Graduation Offers Occasion for Celebration and Reflection at Annenberg School of Nursing
Graduation Offers Occasion for Celebration and Reflection at Annenberg School of Nursing
There is a reason Los Angeles Jewish Health’s Annenberg School of Nursing (ASN) is one of the city’s leading licensed vocational nursing (LVN) programs—and, according to ASN Executive Director Amandeep Kaur, that reason was on full display at the school’s recent graduation ceremony.
“The people who are part of our community—the students, the faculty, and the staff—really make this place special,” Kaur says. “Everyone works together toward a common goal: increasing knowledge, skill, and professionalism in the nursing world to improve quality of care and make a real difference in people’s lives.”
The current crop of LVN graduates—17 in total—demonstrated their commitment to service over the course of the 12-month program, which included long days and nights of study, classroom instruction, and hands-on clinical work.
“Our program demanded sacrifices, but the consistent effort we put in didn’t just build knowledge, it built nurses,” said graduation speaker Sidney McCullers, who received the coveted Florence Nightingale Award. “Now, we will be able to carry forward the lessons we have learned: to show up for our patients, to trust the discipline we’ve built, and to set goals and know we have what it takes to achieve them.”
This year marked a transition for ASN, which moved from its original location on LAJH’s Hirsch Family Campus to new facilities on the Eisenberg Village Campus.
In her graduation remarks, Class Vice President Melody Campbell noted that the move was seamless—and that it was both instructive and inspirational for her and her peers.
“We started in the old school building and transitioned into this beautiful, campus-style space without a single lecture being interrupted,” she said. “We witnessed growth in real time, and we also saw leadership up close, walking into a new building and finding not just a construction crew, but also our director and her two helpers moving cleaning supplies themselves just to keep our lectures on schedule.”
Graduates Sergio Fuentes-Rivas and Isaac Covarrubias were honored with the Best Clinical Performance award in recognition of their hard work, which was roundly praised by both the floor nurses who helped train them and the patients in their care.
“They were so good that people wanted to recruit them immediately!” Kaur says.
For Fuentes-Rivas, graduation was the culmination of a journey that began nearly six years ago. He initially enrolled at ASN in 2020 and was just four weeks shy of completing the program when crippling anxiety and panic forced him to withdraw.
“I worked hard with a therapist to learn how to cope and to believe in myself,” he said. “If anyone out there in the crowd doubts their ability to do anything in their life, I encourage you to change the way you think into a positive mindset; to be kind to yourself and love yourself.”
Fuentes-Rivas also had some advice for future students: “Remember this about our director, Ms. Kaur—her office is a safe space. You can cry, vent, and open your heart—our secrets are safe. Not even a speck of dust will know.”
Handing out diplomas at the event were Kaur and LAJH CEO and President Dale Surowitz, who says the annual ceremony is always a personal highlight for him.
“These young professionals work so hard, and it is a joy to see them reap the benefits of that hard work,” Surowitz says. “It is also a point of pride for all of us at LA Jewish Health to be contributing to the future of nursing and to be enhancing the expert care of seniors throughout our community.”
The graduates were celebrated by a crowd of 250, including LAJH Board Chair Judy Friedman-Rudzki, outgoing ASN Board Chair Shelly Steier, and incoming ASN Board Chair Armida Colmenares-Stafford.
“It was an amazing event, and by the end, half of the audience was crying because they were so moved,” Kaur says. “It was the signature Annenberg School of Nursing magic.”
