Supporting future nursing educators

Annie Perng, DNP '28, and Zachary Polmounter, '16, DNP '28, are a part of the 2026-2028 Jonas Scholars cohort, a collaboration between Jonas Nursing, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), and nursing schools across the country that prepares nursing students to be educators and leaders.

For both Zachary Polmounter, '16, DNP '28, (left) and Annie Perng, DNP '28, (right) being chosen to join the cohort is a compliment to the work that they do.

Annie Perng, DNP '28, and Zachary Polmounter, '16, DNP '28, were named as part of the 2026-2028 cohort of Jonas Scholars, a program that supports doctoral and Doctor of Nursing Practice students as they finish their studies and enter the faculty pipeline.

The Jonas Scholars program, which began in late September, provides the cohort with a curriculum that focuses on four pillars: mentoring, leadership development, policy, and teaching.

"Through this programming, Jonas Scholars will be prepared to educate a nursing workforce able to thrive across new models of care delivery, leverage emerging technology, and adapt to ongoing changes within healthcare," the organizations said in a press release.

For both Polmounter and Perng, being chosen to join the cohort is a compliment to the work that they do.

"I was very flattered just being nominated," said Polmounter, who is on the leadership track of the DNP program. "Getting it is great, but just being nominated for it definitely felt good, that people saw my potential."

Perng echoed the sentiment.

"I was really pleasantly surprised," she said. "It's a very humbling opportunity to be able to work to contribute positively to the nursing profession and utilize the education that I've benefited from."

Perng started her career journey as a social worker where she had many interactions with public health nurses whose work interested her, especially as she saw the parallels between her own role and theirs. In 2012, she relocated to Philadelphia to begin her nursing education at the University of Pennsylvania where she earned both her BSN and MSN before becoming a pulmonary nurse practitioner.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Perng decided to revisit one of her initial goals when she joined the nursing profession: becoming a psychiatric nurse practitioner. She came to La Salle to earn her Post-Masters Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner qualification, a program that offers a smooth transition into the DNP Program. Perng took advantage of the opportunity and enrolled. While studying for her newest qualification, she's working at the University of Pennsylvania Health System in its Community Mental Health Center.

Polmounter, who earned his BSN at La Salle and his MSN at Drexel University, originally returned to 20^th and Olney as an adjunct instructor before enrolling in the DNP Program. He credits the University with being a place where he built a community, and as somewhere that laid the foundation for his nursing practice, making it the best place for him to earn his next qualification.

"I really had close ties with the University for a very long time, and it just felt like the right move," he said of his decision.

After graduating with his bachelor's degree, Polmounter worked primarily as a perioperative nurse at several hospitals around the city, including the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and within the Einstein Healthcare Network. In 2023, he became a clinical practice lead within the University of Pennsylvania Health System, a role that he said exposes you to even more clinical education and professional development.

As both Explorers settle into their first few weeks in the Jonas Scholars program, they're excited for all the doors it will open.

"I hope that I'm going to grow from these opportunities. I hope that these sessions are going to be enriching and that I'm going to come out of this as a better educator and a better leader," Polmounter said, adding that he brings this approach to every opportunity that he's offered.

He also highlighted the mentorship element of the Jonas Scholars Program, and that it is a chance to learn from people in academia and the teaching space.

Mentorship is a large part of the program. A group of 10 nurse educators, known as Jonas Mentors, are assigned to the designated groups within the cohort to meet monthly for discussions and to act as a support system and trusted resource.

A cornerstone of the program is the Jonas Scholars Leadership Conference, which Polmounter and Perng, along with the rest of their cohort, will attend the event in Washington, D.C., in spring 2027.

"I'm excited for the conference that they have, and the plethora of resources that they will offer, along with the networking," he said.

Polmounter also hopes to understand and appreciate the impact that he, and others in his position, can have as nurses and educators through this experience.

"I want to finetune those skills to keep thriving and achieving that mission," he said.

Perng has similar goals.

"I am really excited to develop myself as a nursing education leader and facilitator," Perng said, adding that she's also looking forward to having access to even more resources and expanding her network as well as seeing how she can incorporate what she learns into her time in La Salle's DNP program.

As Perng and Polmounter begin their time as Jonas Scholars, they both remain grateful for the people and places that have supported them throughout their nursing and educational journeys thus far.

"La Salle set this journey up for me," Polmounter said. "I spent a lot of time at La Salle, so it's a big part of who I am and something I identify with as an alumnus of the school."

Perng is grateful for the doors that programs like Jonas Scholars open up for her and other nurses.

"I think these kinds of programs are wonderful because, in my nursing experience, it can feel like there are a lot of obstacles or a lot of reasons not to pursue additional opportunities," she said. "So, I am appreciative of programs that support people who want to commit further to improving care in our community."

The Jonas Scholars Program began in 2006 and is a collaboration between Jonas Nursing, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), and nursing schools across the country. Through the program, the 80-member cohort, from 57 different schools of nursing, collectively receive nearly $1 million in scholarship support.

-Naomi Thomas