colglazier, Schmitt also invited Dr. Adreain Henry, Mercy College’s new president, to come for a surprise personal Commencement ceremony. Dr. Henry presented Colglazier with her Mercy College diploma and posed for photos with her to commemorate the moment.
"I was drawn to healthcare because of that feeling you get after you know you’ve done a good deed,” Colglazier stated. “It feels great to be an advocate for someone that is not able to advocate for themselves at that moment. As I graduate from nursing school, I am glad to be entering the field in a time of need. Nurses are needed now more than ever because of the staffing shortage, and I have no intention of leaving the bedside."
To learn more about Mercy College of Health Sciences' nursing programs, please visit mchs.edu/nursing.
