Ate Maddie graduates magna cum laude!! :)

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One of the more exciting occasions for 2019 finally arrived: Ate Maddie graduated magna cum laude from Chamberlain School of Nursing! This is her second undergraduate degree, after finishing a marketing course at De La Salle University in Manila.

Ninang Trining flew in from Michigan and was with Ate Maddie for the pinning ceremony (which happened during the graduation itself). This pinning ceremony welcomes the new graduates into the nursing profession. Tita Tessie flew in from the Philippines to witness her graduation with us. Kuya Teddy, another nurse cousin who I met for the first time, drove north from Los Angeles.

As the graduation program continued, we learned that majority of the graduating class gained Latin honours. Case in point: three of the graduates were summa cum laude! Ate Maddie joined the ranks of at least 12 students who graduated magna cum laude. That's one high-performing class right there.

Graduating from the nursing program is a big feat in itself; but being part of the honour roll was something else. Ate Maddie celebrated her achievement with family and friends in a major way.

After the ceremony, we celebrated her accomplishment with a family-style dinner at the Sacramento branch of Buca di Beppo, an Italian-American restaurant. We feasted on chicken parmigiana, baked rigatoni, chicken cannelloni, salad, and chocolate cake.

But the party didn't end there...

The next day, we went to Stockton for her second graduation party... this one was a much bigger party at the Arnold Rue Community Centre. Lechon, suman, leche flan, puto, lumpia, rice, fresh fruit, and candy were just some of the food served buffet-style for about 150 guests. There were balloons, a photo booth, and a video screen showing photos in a loop. There was so much going on that I barely was able to chat with Ate Maddie (how can you when there are so many people to entertain, right?).

It was such a good way to end her journey as a nursing student and to begin her adventures as a nursing professional.

Next stop: the NCLEX. 

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