Long-time nursing instructor Sophia Beydoun retires

HFC has been a great place for 3-time alumna and nursing instructor Sophia Beydoun.

She says it will be hard to say goodbye on Monday, December 18, but it is time to head off into retirement.

“I will miss the students most. When students ask me how I feel about retiring, I cry because of how much I love to teach,” admitted Beydoun. “It’s time to go. I’m leaving on a good note. I’m at an age where I just can’t keep up this fast pace anymore. I probably will return to teach part-time, but I need a break and the ability to do different things. I want to spend more time with my grandchildren. I also will keep volunteering at the Friends for Animals of Metro Detroit and the Detroit River Conservancy. I need to focus on my own self-care because if you can’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of anybody. I’m also a die-hard yogi. I practice yoga every day. It has helped me so much in every aspect of my life.”

"Sophia has such a passion for teaching others and has always been dedicated to student learning," said HFC Director of Nursing Trina Moore. "Anyone who knows Sophia can tell you about her dedication and genuine care for her students to be successful not only in the classroom but as future nurses. She has always been a great role model for professional behavior standards for students in nursing. I am grateful for the many years I have been able to work with her and learn from her. I wish her a happy and heathy retirement."

Three HFC degrees: arts, science, nursing

Born in Highland Park to immigrant parents, Beydoun is the eldest of three daughters. She has been married to Khaled, an HFC alumnus, for 40 years. They have two adult sons, Jaafar and Jamal, both of whom graduated from HFC and have served as nursing instructors at HFC, as well as five grandchildren and a sixth on its way in early 2024.

A graduate of Franklin High School in Livonia, Beydoun earned three associate degrees from HFC (then Henry Ford Community College): The first in arts, the second in science, and the third in nursing.

“I was living in Dearborn during the time I attended HFC. I wanted to go to college and decided to go to HFC. It served me well. I was able to get into the nursing profession right away. I started at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit (now Henry Ford Health). While I was there, I pursued my bachelor’s degree,” recalled Beydoun.

A 2-time alumna of Madonna University, Beydoun earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing and a master’s degree in adult chronic health conditions. She is a registered nurse, a certified yoga instructor, and a Certified Academic Clinical Nurse Educator (CNEcl).

“I love helping people,” she said. “That’s why most people should become nurses: To help people and to develop a sense of altruism. That’s also why I enjoy teaching.”

“Teaching fell into my lap”

Beydoun has been a nurse for 31 years and has taught nursing for nearly 28 years. She has been at HFC since 1996 and became a full-time faculty member in 2001. Her supervisor is Dr. Cynthia Scheuer, Dean of the School of Health and Human Services. Beydoun also taught at the University of Detroit Mercy for five years.

“Teaching fell into my lap,” said Beydoun. “I asked (then-nursing program director) Genevieve Czarnecki for a letter of recommendation because I was applying for a job at the City of Dearborn’s Department of Public Health. She had a teaching assignment open and offered it to me, where I would work for my alma mater. So instead of applying to the Dearborn job, I started teaching. I’ve always had a good relationship with HFC. And I love teaching.”

Beydoun’s course load is teaching two clinical classes and one theory class.

“I’ve always taught clinicals alongside theory. We need people who know how to teach clinical practice, who can transcend the clinical setting and bring it into the classroom, applying theory to practice.”

The importance of compassion, care, and attentiveness

Lisa Hastings, Assistant to the Dean of the HHS, has worked with Beydoun for 10 years.

“Sophia is a very passionate, dedicated, loyal person,” said Hastings. “She gives 100%+ in all that she pursues. She loves her family, teaching, students, animals, and yoga. Sophia is someone you want on your side. I hope all her dreams and wishes come true in this next chapter of her life.”

For Beydoun, the best part of teaching is giving back to the nursing profession by seeing her students learn and grow.

“I see them in employment settings and practicing what I taught them. I remember teaching full-time and working at the hospital on the weekends. I had a hard time leaving the hospital, which I loved, to teach because I couldn’t do both. I decided to focus on teaching, so I cold put more nurses like myself out there,” explained Beydoun. “I love my students. I am their partner in their educational journey. It’s important for the teacher to be at the top of the mountain, so I can hold their hand to help them reach the top.”

She continued: “There’s so much you can do in nursing. I serve as a role model to students, not only teaching them the medical side of nursing, but also teaching them to be compassionate, caring, and attentive. I’m so enriched because of these students; they’re wonderful people, who are the future of the nursing profession.”