CSM Inducts Seven Nursing Students into Alpha Omega Chapter of Alpha Delta Nu Honor Society

The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) recently inducted seven nursing students into Alpha Omega, CSM’s chapter of the Organization for Associate Degree Nursing (OADN) Alpha Delta Nu Honor Society. The nursing students selected for this honor earned Bs or better in all of their nursing courses without repeating the courses and together completed a scholarly project related to the advancement of nursing as a profession.

The Spring 2024 Alpha Omega Chapter inductees are Wendy Bollino, Ashleigh Brown, Alana Cawood, Saige Duby, Courtney Romba, Kelley Stoneback and Tixia Bernadette Vergara.

Nursing Professor Linda Hamel welcomed attendees to the April 3 ceremony and introduced honored guests, including CSM President Dr. Yolanda Wilson, Interim Dean of the School of Science and Health Dr. Bernice Brezina, Acting Chair of the Nursing Program Dr. Sara Cano, and Alpha Delta Nu Faculty Advisor Lauren Guy.

Bollino served as the honor society’s student speaker and shared the details of the inductees’ scholarly capstone project.

“We brainstormed and formulated two options,” she shared. “The first was focused on helping ourselves ... and the second was dedicated to helping first semester nursing school students. True to the spirit of nursing, we chose to help others.”

Bollino explained that the students created a presentation on “Surviving Nursing School 101” based on their research and experience, which they shared with the first-semester cohort this January.

“Our goal was to provide positive encouragement with evidence-based tips for navigating and excelling during nursing school,” she said. “We worked as a team to produce our project, which displayed our dedication to nursing collaboration and nursing core values.”

Earlier in the program, Linda Goodman, professor of nursing and recent recipient of the Dr. Peg E. Daw Nurse Faculty Award, gave the history of the OADN and the Alpha Delta Nu Honors Society. CSM’s chapter of Alpha Omega was established in fall 2012.

Goodman explained the meaning of symbols of nursing that were displayed at the event, 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.

She also explained that students would be given a pin and a cord to celebrate their induction into the society and that both could be worn by the student with their graduation regalia at commencement.

“Each of you now carry not only the honor and privilege but the duty to practice within the ethical, professional scope of practice,” said Goodman.

Cano provided the closing remarks for the ceremony, commending students for their hard work and for providing an example of the meaning of “excellence.”

“As a nurse, you will be a role model for those around you,” she said. “As you have completed this process, I now challenge you to be an example to others in achieving excellence. In that way, we continue to instill in others that excellence is achievable under any circumstances.”

To view photo from the induction ceremony, please visit https://csmphoto.zenfolio.com/p726271415.