Families, friends, classmates, faculty, staff, and others from the community gathered in Concordia University Chicago’s Chapel of Our Lord on a cold evening in December to celebrate the commencement of five history-making students.
These graduates, who comprise the first class to earn their Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degrees through Concordia-Chicago’s new four-year Nursing program, set the standard for students who will follow in their footsteps. They’ll also be the ones to demonstrate to future colleagues and patients what it means to be a nurse who was formed at CUC.
“Concordia’s emphasis on vocation, on serving others with expertise and mercy, is perfect preparation for the nursing profession,” said University President Dr. Russell Dawn. “Our aspiration to provide so well for such an important field was a significant factor in choosing to start the Nursing program.”
Nearly four years ago, Director of Nursing Kristen Bayer began working with University leaders to build the new program from the ground up, expanding the legacy of CUC’s earlier nursing partnerships with other universities and academic medical centers. Together, they built a state-of-the-art simulation and skills lab, earned accreditation, and began marketing the program. By August 2023, the first classes were held; and six months later, nursing was (and still is) the most popular major at the University for traditional undergraduate students. Following the path paved by the five December graduates, 105 other CUC students are working toward their nursing degrees.
“Nursing is not simply something you do—it is something you are,” said Bayer, MSN, APN, FNP-C in her address to the first five graduates. “It is a vocation, a ministry of service, a way of showing God’s love and grace in times of need.”
While it’s easy to see God’s love come through in the vocation of nursing, that love is also apparent in the way Bayer and Associate Director of Nursing Laurie Zack, EdD, MSN, APRN, LPC interact with students.
“We love them through the program,” Bayer explained before the December 11 ceremony. That love includes celebrating students’ successes—and letting them know when they need to work harder and focus more.
The Nursing program’s design, with small class sizes that allow faculty to form those close relationships with students, makes all the difference.
“We wanted to teach [the students] not only how to be good clinicians, but also wonderful people,” Bayer said about her team’s approach to preparing future nurses. “I want them to be resilient, knowledgeable, and confident.”
One future nurse, Nicolaus Anderson (BSN ’25), said Bayer was a big part of his decision to join CUC’s Nursing program.
Anderson started his degree at CUC before transferring to Oak Point University to complete work toward his BSN. Instead, he transferred back.
“Just from interacting with [Bayer], I could see the quality and dedication to making us the best that we could be,” Anderson said, noting that Bayer and Zack created an environment where students can talk to them about anything.
Anderson was one of two students given special recognition during commencement. He received the Rose Brehm Law Award for Clinical Excellence, named after an infirmary nurse who began working at Concordia Teachers College in the late 1950s. Amy Lobo (BSN ’25) received the Academic Excellence Award for her intellectual curiosity and academic performance.
Stephany Arroyo (BSN ’25), another recent graduate, said that she experienced the difference of CUC’s Nursing program before she even decided where to pursue her studies. Bayer invited her to meet one on one, explained the transfer process, and gave her advice about what to look for in a program, regardless of if she chose CUC.
“That really won me over,” Arroyo said, later sharing how much faculty have supported her throughout her time here. “I’ve built amazing relationships with professors. I feel like in five years, if I want to text any of the professors, any of the faculty, I have no doubt that they’ll be there for me.”
Student-faculty relationships aren’t the only bonds the program built.
“All the girls are Latinas. We all help each other out,” Arroyo said, adding that she, Anderson, Lobo, Gabriella Galvez (BSN ’25), and Denise Guaman (BSN ’25) are all very close.
Arroyo, who shared that COVID-19 and its effects on the Hispanic community in Chicago inspired her to pursue nursing, described the recent graduates’ relationship with each other as one where they’re not just classmates—but also friends. Anderson agreed.
“There’s a really unique and strong bond amongst ourselves,” he said. “We go through it together—whether it’s the classes, the long clinical hours, going to half a dozen hospitals. We do a lot, we’re challenged a lot, but right now, at the end, it’s really exciting because we get to come out of it together.”
What’s next for these new alumni? After commencement, each will take the National Council State Board of Nursing Examination (NCLEX-RN), a necessary step before becoming registered nurses. Bayer said all five are on track to pass their board exams.
Thanks to the way CUC has prepared her, Arroyo said she feels confident.
“They have raised us, in a way, to take initiative and be leaders … they want us to be critical thinkers,” she said. “They want us to think about why and how.”
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