CCC&TI pins practical nursing graduates

Dec. 23—Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute recently honored the Practical Nursing Class of 2023 with an official pinning and traditional lamp lighting ceremony.

The Dec. 14 ceremony was held at the J.E. Broyhill Civic Center in Lenoir.

Thirty-three students made up the class of 2023 and now face state board testing to receive their licensure as practical nurses.

Graduates of the one-year program are eligible to apply to take the National Council Licensure Examination, NCLEX-PN, which is required for practice as a Licensed Practical Nurse.

The ceremony included a welcome by CCC&TI Dean of Health Sciences Melissa Smith and a keynote address by Denise Barnhouse, whose career has included both education and active service as a nurse in various health care settings.

Barnhouse encouraged graduates to stay abreast of changes in the health care field, while also maintaining the empathy and compassion needed for true quality care.

Also during the ceremony, three students were recognized as recipients of the Practical Nursing Program Faculty Award.

Graduates Sarah Bledsoe, Savannah Smith and Taylor Osborne were all recognized for their academic achievement and leadership throughout the one-year program.

This year's faculty awards were given in honor of Practical Nursing Program alumnus Tatum Logan. Logan was a stand-out graduate from the program in 2021 whose nursing career was cut short by a car accident later that same year.

Logan was on hand at the ceremony to present the awards to this year's recipients.

To close the ceremony, students lit a ceremonial lamp, symbolic of the lamp carried by Florence Nightingale during her service to the British soldiers who fought in the Crimean War.

Nightingale is considered the founder of modern nursing.

Graduates also recited "The Florence Nightingale Pledge," in which they vow to uphold the standards of their profession and provide the best possible care for patients.

Members of the CCC&TI Practical Nursing Class of 2023 are Rebecca Anderson, Abbegail Bledsoe, Sarah Bledsoe, Carson Brooks, Katrina Chapman, Brandy Cheek, Haley Church, Jessi Combs, Alyssa Gibson, Luther Giere, Ashley Gray, Tiffany Hall, Autumn Huffman, Tiffany Inch, Trena Kee, Madison Keen, Haley Lail and Brooke Ledbetter.

Also, Margarita Lemus Rangel, Leslie Leonard, Lanette McGalliard, Kristina Miller, Brooke Minton, Taylor Osborne, Courtney Pennell, Daniel Pina-Vasquez, Jeremy Rhodes, Makayla Roark, Kimberly Rodriguez, Savannah Smith, Brittany Sollenberger, Jamie Stevenson and Liz Warner.

For more information on CCC&TI's Practical Nursing Program, visit www.cccti.edu or call 828-726-2200 in Caldwell County or 828-297-3811 in Watauga County.