Good afternoon/evening everyone!

As I sat down to write our class historyabout the tornado that was our life for the past a year & a halfwords just escaped me. How do I begin? How am I going to give justice to the story of 30 nursing students who finally made it to this memorable ceremony. So bear with me as I take you along our journey that started June ___, 2011. This class started out with about 36 students some fresh out of high school & some that were in their early or middle adulthood stage. Young & old minds alike that were ready to tackle the pressures of being a nursing student. Personally, I didnt know how I was going to react when most of my classmates then though that I was their instructor. HAHAHA! Awkward!!! Almost everybody thought that JM & Sharla were boyfriend/girlfriend only to find out that they were actually cousins who became brothers & sisters via adoption. They were an odd pair to start with! JM the silent, gentle type of a person; Sharla on the other hand was more of a brusque! Loud but lovable. Majority of the class stayed away from Michael, like he had some sort of a disease, for the sole reason that they couldnt understand his twang those who dared to talk to him subjected themselves to a serious epistaxis nose bleed. We all loved to ask him, Where in Laoag are you from Michael? Just so the class will get a laugh from the way he pronounces his answer, Buttong! Some even wondered what Charity was doing with the rest of the class. Isnt she still in elementary school? Only to prove us all wrong, that she maybe petite but with the heart & knowledge of a giant! Raffy was the other guy who speaks with the twang! With a soft-voice who reads sentences though as if he was singing a song! Nicoles height made her the giant amongst the class golee! Shes even taller than Bryan Pascual! Joanne, she was even mistakenly referred to as my sister. Yes, I say, we were the brainiac-sisters! She kept us guessing as to what she was gonna be wearing next or which accessory she would be showcasing next. Oh how she looked adorable in her colorful outfits matched with unique accessories! We were awed by the display of romanticism shown by Bryan Pascual. We giggled & rooted for the young lovers. Everyone envied & wanted to be Lyka during those times! Talents in dancing were also discovered Relyn & Linetteled the pack of shakers & groovers in the class. Ciella became an instant star in the volleyball court with her high powered service & attack/spike skills May ann shy, reserved & very timid Femma dont let her quietness fool you! Tyrone was dubbed as the BOSS the leader of d pack of boys we had in the class. The younger students of the class shied away from Arnelyn they all thought that she was snobbish because she was often silent & when she does speak, she gave everyone the impression that she was one person not to mess up with! But were they all wrong! This gal could be just as crazy as everybody else. We would all be entertained whenever Mary Ann spoke her loud, booming voice could create rippled echoes throughout the PMB! Romari, the sweet-giggly Snow white of the class who always carries around an umbrella with her for fear of getting dark under the sun. We all unanimously questioned at one point or another, Which whitening product do you use?

Our fear wasnt diminished when we 1st met our TFN CI Mam Gamayon! She was a toughie alright! But in a motherlytough kind of way. She would scrutinize each student from head to toe making sure you were in your proper nursing uniform. No single strand of hair must be dangling or you risked yourself being subjected to her wrantings! Almost everyone dreaded her class esp when she would ask you to recall or summarize the previous lesson. We all wished we would have been somebody else during her class just NOT Urbina, Pabalan,Passion, Dioso or Agabyani!

I remember the day when we had our 1st clinical demonstration of vital signs. Our stethoscope was like an attachment of a new body part as we slipped the pieces into our ears & went around listening to every heart & lung in the room. It was one of those moments where the little girl or boy with the toy stethoscope knew she/he had grown up to live her dreams. As basic as VS taking was, it was still frightening for most. For a very short period of time during the 2nd semester of our RLE, we were all in dazzled during the discussion on Vital signs from sir Inocencio! Sir Marvin Ganal, Mam Janet Viloria & Mam Maan Ramones introduced & patiently guided us thru the step-by-step procedures for our skills demo. We took turns being the patient when our rle group mates performed bed bath/shampoo & during the administration of Oxygen by cannula or face mask. What a relief though when we found out that we wouldnt be performing procedures like catheterization, perineal care & NGT feeding on each other!!! That would have been a disaster!

We were all treated to the fantabulous, one-of-a-kind way of theory discussion by no other than our current dean, Mam Imelda Dawang! It was always refreshing to start every class discussion with a song & dance number choreographed by no other than the dean herself! Remember the Chika-dean, chika dean song & dance steps?? We would love to have her demonstrate that to the audience right now but Im afraid it just isnt possible as it would disrupt the solemnity of this occasion. Maybe some other time though.

Most of the anxiety passed as we began the program, & it quickly turned into stress as we dove into the workload expected of us. I think I can speak for nearly everyone in my class who at one point or another either did or thought really hard about having a nervous breakdown.

Summer class came. This time we met another 3 incredible & very smart clinical instructors who took turns in teaching our Health Assessment class. We crossed paths with Mam Elaine Rose Vanessa Asuncion, Mam Felinar Balicoco & Sir John Francis Paraoan. Three different instructors each with their own unique teaching styles & methodologies of discussion. It was also at this time that we were introduced to the hospital environment. Our 1st nurse-patient encounter, 1st NCPs, 1st History & physical taking. Finally, we felt that this was the real deal! But by the end of summer, we realized that nursing just isnt meant for everybody! We couldnt help but sympathize with our classmates who failed the subject. No need to mention who they were. But losing them dwindled the population of this class.

Our 1st year together as a class was a time of discovery. Cliques were formed of course, in order to survive nursing school you have to surround yourself with the right people or friends whom you can be comfortable with & help you grow & develop into the type of a nurse or a person you would want to be. Confrontations, fights & bickering were also a part of this class just one of the things that cant be avoided when you have 36 different personalities with differing

opinions into play! But we all weathered through that & came out stronger & with a clearer idea as to who we really are as an individual.

June ___, 2012. Level 2 here we come!!! Those of us who survived the 1st year of nursing school together were back yet for the 2nd round! We lost some of our classmates at this time some shifted to different courses, transferred to another school, got pregnant, moved to another country, or stopped for financial reasons. Nevertheless, one thing was certain, their presence was dearly missed! We might have lost some, but we also gained some the Claveria brothers (Dave & Edward). Dave who we quickly regarded as a ladies man d man wid d Bon Jovi singing voice & Edward, who we fondly call Edz or Salty to his rle group ever reliable driver/transportation provider whenever we needed it. Shierra who dazzled us with her display of elegant, graceful dance moves whether it be ballroom, interpretative, modern or folk dance Aries the Angelito-batang ama of the class; who could easily make you fall in love with him with his very soothing singing voice Jennifer Basti to some; strong-opinionated gal whos not afraid to speak her mind! Who makes jokes about her height & weight & laughs at her own silliness! Very secure & accepting of her own individuality! Abigail I think Charity was the happiest 1 amongst us when Abi joined the class! The 2 of them became the sisters in-height Gillian fondly called Pudaw because of her complexion. She might be very quiet at times, but boy when she starts talking its like listening to a rapid-firing machine gun! Premalyn another silent water that runs deep, VERY DEEP! Sunshine whom we met in our CHN class & instantly blended in with the rest. We also started hearing JM utter sentences like, Oh my! My gluteus maximus hurts from prolonged sitting! or Her best facial feature is her Zygomatic muscle! Sentences that translates into, My butt hurts from sitting too long! and I like her smile! There were also times that he would diagnose his ownself Disturbed sleeping pattern related to long hours of exam review or Acute pain related to gastrointestinal impairment secondary to missed meals due to exam review. Hes probably the picture of your ideal student one who applies what he has learned into everyday living. Personally, I was called mama Tonz the mother of the class whom they always expect to have an answer for every question asked. The one with the Google-mind if you needed information whether it be related to our lesson or just whatever , go ask or txt mama Tonz also became the GPS for the class directing the traffic of information. The one who dared to ask the questions that everybody else was afraid to ask. It seemed like all the other class members question was being chanelled thru me. I welcomed the responsibility & appreciated the trust they had for believing in every information Ive disseminated to them. It was costly though as far as cellphone load is concern. Michael was the class dictionary if you needed to ask the meaning of a word, just ask Quamby; & at most times, he also served as d ATM machine 4 those who needed 2 pay their fines/dues & sometimes even tuition payments d last minute gud thing he doesnt charge interest!

 We found our class entrepreneur in the person of Joanne the Baby G of the class. How she got that pet name will remain a class secret! Students & teachers alike became her clients or suki. Sometimes they would even request items from her if she didnt have it in her stash of items. Arnelyn was now known as the Pastora of the class. Who was always asked to lead the class in prayer.

We financed the cost for having Bryan Guira & Nicole represent our class to the Mr. & Ms. PNSA search held last September. Nicole made our class proud when she bagged the title of Ms. PNSA 2012 & made our school proud as well, when she won as the 1st runner-up for the 2nd anniversary celebration of the PNSA Ilocos Norte chapter held just last month.

Our 1st semester was as expected, loaded with activities hospital duties, community duties, OSCE review & preparation. Weve celebrated victories, witnessed the miracle of birth and shared laughs together. Oh how I would never forget the nervous looks on my rle group mates faces when we were about to assist in the delivery of our 1st case. Anxiety was quickly replaced by excitement & joy of having witnessed childbirth! I think we all became more appreciative of our own mothers because of what weve witnessed! I personally was shocked when I 1st had to assist in a D&C procedure. But not as shocked & dumb-founded as Michael was when it was his turn to assist in such. The ripped body parts of a fetus was just too much to handle at 1st but we have both put on a brave-face & finished the procedure without having to vomit. Joanne was so tired after assisting as the circulating nurse on a lengthy, 4-hr operation on a pt Total Abdominal Hysterectomy & Bilateral Salphingo-Oophorectomy. But we all got a 1st hand look of what a fallopian tube and an ovary looked like. Weve witnessed Tracheostomy, Craniotomy & done NGT feeding with baby Banada One major activity we victoriously accomplished during the 1st semester was the Health Education conducted at Brgy. Casili. That activity solidified the unity of this class. Weve proven true that, The strength of the team is each individual member; the strength of each team member is the TEAM! (Students will start to do their line formation ---Unity is the key word) **UNITY is our strength; when there is teamwork & collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved. Contrary to popular belief, there most certainly IS an I in TEAM; it is the same I that appears 3 times in RESPONSIBILITY! This is what best describes this class UNIFIED & RESPONSIBLE! The nice thing about teamwork is that you always have others on your side. Were a team. One person struggles, we all struggle. One person triumphs, we all triumph! As evidenced when the class had supported those who had to take removal exams to make it through into the 2nd semester. (Students starts walking up to the stage at this point Towards. Is the key word) *****Towards the end of the 1st semester, all we talked about was about this ceremony capping & pinning & candle lighting ceremony! Today marks the realization of that dream. Of finally making it to this occasion. I remember some members of the class saying, Oh how Ive waited long enough for this occasion.

Now we get to celebrate. Give yourselves a pat on the back & say Good job myself! Wow what a ride! We started out on this journey together a year & a half ago. Most of us were strangers to one another , but we quickly bonded & became a family. We were strangers pursuing a common goal, full of hope, promise & excitement. I remember the anxiety attack I had as I left orientation the 1st day of nursing school. We were excited, ambitious, anxious & with eyes as wide as a squirrel. We were ready to soak in every word the faculty had to say. Then, they started talking. Were they speaking English? Soon enough wed learn the nursing language. Were they trying to make us break down and run as far away as possible? Nursing school is not for the weak, & they let us know that honestly & up front. With books double the size of an encyclopedia for each class, we toughened up & decided to put everything we had into this & become who wed always known we were meant to be a nurse! Developing hands that move to heal, a heart that cares for the broken, ears that listen to what is unspoken, & eyes that see what may be hidden we were going to be a nurse & everything a nurse is & should be. On behalf of the entire class, I would like to thank the faculty & staff of the Nursing Department & the whole NWU community for believing in each & everyone of us. Not only have you taught us what we need to know to become future nurses; you have inspired us to believe in our abilities & ourselves. Finally, our biggest thanks goes to you, our family & friends. We are all in your debt for the sacrifices that you have made. You have endured our long hours of studying, missed dinners or family gatherings, stories that should not have been told at mealtimes, & seemingly endless babble about this disease or that procedure. You participated as LIVE patients at all hours of the day when we needed extra practice for our hands-on skills test. Without your sacrifice, support & encouragement these past year & a half, we may not be standing in this room today. Thank you & may God continue to bless each & every one of us.