Photos: College of Nursing seniors make waves to celebrate graduation

You could say they pushed each other - to succeed, and into the pool.

Nearly 100 College of Nursing seniors celebrated the next step in their journey on May 4 at UIC's Sport & Fitness Center - jumping in the pool together, wearing their scrubs, to "wash off" the stress of the academic challenges of their undergraduate experience. The number of graduates was a record for the college, and they took the plunge in two groups, each lining up and counting down before jumping in together.

"The pool jump never gets old," said College of Nursing Dean Eileen Collins. "The pure joy on display is earned and well-deserved, and they know they now have a special connection with dozens of classes before them."

With long nights studying together and clinical work, nursing students form a bond with each other. And the pool jump is one way they show it.

Organized by the College of Nursing Student Council, the pool jump has been a rite of passage for more than 40 years at UIC. The odd and admired tradition was adopted by the Urbana and Springfield campuses in 2008 and 2019, respectively. In the early 1980s, students wore swimsuits and official nursing aprons, but now the attire is scrubs.

The College of Nursing commencement is on May 7 at Credit Union 1 Arena.

See more photos from the pool jump below.