![Montage of headshots.](https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_200_21_9/public/media/images/2021-05/star_grad_landing_page_1_0.png?itok=kH_R8dKh 200w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_260_21_9/public/media/images/2021-05/star_grad_landing_page_1_0.png?itok=vRPRYCNj 260w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_320_21_9/public/media/images/2021-05/star_grad_landing_page_1_0.png?itok=uw0ytOhU 320w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_400_21_9/public/media/images/2021-05/star_grad_landing_page_1_0.png?itok=4SH9yjqN 400w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_520_21_9/public/media/images/2021-05/star_grad_landing_page_1_0.png?itok=8pgiDODW 520w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_640_21_9/public/media/images/2021-05/star_grad_landing_page_1_0.png?itok=IcEsf2Tw 640w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_800_21_9/public/media/images/2021-05/star_grad_landing_page_1_0.png?itok=BKTQxXpt 800w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_1040_21_9/public/media/images/2021-05/star_grad_landing_page_1_0.png?itok=q-Bkd7ut 1040w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_1280_21_9/public/media/images/2021-05/star_grad_landing_page_1_0.png?itok=VJV2tCeQ 1280w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_1600_21_9/public/media/images/2021-05/star_grad_landing_page_1_0.png?itok=RJT5i5M5 1600w)
Class of 2021 Ready for Challenges Ahead
While the 2021 commencement ceremony will be virtual, we can celebrate at last! Columbia Nursing congratulates all of our 2020 and 2021 graduates, who lived through a year like no other and gained a unique perspective on what it means to be a nurse. We spoke with six outstanding soon-to-be-graduates about how their Columbia education prepared them for the pandemic and allowed them to follow their passions in nursing.
Chelsa Greene
Doctor of Nursing Practice Family Nurse Practitioner Program ‘21
![Woman smiling.](https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_200/public/media/images/2021-05/greene_5.png?itok=P6bWuiiD 200w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_260/public/media/images/2021-05/greene_5.png?itok=-aqmnven 260w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_320/public/media/images/2021-05/greene_5.png?itok=2tRfP4mn 320w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_400/public/media/images/2021-05/greene_5.png?itok=hcitcPbA 400w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_520/public/media/images/2021-05/greene_5.png?itok=UW6xc6ox 520w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_640/public/media/images/2021-05/greene_5.png?itok=AabfMILf 640w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_800/public/media/images/2021-05/greene_5.png?itok=Iit1nlAd 800w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_1040/public/media/images/2021-05/greene_5.png?itok=R0ZsK2J5 1040w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_1600/public/media/images/2021-05/greene_5.png?itok=jLASQPkU 1200w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_1280/public/media/images/2021-05/greene_5.png?itok=zrYEAnto 1280w)
Nurses truly care for their patients and want them to thrive, and this pandemic has only highlighted that.
Kirsten Gutlay
Doctor of Nursing Practice Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program '21
![Head shot of Gutlay.](https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_200/public/media/images/2021-05/gutlay.png?itok=EqxhZzIt 200w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_260/public/media/images/2021-05/gutlay.png?itok=JsazUFbl 260w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_320/public/media/images/2021-05/gutlay.png?itok=4EUoskLI 320w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_400/public/media/images/2021-05/gutlay.png?itok=dZX5FjvA 400w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_520/public/media/images/2021-05/gutlay.png?itok=qsecsE4U 520w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_640/public/media/images/2021-05/gutlay.png?itok=g_eH48Ws 640w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_800/public/media/images/2021-05/gutlay.png?itok=415RmEuZ 800w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_1040/public/media/images/2021-05/gutlay.png?itok=e-PLiiQS 1040w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_1600/public/media/images/2021-05/gutlay.png?itok=kI-mXA0k 1200w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_1280/public/media/images/2021-05/gutlay.png?itok=i5EKB9m8 1280w)
I felt tested as a nurse in every way [early in the pandemic]. And even more importantly, I felt that my role as a nurse in public was just as important as my role at work in the clinical setting. Being a role model on health advocacy is an important aspect of nursing, which I think is often overlooked.
Remy Klugman
Master's Direct Entry Program '21
![Woman smiling.](https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_200/public/media/images/2021-05/klugman1_0.png?itok=m08t1scf 200w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_260/public/media/images/2021-05/klugman1_0.png?itok=PGTRlUhC 260w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_320/public/media/images/2021-05/klugman1_0.png?itok=VqhYyH2p 320w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_400/public/media/images/2021-05/klugman1_0.png?itok=jtZW0cCa 400w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_520/public/media/images/2021-05/klugman1_0.png?itok=a2Vm3KMb 520w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_640/public/media/images/2021-05/klugman1_0.png?itok=8j449Xu9 640w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_800/public/media/images/2021-05/klugman1_0.png?itok=H1cQUfpZ 800w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_1040/public/media/images/2021-05/klugman1_0.png?itok=Zv0uBJxK 1040w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_1600/public/media/images/2021-05/klugman1_0.png?itok=oB8pPOfN 1200w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_1280/public/media/images/2021-05/klugman1_0.png?itok=5ozGpFA6 1280w)
It is such a gratifying feeling to care for patients and their families during the most vulnerable times of their lives.
Nicole Ramirez
Nurse Anesthesia Program ‘21
![Woman smiling in front of cityscape.](https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_200/public/media/images/2021-05/ramirez__1.png?itok=A5FuEJSx 200w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_260/public/media/images/2021-05/ramirez__1.png?itok=4819LIG_ 260w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_320/public/media/images/2021-05/ramirez__1.png?itok=zFiH_hiC 320w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_400/public/media/images/2021-05/ramirez__1.png?itok=vk070KBi 400w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_520/public/media/images/2021-05/ramirez__1.png?itok=FMetCnJv 520w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_640/public/media/images/2021-05/ramirez__1.png?itok=rGFic7zl 640w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_800/public/media/images/2021-05/ramirez__1.png?itok=khYdBmad 800w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_1040/public/media/images/2021-05/ramirez__1.png?itok=KoxGf-Lb 1040w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_1600/public/media/images/2021-05/ramirez__1.png?itok=2lja1Ltg 1200w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_1280/public/media/images/2021-05/ramirez__1.png?itok=GSvoP2aK 1280w)
The pandemic has shown me that my calling to be a nurse was the best decision I could ever make.
Jessica Schwartz
PhD Program '21
![Woman smiling.](https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_200/public/media/images/2021-05/schwartz_0.png?itok=sApztiMc 200w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_260/public/media/images/2021-05/schwartz_0.png?itok=9nCSMVUy 260w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_320/public/media/images/2021-05/schwartz_0.png?itok=O5Hs1rO2 320w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_400/public/media/images/2021-05/schwartz_0.png?itok=jHRFHJe1 400w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_520/public/media/images/2021-05/schwartz_0.png?itok=cKot1gcq 520w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_640/public/media/images/2021-05/schwartz_0.png?itok=V-_iY4rq 640w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_800/public/media/images/2021-05/schwartz_0.png?itok=KO917beN 800w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_1040/public/media/images/2021-05/schwartz_0.png?itok=CrLf0ZVa 1040w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_1600/public/media/images/2021-05/schwartz_0.png?itok=SGFPp0VB 1200w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_1280/public/media/images/2021-05/schwartz_0.png?itok=Nzd61Ltw 1280w)
Ultimately, the pandemic has reinforced to me that nurses have been historically undervalued in society. The pandemic has reignited my passion for changing that and elevating the way that nurses are perceived because we are changemakers, thought leaders, and essential to our communities.
Aaron Yagoda
Master's Direct Entry Program '21
![Man smiling.](https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_200/public/media/images/2021-05/yagoda_0.png?itok=F6bnT2Z0 200w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_260/public/media/images/2021-05/yagoda_0.png?itok=jqPgGMo5 260w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_320/public/media/images/2021-05/yagoda_0.png?itok=4Oz9QpB- 320w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_400/public/media/images/2021-05/yagoda_0.png?itok=nREZS2Ca 400w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_520/public/media/images/2021-05/yagoda_0.png?itok=YK7Ul49i 520w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_640/public/media/images/2021-05/yagoda_0.png?itok=C2e2MNYl 640w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_800/public/media/images/2021-05/yagoda_0.png?itok=dn9aEmVB 800w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_1040/public/media/images/2021-05/yagoda_0.png?itok=UlLnhFC4 1040w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_1600/public/media/images/2021-05/yagoda_0.png?itok=GVaAATq1 1200w, https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cola_media_1280/public/media/images/2021-05/yagoda_0.png?itok=c-YE2w2W 1280w)
We began our nursing careers online, during a global pandemic, in a country reckoning with a wave of violent racism, and carried on. That’s really something.