First Montage Nursing Scholars graduating class honored

By Mark Muckenfuss

A late afternoon ceremony on Tuesday, Dec. 17, honored 21 nursing graduates who represented the first cohort of a cooperative program between Monterey Peninsula College and Cal State Monterey Bay. The program streamlines the path to a bachelor’s degree in nursing by allowing MPC students working on a nursing associate degree to take concurrent classes with CSUMB – including over two summer semesters – completing what is traditionally a four-year process in just 2½ years. 

The Montage Health Foundation helps to fund the program. It provided forgivable loans of $25,000 to 10 students in the initial cohort. The loans are incrementally forgiven if the graduates work for Montage for three years.

CSUMB President Vanya Quiñones thanked the foundation in her welcoming remarks during the ceremony.  

“As a university, we are committed to ensuring we have quality healthcare professionals in our region,” Quiñones said, after congratulating the students on their achievement. “We are fortunate to have strong community partners who share that same dedication.”

CSUMB Nursing Department chair Alyssa Erikson said it was exciting to see the collaboration of the three partners pay off. 

“It does feel really celebratory,” Erikson said, speaking before the ceremony. “It feels like the idea coming into fruition. It worked out even better than I thought it would.”

She was particularly pleased that nearly every student in the cohort was able to meet the timeline established by the program. The graduates, she said are ready to make a difference.

“You can see the impact that each of these nurses is going to make in the region,” she said. 

Graduate Michael Sankovich said he felt fortunate to be part of the initial cohort.

“I’m so grateful for this program,” Sankovich said. “I got accepted to a couple of schools, but the concurrent program made it so convenient.”  

Sankovich, 45, stood out from his peers. A veteran of working in several other professions, including 10 years as a massage therapist, he’s now a nurse at Pacific Coast Post- Acute in Salinas. He called the program “completely life-changing.”

“I’ve always been poor,” he said. “I’m finally in the middle class. And the job is fascinating. There is always more to learn.”  

Sankovich’s fellow graduate Ulises Hernandez said the new program will encourage more nurses to pursue bachelor’s degrees and gain additional knowledge. Traditionally, he said, those working as RN’s after finishing two years of study, face a mental hurdle when it comes to going back to school. The streamlined structure of this program eliminates that.  

“The last semester gets a little intense,” he said. “But because you’re already in that mindset of going to school, it’s very doable.”

Hernandez was chosen to address his fellow students during the ceremony. He told them to appreciate the hope and trust that had been placed in them by their supporters.

“It was kindness that brought us here today,” he said. “The world is waiting for you to show up and to show up with kindness. Let kindness be the legacy we leave behind.”

Lynn Krageland, MPC’s nursing director, also spoke to the graduates. 

“I’m so excited for you,” Krageland said. “You’re a shining example of what we can do.”