On a day where many people were only wondering “what next?,” class speaker Job Andrew Sy encouraged his West Coast University cohort to always remember why they became nurses.
For Sy, it was due to the care he watched his father receive from nurses after being diagnosed with cancer. After two months in the hospital, numerous trips to the ER and three months of home hospice care, Sy saw firsthand the work of nurses and was inspired to see how they took care of not only his father but his whole family.
“They worked efficiently in carrying out their tasks but also made sure to evaluate our emotional and spiritual needs and provided encouragement and comfort at just the right times. Toward the end of his life, my dad would say that my mom and I were his best nurses even though neither of us was nurses,” Sy told the audience in the Lewis Family Playhouse at the Victoria Gardens Cultural Center. “Well, Papa, your prophecy came true. I’m sorry that I couldn’t be your actual best nurse but rest assured that I will be the best nurse that I can be for all my future patients.”
Sy then turned to his 90-plus classmates from WCU-Ontario’s newest bachelor of science in nursing cohort and urged them to never forget the reason why they decided to become a nurse.
“I think many of us share the same sentiment, we have the spirit and the positivity to help others in their time of need and we also want to provide for our families. Take a good look at the audience. All the people that are here — our instructors, our friends, our families — have seen us cry, sweat, bleed and even faint due to the stress but your unwavering support undoubtedly kept us going. You sacrificed so much for us to be successful and now it is our turn to do the same for you,” he said. “All the sacrifices that we made in the past three years, all the missed birthdays, weddings, date nights, are now seemingly small compared to achieving our goal of becoming a nurse. As we receive and light our candles tonight let that serve as a reminder to be a light to all the patients that we will meet, providing therapeutic multifaceted care while never forgetting your reason for becoming a nurse. Go onwards and make your own unique mark in the nursing world.”
WCU provides career guidance and assistance but cannot guarantee employment. The views and opinions expressed are those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs or position of the school or of any instructor or student.
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