“You truly earned your degree and should be proud of your accomplishments,” Dean Yolanda Ogbolu tells the graduates, including 262 new nurses entering the workforce.
Photo: A School of Nursing graduate waves to the crowd at the Hippodrome Theatre on May 12. (Photo by Matthew D’Agostino)
Friends and family filled Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre to capacity as they celebrated the accomplishments of the University of Maryland School of Nursing’s Class of 2026 on May 12.
“You most assuredly deserve the awards we bestow upon you today; you worked hard, stayed up late, started your day early, and sacrificed so much,” Yolanda Ogbolu, PhD ’11, MS ’05, BSN ’04, NNP, FNAP, FAAN, the Bill and Joanne Conway Dean of the University of Maryland School of Nursing, said during her welcome. “Yes, you truly earned your degree and should be proud of your accomplishments.
“But you must also acknowledge that you did not reach this moment alone,” the dean continued. “Throughout this journey, we all have champions — individuals who you relied on for support and encouragement, including your family, friends, and classmates who gave you the confidence to persevere, especially when you were sleep deprived, juggling many family and work responsibilities, and felt unsure about whether you would make it or not.”
This year’s ceremonies — celebrating Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Science in Nursing Entry-into-Nursing graduates in the morning and Master of Science in Nursing and doctoral graduates in the afternoon — honored 455 total graduates and resulted in 262 new nurses entering the workforce.