Thirty-eight new nurses received their nursing pins during a virtual Nursing Recognition Ceremony last month as part of the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) 2022 Winter Commencement.
The traditional pinning ceremony symbolizes a rite of passage into the professional world of nursing and the nurse’s commitment to those they care for, said CSM Nursing Professor Robin Young. She said that the origin of the nursing pin dates back 800 years. Modern pinning ceremonies date to the 1860s when Florence Nightingale was awarded the Red Cross of St. George. To share the honor, Nightingale presented a medal of excellence to her brightest graduates and by 1916, the practice of pinning new graduates was standard throughout the United States.
“Our CSM Nursing Pin represents this commitment to those we care for and a graduate of our program,” Young said. “As you go forth into the world of nursing, wear your pin with pride. You worked very hard to receive this well-deserved honor.”
The history of CSM’s nursing pin begins in 1979 when the Associate Degree Nursing Program was established. The pin was redesigned in 2000 when Charles County Community College’s name was changed to CSM.
Guest speaker Dawn Yeitrakis, vice president and chief nursing officer at MedStar Health and ‘96 CSM alumnus, looked back on her more than 22 years of experience as a nurse. She recalled times she felt full of self-doubt early in her career and told students not to forget that their pins are proof that they belong in the profession.
“This environment that we are working in today is full of uncertainty,” she said. “When times get hard and you are wondering if you belong, you should remember that you are valuable, you have earned your place in the profession, and you are the right person for the job. You are nurses who touch lives in ways that others cannot. We are so fortunate to have you in our ranks.”
Many speakers emphasized the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the fact that it made students’ education more difficult; and fundamentally changed their career fields.
Shannon Chesley was chosen as the class representative, and she acknowledged the challenges that she and her classmates lived through because of the pandemic – from needing to adjust to classes and clinicals on Zoom and creating relationships with teachers and classmates from afar, to dealing with health challenges and school disruptions at home. Chesley said that enduring these challenges will ultimately make her and her classmates better nurses.
“As nurses, we must be willing and able to have hope in a time of despair that will, in turn, allow us to leave a lasting imprint on others,” she said. “We persevered during difficult times and have come out better because of it.”
The students’ pins were presented by faculty pinners Morag Dahlstrom, Lauren Guy, Linda Hamel, Dawn Leukhardt, and Rose Miller.
Acting Chair of Nursing Sara Cano closed the program by telling the students that the difficult environment of the last two years has left them well prepared for their careers.
“In the best of times nursing school is challenging, but we are not in the best of times. For two years you have been figuring out how to handle this new world that is constantly changing,” she said. “As a nurse, you will be challenged to work under immense pressure. Use what you have learned to handle those challenges.”
Nursing students who received the pin were:
- Rachell Marlene Amoui
- Morgan Lee Beavers
- Monae Alexis Bell
- Julia Victoria Berry
- Shannon LaTreece Chesley
- Colette Olena Collins
- Jessica Marye Denny
- Kassidee Jenson Dull
- Aniyah Tañe Gabriel
- Lezly Guadalupe Garcia
- Katherine Elizabeth Garilli
- Brooke Gabrielle Gatton (*Academic Achievement in Nursing Award)
- Amber Leigh Gontarek
- Audrey Dawn Gross
- Journey Lyones Gushen
- Paige McKenzie Haffer
- Julie Herbert
- Taya Nikol Jackson
- Jenny Johnson
- Markeysha Edna-Antoniya Jones
- Kristi Jo Kelly
- Shannon Kelly Lanham
- Morrighan H. LeFave
- Ki Ki Leung
- Rachell P. Lock
- Marcia Temple Lopez
- Samantha Mae Mendoza
- Emily Kate Newby
- Marlene Pruneda
- Laura Louise Richardson
- Elizabeth D. Scott
- Nanci J. Sien
- Lauren Ashley Taylor (* Achievement in Nursing award)
- Alissa Kaitlin Temple
- Ngoc Han Truong
- Nicole Chantal Valenzuela
- Kristine Williams
- Jadé C. Wilson