Egan Austin Graduates Honored at Pinning Ceremony

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Egan Austin Graduates Honored at Pinning Ceremony

A group of second degree nursing students in colorful dresses and shirts smile and pose together for a photo indoors..

May 30, 2025 By Brad Thomas

Fifteen second-degree nursing students in the Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies marked the completion of their undergraduate nursing education at the event.

The ceremony at Fairfield University’s expansion campus in Austin, Texas, celebrated the achievements of students in the second cohort of the Accelerated Second Degree Nursing (ASDNU) program at the campus.

The new graduates began their nursing journey in January 2024. Now, 15 months later, they have earned a second baccalaureate degree — this time, a bachelor of science in nursing. Most have plans to stay in Austin and have already accepted positions at partner clinical sites.

Carolyn Altuna, CRNA, MSN, APRN, nurse anesthesia faculty specialist and instructor of the practice in nursing, was guest speaker at the ceremony.

“When I reflect on the most meaningful moments in my career, one thread ties them all together — and it has nothing to do with what shift I was on, what hospital I was working at, or how much I was making,” she said. “The most powerful memories I carry are all rooted in human connection.”

A former second-degree nursing student herself, Altuna added that those moments have made her nursing career more fulfilling than she ever could have predicted. She wished the same for the graduates and encouraged them to seek out, notice, and hold on to those moments of connection.

“Find a way to honor them because they’re the heartbeat of the profession,” she said. “They turn nursing from a job into a calling on your best days and comfort you on your worst.

Following the presentation of nursing pins and student awards, friends and family members gathered at a reception to honor the newest graduates.

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