The NRI Institute of Health Sciences held its tenth commencement exercises on Thursday, June 8 at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center. A total of 30 nursing graduates received their associate degrees during the ceremony.
An audience of more than 200 friends and relatives of the graduates attended the event. M. Daniel Splain served as master of ceremonies, and Royal Palm Beach Mayor Fred Pinto delivered welcome remarks.
The new nurses received their degrees from Dr. Elizabeth Stolkowski, president of the NRI Institute, and Dr. Mary Jean Duthie presented their pins, symbolic of their new status. Dr. Barbara Miller administered the Nightingale Pledge to the new nurses.
The invocation was pronounced by Dr. Joseph Kloba, retired provost of Palm Beach Atlantic University, and the benediction was delivered by Pastor Michael Rose.
Local civic leader Jess Santamaria was presented the Founders’ Award for his contributions to education and society during his lengthy public service career. The presentation was made by school owners Splain and Stolkowski.
Dante Mitchell Tolbert, founder and CEO of Florence Technologies, was the commencement speaker. Tolbert founded his innovative edtech company to combat the current nursing shortage through artificial intelligence-driven solutions. Tolbert is a native of Los Angeles. He earned a bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from Claremont McKenna College and holds two master’s degrees in epidemiology/biostatistics and health administration from the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine and Price School of Public Policy.
The NRI Institute of Health Sciences has graduated almost 400 nurses and several hundred diagnostic medical sonographers in its 10-year history. Learn more at www.nriinstitute.edu.
