UConn Elisabeth DeLuca School of Nursing sophomores receive their first stethoscope, gifted by a former alumna.
Elisabeth DeLuca School of Nursing sophomores at the Stethoscope Ceremony on January 20, 2026. (Coral Aponte/UConn Photo)
January 20 marked a pivotal moment for the Elisabeth DeLuca School of Nursing sophomores. Honoring a long-standing tradition, 209 students were given a stethoscope, symbolizing the start of their clinical training.
Among them were second-year students Saraswathi Vemulapalli and Brandon Grenier '28 (NUR). Wearing their nursing uniform, they celebrated a new milestone in their educational journey by receiving stethoscopes on the first day of their Health Assessment course (NURS 3120).
The course, NURS 3120, led by Michelle Cole, DNP, MSN, RN, CPN, and Yashika Sharma, Ph.D., RN, teaches students essential nursing skills, including history-taking, physical examination, and clinical observation. These skills enable students to collect, interpret, and communicate relevant information that supports safe, patient-centered clinical-care judgment.
Clinical competencies include vital sign measurement and comprehensive head-to-toe patient examinations, which rely on a stethoscope to guide accurate assessment and clinical judgment.
Through an endowed scholarship from UConn Nursing alum Margaret E. "Peggy" Sczesny '69 (NUR), '79 MS, these gifted stethoscopes serve as a fundamental tool that enhances confidence and symbolizes professionalism.
"We are so grateful that the school and our alum are giving us the opportunity to be successful with these stethoscopes. It shows how committed they are to nursing as a profession, and that they trust us to enter such an amazing field," said Vemulapalli.
Grenier shared similar remarks: "As students, we put so much effort into our work, and receiving this support is incredibly meaningful. It is one less thing to worry about, and we are truly grateful."
In addition to providing stethoscopes for sophomores, the endowed scholarship also gives nursing pins for all undergraduate and Accelerated Second-Degree BS/CEIN students at graduation.
"This gift honors the legacy of Margaret E. "Peggy" Sczesny, whose generosity reflected a deep belief in the nursing profession. The stethoscopes symbolize her lasting faith in the future of nursing and in the students who will carry this responsibility forward," said Cole.
Through Sczesny's generosity, generations of Elisabeth DeLuca School of Nursing students will carry a reminder of their educational roots, connecting them not only to their patients but also to their time as a Husky.
To contribute to the UConn Elisabeth DeLuca School of Nursing please visit: https://nursing.uconn.edu/info-for/donors/.
