Connors State College celebrated the graduation of 33 new nurses in a pinning and candle lighting ceremony held December 8, 2017, in the Fine Arts Auditorium on the Warner Campus. Graduates were pinned by a faculty, staff, family member or friend of their choice, and provided with a Bible courtesy of the Gideon’s International Auxiliary.
“The ceremony signifies the student’s official initiation into the brotherhood and sisterhood of nurses,” said Joyce Johnson, Division Chair for Nursing & Allied Health. “The ceremony is rich with symbolism. It is the right of passage which can be traced all the way back to the twelfth century.”
The modern ceremony dates back to the 1860’s, when Florence Nightingale was awarded the Red Cross of St. George in recognition for her diligent service to the injured during the Crimean War. To share the honor, she in turn presented a medal of excellence to her brightest graduated. By 1916, the practice of pinning new graduates was standard throughout the United States, and Connors follows this practice.
Justin Chad Duke gave the invocation, Kerry Herron read a poem to commemorate the event, while student speakers Malinda Figueroa and Casey Wineland gave prepared remarks about the classes’ journey together, followed by the benediction from Na’Quiya Nelson.
Fall 2017 Graduates
Traditional Graduates: Jordan Allen, Joni Cantrell, Patricia Combs, Kimberly DeLong, Brittany Dennis, Justin Chad Duke, Breanna Farr, Malinda Figueroa, Kerry Herron, Charlene Johnson, Katrina Jones, Amanda Lumpkin, Cassandra Mackie, Lacey Mattingly, Desiree Medina, Tammy Morris, Kyla Morse, Na’Quiya Nelson, Kohley Ogle, Lauri Osburn, Haillie Rolston, Tori Rowland, Mayra Sandoval, Whittney Whittmore, Casey Wineland, and Nicole Wright.
Career Ladder: Maresa Beason, Brittani Lang, Shereca Lang, Christina Mann, Sara Poindexter, Katelyn Scott, and Jordan Towie.