St. John’s University celebrates first cohort from revived nursing program
Emma DerGarabedian, a senior at St. John’s University, is preparing to graduate as part of the first cohort from the university’s revived nursing program. The Department of Nursing, part of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, was reestablished in 2022 after having been discontinued following World War II.
DerGarabedian credits her early interest in health care to her experiences as a young athlete and later as a caregiver for her grandparents. “As a young athlete, I was overly injured and overly fascinated by injuries,” she said. “I was one of those kids who, if someone got hurt, I wanted to see what happened. If someone broke their arm, I wanted to see if the bone was sticking out. I was so nosy like that.”
She described how caring for her grandparents influenced her decision to pursue nursing: “We were close, and when their health began to fail, I moved in with them,” DerGarabedian recalled. “My grandfather eventually passed, and then my grandmother’s health began to decline rapidly. Being a caregiver was a significant role for me. While it was hard, it guided my passion for what I wanted to do.”
Originally unaware that St. John’s had relaunched its nursing program near her home in Baldwin, New York, DerGarabedian chose to enroll once she learned about the opportunity.
When she started at St. John’s in Fall 2022, she joined 38 other first-year students out of 68 applicants. Since then, interest has grown significantly; nearly 2,800 applicants sought admission this year and 362 students are now enrolled in the nursing program.
St. John’s University is a Catholic institution founded by the Vincentian Community in Brooklyn in 1870 and currently operates campuses in Queens and Manhattan as well as international locations such as Rome, Paris and Limerick (official website). The university offers more than 100 undergraduate programs across six schools and colleges (official website).
During her time at St. John’s University—which supports multicultural initiatives through various centers (official website)—DerGarabedian witnessed changes within the nursing program itself: classes initially took place across different campus buildings but later moved into the new St. Vincent Health Sciences Center when it opened in September 2024.
The facility features advanced classrooms designed to replicate hospital environments along with virtual reality technology aimed at helping students better understand human anatomy.
“Beyond the academic experience, the building has given all cohorts a better sense of connection,” DerGarabedian said about moving into the new center during her junior year. “Until the building opened, I did not know many students in cohorts two or three. Now you walk around the building and see a person in red scrubs and you can strike up a conversation… It has been nice to have that interpersonal development.”
Outside academics she serves as both an athletics tutor and College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences tutor while working part-time at Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan.
Patricia Esquivias—Assistant Professor/Industry Professional—praised DerGarabedian’s approach: “Emma is a highly inquisitive persistent and hardworking student whose enthusiasm extends beyond classroom… That willingness to challenge ideas… will make her an excellent nurse.”
DerGarabedian is interested in orthopedic or pediatric nursing but remains open regarding location after graduation.
Her advice for future students is clear: “You have to feel some passion for the industry whether that is a passion for certain specialty… or working with patients,” she said.“You must have that driving factor that makes you say I love this… If you do not love it it is not going to work for you.” She added,“You also must want that patient connection… I hope wherever I am employed it is someplace where I can make positive impact on patients mentally and emotionally.”
