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A total of 76 HPU students graduated with their BSN, MSN, or MPH degrees in fall 2025.
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The fall 2025 pinning and recognition ceremony took place at Aloha Tower Marketplace on December 6, 2025.
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HPU Assistant Professor of Public Health Derek Cegelka with an HPU public health student.
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HPU School of Nursing Dean Edna Magpantay-Monroe with an HPU nursing graduate.
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An HPU BSN student at the pinning and recognition ceremony.
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An HPU nursing student at the pinning and recognition ceremony.
The HPU Department of Nursing and Department of Public Health celebrated the achievements of its fall 2025 graduating class on December 6 at the annual pinning ceremony, held at Aloha Tower Marketplace. The event, designed to welcome new nursing and public health graduates into the profession, symbolizes resilience, pride, honor, and a commitment to ethical, patient-centered care.
HPU School of Nursing Dean Edna Magpantay-Monroe spoke on the history and significance of the pinning tradition.
A total of 76 nursing students graduated with Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) or Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degrees, along with four Master of Public Health (MPH) graduates.
The ceremony included welcome remarks from Acting Provost and Senior Vice President Brenda Jensen, Ph.D., RN, and a keynote address by April Akeo, Ph.D., an HPU alumna who earned her BSN at the University and has taught a variety of nursing courses at HPU for more than 17 years. Akeo also brings over two decades of experience working as a psychiatric nurse for the State of Hawaiʻi.
HPU Associate Professor of Nursing Hazel Downing, RN, Ed.D., served as Master of Ceremonies, while Dean of the School of Nursing Edna Magpantay-Monroe, Ed.D., APRN, spoke on the history and significance of the pinning tradition.
The School of Nursing pin, redesigned in 2024 and presented to each nursing graduate, features imagery of Diamond Head adorned with a lei.
“This pin includes all the elements that represent HPU and the School of Nursing,” said Dean Magpantay-Monroe. “Since HPU is situated in an urban environment, the Diamond Head imagery signifies our island community, and the lei signifies welcome and ‘ohana. The values of aloha, pono, and kuleana represent who we are.”
As the sun dipped below the horizon at Aloha Tower Marketplace, the ceremony concluded with a candle-lighting pledge led by Assistant Professor Joy A. Bliss, Ph.D., RN, followed by the Modern Nightingale Pledge delivered by Assistant Professor of Nursing Leeah Javier, DNP, RN. The harbor breeze carried the scent of fresh leis and ocean air as the final candles were lit, grounding the moment in Hawaiʻi and marking the graduates’ transition from students to professionals in a setting that reflected both tradition and place.
