On Saturday, May 18, Concordia University Ann Arbor School of Nursing celebrated the Pinning Ceremony for the Beta Class, the second co-hort to graduate from CUAA's newest academic school.
Each semester, Concordia’s nursing faculty and staff nominate students from the graduating cohort who best represent the core values of the nursing program: service, excellence, compassion, and integrity. An additional award, the Nightingale Award, was created as a tribute to Florence Nightingale who embodied nursing her life’s vocation. The recipient of this award exemplifies that same character and calling.
Click here to see all of the Spring 2019 School of Nursing award recipients.
Integrity Award: Paula Bobosky (’19)
Presented by Peggy McLaughlin
The award I am giving today is for a student who exemplifies Integrity. Integrity is defined as soundness of moral character, and adherence to ethical principles. In the Bible, the Book of Proverbs mentions integrity: “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.” (Proverbs, 10:9, GNB) and, “If you are good, you are guided by honesty.” (Proverbs, 11:3, GNB).
From the Biblical standpoint, integrity is associated with unfailing transparency. For Concordia nursing, integrity means doing the right thing even when it goes unnoticed, and is an attribute of the very best nurses.
And so we expect Concordia nurses to display aspects of integrity: to be heartfelt and honorable. One student, though, consistently goes above and beyond these basic tenets. This student’s heart is so kind that it would be hard to speak about her in anything but glowing terms. It’s been said about this student that “She is a solid person inside and out”, and “there is no guessing what goes on underneath- it is evident due to her integrity.” Our integrity award goes to someone who is a leader without being a grandstander. She can be counted on to follow through, and always with a smile.
Throughout that first semester of nursing school, she showed enthusiasm in what can be a time of many trials. She’s the one who would actually thank me after umpteen rounds of “Snap on the sterile gloves” in the skills lab. Her relentless focus and drive became apparent as others (never herself) would talk about her various volunteer commitments, and as she mastered feats as painstaking as cracking the APA style code. To me, the most striking mark of this graduate‘s integrity is the genuine interest she takes in others. She remembers the specifics about things that are important to whoever she’s with, like remembering how much my dad likes football and giving her characteristic encouraging nod as I go on about my dog. No matter how seemingly insignificant your dialog with her, you never get the feeling that she’s about to use an exit line like, “Oh, look at the time…where does it go?”
Our integrity award winner is, in medical terms, a ray of sunshine, and I’m convinced that this student strives to be herself at her very best, all the time. She is a Concordia Nurse: Paula Bobosky.
Click here to learn more about Concordia’s School of Nursing.
—
If this story has inspired you, why not explore how you can help further Concordia's mission through giving.