White coats, full hearts as CSULB students answer nursing’s calling
A new class of future nurses, united by a calling to serve with compassion, gathered at Cal State Long Beach to ceremonially don the garments of their chosen profession and join their voices in an oath dedicating their lives to patients.
“I grew up being exposed to this, and it sparked that passion,” said third-year student Autrina Dehdashtinejad, who chose to follow her mother’s footsteps into nursing.
Dehdashtinejad was one of about 80 students who gathered for the School of Nursing’s annual White Coat Ceremony. She and others took turns on the Daniel Recital Hall stage to bask in cheers from loved ones while faculty members helped each student put on lab coats, an act confirming their readiness for a more intense phase of their education.
“It was a wonderful, wonderful experience and I was very proud of her,” said Sara Khajeh, Dehdashtinejad’s mother, following the ceremony. “Watching her pick this profession is certainly an inspiring moment for me.”
Dehdashtinejad and her peers can now look forward to assignments working alongside professional nurses. These experiences will develop clinical know-how and a caring approach to patients’ needs.
“You join a commitment, and you represent that commitment to the values of nursing, which are compassion, integrity, excellence and service,” Jennifer A. Wade-Berg, dean of the College of Health and Human Services, said during the ceremony.
“As you put on your white coat, remember that you are accepting the privilege,” she continued. “Yes, the privilege, and the responsibility, of caring for others.”
This sentiment accords with Dehdashtinejad’s motivation to pursue nursing.
“I think it’s the human side of it, and really connecting with your patients emotionally and being that person in the room,” she said.
'You’re a student nurse’
The School of Nursing, since its 1965 founding, has prepared more than 10,000 alumni for practice while earning a reputation for excellence. RNCareers.org rates CSULB as having the best Bachelor of Science of Nursing program in all of California.
The Beach has an exceptionally high pass rate for the NCLEX-RN licensing exam, with the California Board of Registered Nursing reporting nearly 99% of CSULB students who took the exam for the first time over 2024-25 earned passing scores.
Nursing faculty will do their part to get students ready for these exams. For now, the White Coat Ceremony focuses students’ minds on what it means to care for patients.
“Your commitment to do your best, to put yourself out there, to learn, think and care from your heart starts today,” Nursing Professor Lucy VanOtterloo said. “You’re not just a student; you’re a student nurse.”
'Healing, dignity and hope’
Like Dehdashtinejad, several students pointed to their family stories inspiring their decisions to enter nursing. Desi Hamza looked back on her parents’ home care business as sparking an interest in health care, which for her, centers empathy and kindness.
“It’s more than medical care you’re giving,” she said. “It’s actually the emotional care.”
The imperative for nurses to attend to patients’ entire humanity was a consistent theme throughout the ceremony.
“While healthcare technologies, treatments, artificial intelligence and systems have evolved, the heart of nursing remains unchanged,” said Michael Williams, director of the School of Nursing. “Caring for the whole person, advocating for those in need, and creating conditions that create healing, dignity and hope.”
Student Ethan Elegado experienced what it takes to help someone through a difficult time in 2021, when his mother survived a stroke.
“That started my journey in a way, because I had to act as a caretaker,” he said, also observing that his CSULB education is a way to build the confidence required to be a healthcare professional.
“I’ve always been a person that wants to help out others,” Elegado said.
