For the newest doctoral graduates of the University of Florida College of Nursing, the Aug. 7 Florence Nightingale Doctoral Lamp Lighting Ceremony marked more than the completion of an advanced nursing degree. It was a celebration of perseverance, discovery and the relationships that helped carry them across the finish line.
Surrounded by family, friends, faculty and classmates, graduates gathered to receive their doctoral lamps, a symbol of the knowledge, leadership and service they will carry into the next chapter of their careers.
“As graduates of our advanced nursing programs, you are more than clinicians, researchers and scholars. You are innovators, educators and leaders who will shape the future of health care,” said Shakira Henderson DNP, MS, MPH, MBA, IBCLC, RNC-NIC,dean, chief administrative officer and Linda Harman Aiken Chair of the UF College of Nursing, as well as system chief nurse executive and associate vice president for nursing education, practice and research for UF Health.
For many, the ceremony was the culmination of years of work while balancing careers, families and other responsibilities.
“It feels surreal,” said PhD graduate Keliy Fordham. “It’s been a long time coming.”
Fordham said her doctoral experience also opened doors to opportunities beyond the traditional classroom. She was grateful for the opportunities she had to present at national conferences, participate in interdisciplinary projects and explore emerging areas of nursing, technology, and healthcare.
For others, the experience also created lasting connections.
Carolyn Degon, who lives in Tampa, formed a close friendship with South Florida-based Melissa Scothorn during their Doctor of Nursing Practice studies.
“We met because of a group project. Melissa is an AI master,” Degon said. “We became friends through that experience.”
Scothorn said that, in addition to meeting Degon, her experience with the faculty was also special.
“Whenever you had a question. They were right there, immediately,” she said. “I’m going to miss my family. It was an amazing experience.”
Both said they were grateful that the online DNP program provided the flexibility to pursue an advanced degree while still creating opportunities to build meaningful relationships with classmates and faculty.
“Our professor asked us to stay in touch. To let them know about anything we’re working on. And if we ever need any help, let them know,” Scothorn said.
Dozens of family, friends and supporters gathered at the ceremony to celebrate the graduates’ determination, hard work and the challenges they overcame along the way.
Beatrice Hypolitte attended the ceremony at the Emerson Alumni Hall to watch Rigan Lewis, who received his PhD.
“I’m so proud of him,” Hypolitte said. “He achieved so much. He sacrificed so much.”
Jorge Guerrero’s aunt, Jessica Guerrero-Ponce, earned her DNP degree.
“I am proud of her. Amazed. She worked really hard for it,” Jorge Guerrero said. “It was tough at time. She’d call my grandmother, saying she didn’t want to do it anymore. It was too hard, but she stuck to it and succeeded.”
As the graduates received their lamps, the ceremony offered a moment to reflect on how far they had come and where their degrees could take them next.
Some are continuing clinical practice, while others are exploring leadership, research, education, technology and other areas of nursing. Regardless of the path ahead, the lamp serves as a reminder of the responsibility that comes with advanced nursing education.
The Florence Nightingale lamp has long represented the light nurses carry into their work: knowledge, compassion, service and a commitment to improving the lives of others.
For the newest members of the College of Nursing’s doctoral alumni community, that light now moves with them into the next chapter.
More photos: August 2026 Florence Nightingale Doctoral Lamp Lighting
