Velez College of Nursing Class of 1993 celebrates Pearl Jubilee in Dallas
By Debbie Dixie Duraliza
Los Angeles - Thirty years after their graduation from the Velez College of Nursing in Cebu City, Philippines, 63 Cebuanos from all over the United States, Australia, and Canada trooped to Dallas, Texas on December 1st, to celebrate their Pearl Jubilee.
The Velez College of Nursing is reputed to produce topnotch nursing graduates in the entire Philippines. Batch1993 produced Board Topnotchers that year with Julie David bagging the no. 1 spot in the Nursing Licensure Examinations. Julie is now the Assistant Vice President of Nursing at her hospital in Florida.
After the Sunday mass.
Part of the four-day Pearl reunion was spent exploring the JFK Memorial where Pres. John F. Kennedy was assasinated, the Reunion Tower, and watching the parade of the Texas Longhorns at the Forth Worth Stockyards.
But the highlight of the weekend was a trip down memory lane, reminiscing about life as student nurses in one of the top Nursing colleges in the Philippines, the antics and shenanigans they got into, and the horror stories during clinicals. All these while wearing the white starchy nurse cap, white apron and white stockings as part of the nurse uniform back in the day.
Boodle fight welcome dinner.
Cowboy-themed night.
At the JFK Memorial where the group saw the exact location of JFK’s assassination.
Black and pearl theme for gala.
Our pearl memorabilia
After 30 years, some now with kids and many on prescription meds, these Velezians bonded once again under the Dallas sky, hosted by the Texas party crew. The class reunion ended with happy tears with everyone determined to not let go of the renewed ties and commited to be present on the next reunion.
Velez forged them into what they have become: strong, brilliant nurses who have hurdled overwhelming challenges to cross half the globe to not only succeed but thrive as healthcare professionals in the foreign land they now call home. They will continue to represent Velez in the global healthcare arena and a shiny example of success for Cebuanos.#
(About the author: Debbie Dixie Duraliza is currently working as a radiology oncology nurse in one of the premiere health institutions in Los Angeles, CA. Before becoming a fulltime health care practitioner, Debbie was a journalist in Cebu City, working as business editor for the local paper The Freeman.)
