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Dozen Mount Vernon High School students complete rigorous nursing assistant program

A group of nursing students in navy scrubs pose in front of a screen displaying "NURSING ASSISTANT" with trophies on shelves in the background.
Dozen Mount Vernon High School students complete rigorous nursing assistant program

Twelve Mount Vernon High School students in blue scrubs received certificates for completing the nursing assistant program after a rigorous two-year Career and Technical Education pathway that combines classroom instruction with hands-on clinical experience.

The graduates successfully completed 108 hours of clinical work at United Hebrew Senior Living in New Rochelle, gaining valuable real-world experience while preparing for careers in healthcare. 

Four young women in blue scrubs proudly display certificates around a red-clothed table with a floral centerpiece, while a blurred background shows a hallway with more people and brick walls.

Principal Dr. Pauline Pearce praised the students for reaching the medical milestone.

"So I'm here to say congratulations to everyone, and to let you know how proud we are of you and your accomplishments," Dr. Pearce said June 4. "We know that this is not an easy road. We know how difficult it is with the fact that we have other schoolwork to do … we have our social life, we have work, so many things to juggle, but you did it."

Dr. Pearce emphasized the compassion required to succeed in healthcare.

"You're learning some very important human skills. And the word ‘care’ is highlighted in that list of skills," she said. "The fact that you have taken on this journey tells me that you care about other human needs. Because this work, being a nursing assistant, going into the medical field, is not for the faint of heart.”

Counselor Takisha Sales also commended the “extraordinary group of scholars” for completing a demanding program that prepared them both academically and professionally.

Six smiling women in scrubs sit around a red-clothed table holding certificates of completion, with a blurred background of a room with trophies and people.

Among the graduates was MVHS valedictorian Mizzen Bajramoski, who became the first student in the program's history to maintain a 100 average.

"It feels amazing," Mizzen said. "I'm very happy to move on to the next part of my life and take all these skills with me."

She credited Nursing Instructor Bonnie Ball for challenging students to perform at their highest level.

"It felt amazing because Ms. Ball is not a very easy teacher," Mizzen said. "She makes you put your 110% every day. So it just feels amazing to know especially that I'm the first person to have 100."

She also reflected on balancing her coursework with clinical experiences at United Hebrew.

"I feel like everyone was very welcoming and very nice to us, and they would give us a lot of tips on how to take this into our career in the future," Mizzen said. "I think the hardest part was balancing my normal school with the nursing home."

Ms. Ball praised the graduating class for their commitment and perseverance.

A woman in a floral shirt stands to the left, while a man in a blue suit claps his hands in front of a wall decorated with yellow smiley faces.

"This is an amazing group of students that are going to go far. Most of them are going for nursing school or other health fields,” she said, adding that the students had to balance academics, clinical requirements and outside commitments.

"It's an intense program to be able to manage not only my class, plus the clinical hours, plus jobs, after school, sports, so they really are dedicated and worked hard," Ms. Ball said.

She expressed her appreciation to chefs Samantha Cohen and Katherine "Kat" Rodriguez and CTE teacher Bernadette Romanelli for custom designing the health-related bracelets the students also received.

Special thanks also were extended to clinical instructors Kathleen Calcaben, Arianny Rosado and Diana Neri Bravo, as well as Physician Assistant Natalie Montanez and Medical Assistant Sherise Cunningham, for their support and mentorship throughout the program.

The following students earned their certificates:

  • Destiny Adair
  • Mizzen Bajramoski
  • Sophya Calixto
  • Chelsea Crenshaw
  • Marlon Delabanque
  • Yuliana Dominguez Rodriguez
  • Tamera Farrell
  • Harmony Findlay
  • Cortelia Gilling
  • Emily Negrete
  • Raychel Persaud
  • Heidy Vaquero
Girl in scrubs holds up certificate next to woman
A young man in blue scrubs holds a certificate of completion while a woman in a floral shirt stands behind him, both in front of a wall with yellow sticky notes.
Two women smile as one holds a certificate in front of a computer monitor and a wall with yellow sticky notes.
Two women stand in front of a wall decorated with yellow circles and a banner, with one woman holding a certificate.
Two smiling women pose for a photo, one holding a certificate of completion, with a yellow sun-themed decoration in the background.
A young woman in scrubs holds a certificate while an older woman with glasses smiles beside her, with a wall decorated with yellow circles and a banner in the background.
Two women smile as one holds a certificate in front of a wall decorated with yellow sticky notes.
Two women stand in front of a wall covered in yellow sticky notes, with one woman holding a certificate of completion.
A woman in a floral shirt presents a certificate to a young woman in scrubs, with a yellow circular decoration on the wall behind them.
Girl in scrubs holds up certificate next to woman
A woman in a floral shirt stands next to a young woman in scrubs holding a certificate, with a yellow circular decoration on the wall behind them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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