Samuel Merritt University

Congratulations to the 2026-2027 Schweitzer Fellowship recipients from Samuel Merritt University! 🎉

The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship (ASF) is a year-long leadership and community impact program for graduate and professional students. As part of this highly selective fellowship, students receive support for a community-based project of their choosing.

Our 2026-2027 SMU Schweitzer Fellows are:
Hadiya Sadiq (DPM)
Komal Rana (DPM)
Samantha Valle (DPM)
Jesus Pizano (MSW)

We look forward to seeing the impact of their community projects through ASF!

Samuel Merritt University ranked #3 on Business Insider's list of "The 34 US colleges with the highest-paid graduates, ranked!"

Business Insider used the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data to rank US colleges and universities that grant bachelor's degrees based on the median annual earnings of former students four years after graduation. Overwhelmingly, the science, healthcare, and engineering fields dominated the list.

We are so proud that Samuel Merritt University graduates are among these high earners. For the full list, visit: https://smu.pub/4uLQpPB

Peter Chordas, FNP '99, didn't take the traditional path. Growing up among immigrants and survivors, he turned a lifetime of curiosity about the world into a 20-year career as a Foreign Service Nurse Practitioner. He has worked across nine countries, caring for embassy communities and practicing medicine in some of the most challenging conditions imaginable.

After completing his FNP masters program at Samuel Merritt University in 1999, he traded the familiar for the unknown and never looked back. Today, he lives in Rabat, Morocco with his family, where he is set to retire in 2027 after more than two decades of service.

Living abroad and witnessing the resilience of human beings across vastly different cultures has humbled him in ways he didn't expect. "I learn from foreign caregivers and patients, even when it differs from what I know or is considered outdated," he says. For Peter, that has always been the point.

Read the full Nurses Month story by visiting: https://smu.pub/49x0aIV

Flicks from Nurse Appreciation Night (aka the Scrubs & Scrappy game) at the Oakland Ballers! 📸 ✨

The nods to nursing included:
🩺 SMU badge reel and "Nurses Heal" rally towel giveaways
⚾️ SMU College of Nursing's new dean, Dr. Alexa Colgrove Curtis, throwing out the first pitch
🎤 ABSN '26 graduate, Tajana Bevineau, singing the national anthem
🩹 Three mid-game activities involving bandaging "patients", a urinal bottle relay race, and CPR demonstrations

Thank you to the Ballers for making our students, staff, faculty and alumni feel appreciated during Nurses Month. This is what partnership is all about! ❤️

Our next alumni spotlight celebrates Sandra, Jessica, and Cristina Martinez, three sisters who each found their calling at SMU's College of Nursing.

Jessica led the way, completing her BSN in 2015 and going on to work in the pre-op and recovery unit at Stanford Health Care. Sandra, the eldest, graduated with her BSN in 2023 and now works as a Children and Family Services Public Health Nurse for the County of San Mateo. And Cristina, the youngest, is currently finishing her ELMSN at SMU Oakland.

The first in her family to attend college, Jessica set the stage for her sisters, but she's quick to credit her sisters for getting her through it. "I feel proud of my sisters for following the same path, and hope I can provide them with the same encouragement they gave me," she says. For Cristina, watching both sisters complete the program reminds her that achieving this goal is possible. "They understand how difficult nursing school is, and they constantly provide guidance, encouragement, and reassurance," she says.

At the heart of their “why” for choosing nursing is a deep commitment to family and care for others. As the eldest of five siblings, caregiving has always come naturally for Sandra. "My background and life experience shaped my desire to help people and provide comfort during difficult times," she reflects. It was witnessing that same strength and compassion in her older sisters that inspired Cristina to follow their lead.

"Nursing is truly the backbone of medicine," says Jessica, "and I'm very proud to be a member of this community."

Candids from the ABSN Pinning Ceremony 📸✨

Congratulations to our ABSN graduates! You have officially made it through this accelerated nursing program and we know will continue to excel as nurses.❤️

In the summer of 1967, Rondi Crowley, RN, caught a glimpse of what it would be like to work in a hospital while volunteering as a candy striper at Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley. That summer, she applied for the diploma program at Samuel Merritt Hospital—the start of her 43 year nursing career. From staff nurse to operating room director, Rondi spent most of her career at Methodist Hospital of Sacramento before retiring in 2018.

"The best part of being a nurse is taking care of people," she says. "You often see patients in their most vulnerable state. Physicians are the driver of the patient's care but you, as a nurse, are the go between."

Her advice to new nurses this Nurses Month: remember that healthcare is always changing; don’t be afraid to embrace those changes.

To read her full story, visit: https://smu.pub/4wJzlLu