I had the honor and privilege of speaking at this semester’s pinning ceremony for the graduating class. Being asked was deeply meaningful—though, truthfully, standing in front of nearly six hundred guests made me feel as if I might vomit. Once I stepped to the podium, the audience faded into a blur. I don’t think I saw a single face. My focus narrowed to one thing: trying to capture the meaning of nursing school—the weight of it, the growth, the becoming. In that moment, I wa
