315 Nursing Sophomores Capped and Pinned in AdDU School of Nursing’s 23rd Candlelight Ceremony
The Ateneo de Davao University School of Nursing held its 23rd Cap, Pin, and Candlelight Ceremony on August 29, 2026, at the 4th Floor of Martin Hall, welcoming 315 Nursing sophomore students into the next stage of their nursing formation.
School of Nurisng Dean Dr. Liza Floresca opened the program, reflecting on the significance of the cap and pin as symbols of trust, responsibility, service, and calling. “You are not expected to be perfect today. You are expected to learn, grow, to make mistakes and learn from them, and to challenge yourselves,” Floresca said, encouraging the students to embrace the deeper meaning of their journey through nursing. “You are not merely learning to become nurses. You are learning to become lights for others,” she added.
Tracey Joy L. Dela Cruz, MAN, RN, Level 4 Head, introduced the evening’s keynote speaker, Dr. Patria V. Manalaysay, FAAN, PhDNS, MAN, RN, founding Dean of the School of Nursing. In her speech, Manalaysay spoke on what it means to be an Ateneo nurse, one who strives for magis, or the pursuit of the greater good, in service of others.
“Behind every illness is a person. Behind every patient is a family. Behind every clinical situation is a human story,” she said, describing this as the essence of cura personalis, a value she said must become part of every nurse’s practice. “Perform procedures competently, but never lose the human touch,” she added.
Diana Rose D. Bayog, MN, RN, Level 1 and 2 Head, then explained the significance of the nursing cap, pin, lamp, and uniform. She noted that the white nursing cap represents the purity of intentions for service and love of humanity, while the blue and gold nursing pin draws from the symbol of the caduceus, representing the health profession and a vocation devoted to promoting quality of life.
The pin’s blue insignia, she said, reflects the ideals and values of Ateneo education, rooted in the teachings of St. Ignatius and the humanistic heritage of Jesuit education. The lamp, meanwhile, stands as a symbol of nursing itself, representing what Florence Nightingale stood for: comfort, kindness, gentleness, courage, and unswerving devotion to duty.
Caps and pins were then imposed upon the candidates by clinical instructors Roy Cresencio Linao Jr., MN, RN; Cynthia Jane Villanueva, MN, RN; and Catherine Siapno, MN, RN.
The ceremony continued with a tribute to Florence Nightingale, as candidates lit their candles in her honor, followed by the recitation of the Nurses’ Prayer and the Florence Nightingale Pledge. Melba Irene Gabuya, MN, RN, LPT, and the Singing Panthers led the singing of the Ateneo Nursing Hymn, “As We Begin,” arranged by Catherine Siapno, MN, RN.
Henry T. Barriga Jr., MN, RN, Level 3 Head, delivered the closing remarks, reminding the students that even the graduates who once took the Nursing Licensure Examination stood exactly where they now stand. “What feels impossible today will, one day, be just a memory you look back on with pride,” he said. “The journey is just beginning, and you are ready.”
