DHS alumna and WCSU nursing professor receives doctorate after giving speech
Danbury High School graduate Dr. Monica Sousa became the first person to earn a doctorate in educational leadership in nursing at Western Connecticut State University’s commencement exercises today. Sousa was also the keynote speaker addressing her fellow classmates in the graduate Class of 2016.
A faculty member of the WCSU Department of Nursing, Sousa doctoral degree was specifically designed to prepare nursing faculty members in best practice educational models. She is a board certified Clinical Nurse Specialist in Adult Health and maintains state licensure as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse. Sousa’s innovative teaching includes the enhanced use of simulation technology in the laboratory setting, development and utilization of case scenarios and skills-based assessment rubrics to measure student competency while demonstrating advanced nursing skills. Sousa said she engages her students by sharing her own nursing experiences with them, including case studies.
Sousa also earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in nursing from Western. She is the first to defend her dissertation in the university’s initial cohort of the doctorate program.
“Life is about learning, and I hope your education does not stop there,” Sousa said in her speech. “Remain vibrant and productive within your chosen profession. You never can stop learning. . . . In this age of technology with online and hybrid interactions, it is imperative that you maintain true relationships through real connections with people, whether they are our patients, our colleagues, or our students. The power of being truly present will never be replaced by technology and personal experiences will always remain the main stay of understanding among people.”