Family members, faculty and friends gathered at Newman University on May 1 to celebrate 18 graduates of the Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (DNAP) program during the university’s first annual hooding ceremony.
The ceremony, which was held in the Dugan-Gorges Conference Center, honored the class of 2026 for completing the rigorous three-year doctoral program. Leadership shared a brief history of nurse anesthesia presentation, student and faculty awards and the symbolic hooding of each graduate by loved ones with assistance from DNAP faculty. The graduates will also participate in Newman University’s commencement ceremony on May 16, where they will be formally hooded by DNAP faculty.
“As many of you know, this has been a long and challenging journey,” graduate Karla Romero Garcia said. “There have been many early mornings, long clinical days, constant learning and plenty of moments that challenged us along the way.”
Kimyatta Brent, program administrator of Newman University’s DNAP program, added that the graduates are stepping into some of the most demanding roles in health care.
“It is the embodiment of readiness — not only to practice, but to lead,” Brent said. “This transition reflects a fundamental shift: from supervised learning to independent clinical judgment, from developing skills to mastering the delivery of safe, effective anesthesia care, from participant in care to provider accountable for patient outcomes.”
In addition to the students, faculty recognized the dozens of clinical coordinators and preceptors who helped train students across more than 27 clinical sites throughout Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri.
During closing remarks, Tim Cho, M.D., dean of the School of Healthcare Professions, challenged graduates to continue advancing the profession and mentoring future students.
“The profession does not advance on its own,” Cho said. “It advances because people like you decide it is worth their effort.”
He also thanked family members for supporting students throughout the demanding program.
“You built the quiet, stable ground that made the impossible possible,” Cho said. “This moment belongs to you as surely as it belongs to them.”
Newman University congratulates the following graduates of the DNAP class of 2026:
- Brittany Burba
- Brittany Grabill
- Sarah Graham
- Alison Harp
- Brian Hayes
- Shelbi Hayter
- Abderrahman Khamsi
- Fatima Lambert
- Kaitlyn McLeod
- Valerie Osborn
- Johnathan Rodery
- Justin Rogers
- Karla Romero Garcia
- Christopher Scott
- Sarah Somers
- Brett Taylor
- Nicholas Wiens
- Cecilia Winter
Meeting a few of the DNAP graduates
Several graduates reflected on the sacrifices and growth they experienced throughout the program.
Graduate Cecilia Winter of Burton, Kansas, said caring for patients during vulnerable moments reaffirmed her calling to nurse anesthesia. After being a stay-at-home mom for seven years, she was encouraged to take the leap and pursue her goal of becoming a CRNA.
“Taking care of people at their most vulnerable is honestly a gift,” Winter said. “I really feel like when I’m with my patients, when they’re about to go to sleep, when I’m with them in pre-op or when I’m with them in PACU — I just feel a connection to take care of them.”
Graduate Fatima Lambert of Oklahoma City was also pulled to answer the call to care and discovered Newman’s program through co-workers in the ICU. She described the DNAP program’s clinical sites — which rotated monthly — as one of its greatest challenges and strengths.
“You really just have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable,” Lambert said. “Newman sends us somewhere new, so we’re just constantly meeting new people, learning new patient populations. At the end of the clinical rotation, I felt very comfortable with it. That was invaluable.”
Like many students, Lambert said the program required significant financial and personal sacrifices.
“I did stop working to start the program, so financially it hasn’t been the easiest, but I knew that it was going to be worth it,” Lambert said. “My family has also sacrificed a lot of time with me personally because I am always so busy studying or at clinicals.”
Abderrahman “Abdu” Khamsi moved to Wichita from El Paso, Texas, to complete the DNAP program. He said his nursing background inspired him to pursue nurse anesthesia and expand his ability to care for patients.
“I felt like it was a good match for me,” Khamsi said. “I get to expand on my critical thinking skills and the interventions I can do for my patients. With this degree, I can have a bigger impact on my patients’ care. I also don’t have to work overtime … and can spend more time with my family.”
Khamsi credited the close-knit support system within Newman’s program for his success.
“Newman has been great. The staff, very supportive,” he said. “With the small class size, you develop very close relationships with your peers, professors and staff. It just makes you feel that you’re appreciated and you’re supported.”
Ready to lead
Brent described the class of 2026 as a group that persevered, and one that “really transformed into leaders,” she said.
“To be at the head of the bed, that’s a lot of responsibility and you really set the tone,” Brent said. “All that learning is preparing them to take the lead and molding them as professionals. And as challenging as (the program) is, I think they realized at some point how beneficial and rewarding it would be.”
Explore Newman’s Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice program
Prepare for an advanced practice nursing role in the delivery of safe and evidence-based anesthesia care at Newman University.
