Nursing Honor Society Inducts 36 New Members During Spring 2021 Ceremony
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing inducted 36 Islander nursing students May 13, during an in-person ceremony at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi’s Performing Arts Center. Inductees, joined by friends and family, received a lavender and white honorary cord along with an inductee ribbon from officers of the Eta Omicron Chapter.
Congratulating inductees on their accomplishments while welcoming them into the organization, interim Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences Dr. Bunny Forgione gave the night’s opening remarks.
“Tonight, you are joining a global community of nursing leaders who use scholarship, knowledge, and technology, to improve the health of the world’s people,” Forgione said. “The meaning of the Greek words Sigma Theta Tau mean love, courage, and honor – you are being inducted because you have displayed those attributes.”
Twenty-three inductees received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing while another 13 inductees received a Master of Science in Nursing, many of whom graduated in the weekend’s spring 2021 commencement ceremony.
“Throughout our time in the nursing program at TAMU-CC, we were surrounded by hardworking, caring people in the nursing profession,” Alexandra Rich ’21, nursing major, said. “I am honored to be inducted into Sigma Theta Tau and have the opportunity to work alongside these people to make a positive impact on the nursing profession as well as the world.”
The keynote address was given by Hugo Lopez, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, who shared his journey in nursing leadership. Lopez holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice and Family Nurse Practitioner Certification, specializing in emergency medicine, and serves as an assistant professor in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
“You are right now, where you wish you could have been four years ago. You overcame every reason you gave yourself to not even start or try,” Lopez said. “One day what you’ll figure out is, that in retrospect, the years that you struggled the most to try to become who you are, were the most beautiful of all.”
Membership in the nursing honor society consists of undergraduate and graduate students, as well as nurse leaders from the community. New inductees meet the requirements of academic success, academic integrity, professionalism, and leadership potential. As the sole honor society in nursing, the organization’s mission is to advance world health and celebrate nursing excellence in scholarship, leadership, and service.
“Your induction is not the end,” Dr. Julie Fomenko, president of the Eta Omicron Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau, said. “It is the start of your membership journey alongside a global network of mentors and peers who are here to guide and support you wherever your nursing career should take you.”
