Northwestern College held a Virtual Pinning Ceremony for Winter, Spring & Summer Nursing Grads
[Bridgeview, IL] Northwestern College’s Violet L. Schumacher School of Nursing held a virtual Pinning Ceremony for its Winter, Spring, and Summer Quarter Nursing graduates on Saturday, September 12. This traditional ceremony, usually held quarterly, marks the formal induction of a student into the Nursing profession. Due to the pandemic, pinning ceremonies were postponed pursuant to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) guidelines.
Northwestern College’s Pinning Ceremony for all three Nursing class graduates took place online via Zoom. A total of fifty three (53) students graduated over the past three quarters from the Violet L Schumacher School of Nursing in Bridgeview, making them eligible to participate in the ceremony. The Winter Quarter yielded nineteen (19) graduates this past March; the Spring Quarter had fifteen (15) graduates this past June; and another nineteen (19) Summer Quarter students graduated in September. The members of each Class are as follows:
March 2020 Class: Maria A. Alvear; Sallie Arnold; Taylor M. Baxter; Maria O. Dairo; Luis C. Garcia-Scoville; Winefred Go; Josie Griffin; Sekondi L. James; Lucille McGowan; Kalyssa E. McMillian; Amanda L. Mitchell; Siobhan M. Oliver; Ifeoma Ozoigbo; Vannesa Perez-Ortiz; Angelica Reyes; Crystal Saavedra; Leopoldo Sanchez; Melanie L. Timbong; and Jeremy Whitten.
June 2020 Class: Lissette Aviles; Sieanna A. Brown; Janea Burton; Danielle Davis; Marissa A. Davis; Melissa A. Ellis; Aneliese Fajdich; Julissa P. Herron; Jackee Jones; Caryn M. Leonard; Stephanie N. Linde; Natosha McCollum; Chantilly Powell; Latosha Walker; and Tatianna Wings.
September 2020 Class: Amanda Bowman; Daisy Buitron; Brittney N. Donaldson; Detria R. Dunwoody; Veronica Estrada; Jolanta E. Formicki; Ericka Gonzalez; Gessica P. Grisko; Karina A. Hart; Carlisha D. Hicks; Kerrin A. Jackson; Elizabeth T. Mendoza; Veronica Osuna; Olatunde I. Oyeyemi; Astrid X. Pruger; Natasha Samuel; Jennifer Sanchez; Josefa I. Urroz Perez; and Doretha A. Wilson.
This combined class Pinning Ceremony was hosted on Zoom and included graduates, NC Nursing faculty and staff, and family and friends of the graduates.
The Pinning Ceremony began with a Welcome by the Associate Dean of Nursing for the Violet L Schumacher School of Nursing, Lauren Spraggins. A representative of each class then made some remarks on behalf of their fellow classmates. RN Jeremy Whitten spoke on behalf of the March 2020 Cohort; RN Tatianna Wings spoke on behalf of the June 2020 Cohort; and Kerrin Jackson spoke on behalf of the September 2020 Cohort.
Associate Dean Spraggins then provided a history of the pinning ceremony itself, further outlining the symbolism incorporated.
The ceremony featured the traditional presentation of pins to each individual graduate. Lead Faculty Member Jessica McKinley conducted this portion of the ceremony. Each student had either picked up their pin sometime over the last several months, or were presented with their boxed pin when they arrived for their scheduled appointment to be photographed for the Nursing Class photos, which were taken on campus a few weeks ago [only 1 student was allowed in the building at a time). During this portion of the ceremony, Lead Faculty Member McKinley called the name of each graduate nurse and all participants watched as the graduate put their pin on.
The ceremony proceeded to feature the lighting of a candle held by a lantern, symbolizing the passing of the flame from the founder of professional nursing, Florence Nightingale. Lead Faculty McKinley also led this portion of the ceremony. Graduates had picked up their lamp with their pin, so each had one to hold for the ceremony. Each lit their candles at home and held them before their video screens. When all lanterns were lit, Associate Dean Spraggins led the graduates in the recitation of the Nurses Oath, the Florence Nightingale Pledge, followed by concluding remarks.
Students that successfully complete the Nursing Program of the Violet L. Schumacher School of Nursing will have earned their Associate of Applied Science Degrees in Nursing, and upon passage of the NCLEX-RN licensure examination, will receive the Registered Nurse (RN) designation. Students that completed their coursework at the end of this past summer quarter are eligible to sit for the upcoming NCLEX exam.
Interested Nursing students that enroll at the Violet L Schumacher School of Nursing can begin their Nursing Programs during any of the College’s four quarters – Fall (September), Winter (January), Spring (April), and Summer (June). At the end of each quarter, those Nursing students that complete their studies and graduate are eligible to participate in the traditional pinning ceremony, hosted four times yearly. Due to COVID-19, this year three of the ceremonies were combined into one.
The Violet L Schumacher School of Nursing opened in the fall of 2010 and was named for a 1930’s student of Northwestern College (formerly known as Northwestern Business College from 1902-2008) who later became an employee, and then finally purchased the College in 1958. Violet Schumacher was a visionary who advocated for students seeking higher education and served as President Emeritus of the College until her death in 2013 at the age of 98. Her son Lawrence Schumacher has served as Northwestern College’s President since 1978.
About Northwestern College:
Northwestern College (NC) is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, 230 S. LaSalle St., Suite 7-500, Chicago, IL 60604, (312) 263-0456, www.hlcommission.org. The college offers focused career-oriented bachelor and associate degrees as well as certificate programs with flexible schedules and a supportive faculty. Day, evening, weekend, online classes and online programs are available. More information can be found at www.NC.edu or by calling toll-free (888) 205-2283.