Nursing students take part in ASU pinning ceremony tradition

If you are a Sun Devil, you are familiar with the huge undergraduate commencement ceremony in the spring at Wells Fargo Arena. What you might be less familiar with are the smaller ceremonies that go on during the summer. On Aug. 11, a graduating summer nursing cohort from the College of Nursing & Health Innovation participated in a  pinning ceremony.

The tradition of pinning nursing students goes back to the beginning of the nursing profession and symbolizes the students becoming nurses. Teri Pipe, dean of the college, and student-nominated speaker Frank Schlick gave speeches. Pipe acknowledged all those in the audience who had helped the students along the way, and both speakers reflected on how rigorous yet rewarding the program was for the graduates. The summer nursing cohort comprised of 52 students who completed their degrees in a 16-month, year-round program.

Each student was given a pin when they began the nursing program, which were then put on ribbons that Cynthia Holcomb, clinical assistant professor, placed around the graduates’ necks. According to graduate Lauren Leander, the students chose Cynthia Holcomb to pin them because she was their first teacher in nursing school.

“She taught us all the basics: hand washing, how to put on gloves, how to approach a patient and much more,” said Leander. “She was the one that began our journey through nursing school, and we were so excited to have her there at the end.”

Leander described her experience in the cohort as, “a wonderful roller coaster.” She said the fast pace allowed students to focus on their main goal of becoming a nurse and required students to lean on each other.

“I have made friends that I will keep for the rest of my life,” she said. “I have witnessed life being brought into this world, and I have witnessed life leaving this world. I have learned more from my nurse preceptors, teachers and patients than I ever could have imagined.”

She said she is grateful for the experience and preparation that has brought her to where she is today, studying for the upcoming National Council Licensure Examination in September.

“Nursing school has changed me for the better,” Leander said. “I have experienced so much growth in the past 16 months; I cannot wait to see where I will be in the future.”

Written by: Kaly Nasiff