On Thursday, 20 students in the Practical Nursing program at Ogeechee Technical College received their pins in an annual pinning ceremony held in the Joseph E. Kennedy Auditorium.
During the ceremony, Tamika Thomas, pin recipient and keynote speaker, shared her thanks for both her instructors and fellow classmates and how they all work together to earn their pins.
“I have met some of the smartest, kindest, and most generous people here. You have inspired me to be the best version of myself and to always give 100% to my studies and my practice,” said Thomas as she addressed her classmates in the crowd. “I have never been so confident in a group to achieve greatness – if we can do this, we can do anything.”
The 21 students who received their pins were: Katelyn Adams, Krishna Basdeo, Demetrius Bertrand, Linda Boakye, Kyndelle Cooper, Olivia Cummings, Meagan Greenway, Janay Hill, Ashley Hunter, Jalaya Kendrick, Ashley Kent, Shelby Mains, Shynese McNeal, Kyondra Polke, Alyssa Ruarks, Kenya Scott, Courtney Smith, Brittany Switzer, Graham Tanner, and Tamika Thomas.
“[Our instructors] did everything they could to mold us into the phenomenal nurses we are sure to become. I thank them for never giving up on us,” said pin recipient Demetrius Bertrand in his closing remarks. “This program has also been a journey that has ended in an unbreakable bond between me and my classmates. They are my family and I thank them for being by my side,” he added.
The ceremony lasted about 30 minutes and included a keynote address, the presentation of pins, a candle lighting ceremony, and the reciting of the Nightingale Pledge.
