Newman University honors nursing degree candidates

Dec 16, 2013

Newman University recognized 20 candidates for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at the annual Nurses’ Pinning ceremony held Dec. 13 on the Newman campus.

The event is a tradition in the nursing discipline that dates back approximately 130 years in the United States. At Newman, the director of the School of Nursing and Allied Health places nursing pins on graduate candidates’ lapels as a symbol of their completion of the baccalaureate of science in nursing (BSN) program. The Newman pin is unique to the university, and was designed by the first graduating BSN class at what was then Kansas Newman College.

The ceremony included a brief address by Director of the Newman School of Nursing and Allied Health Bernadette Fetterolf, Ph.D. Fetterolf. She challenged the nursing graduates to “make a difference,” citing the words of Franklin D. Roosevelt: “The test of your progress will not be whether you add more to the abundance of those who have much; but whether you provide enough for those who have little.” Fetterolf added that in their roles as advocates and care givers, nurses will be challenged to “continually seek truth and make right choices on a daily basis. We know that you are up for this challenge and have the ability to touch and transform lives.”

Miranda Kohls of Clearwater, Kan., second from left, and Kelsey Weninger of Mount Hope, Kan., far right, received the Newman University Fall 2013 Distinguished BSN Graduate Award. The award is given to graduating nursing students who have a minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA and demonstrate an exceptional commitment to the nursing profession and community involvement. With the graduates are Newman President Noreen M. Carrocci, Ph.D., left, and Director of the Newman School of Nursing and Allied Health Bernadette Fetterolf, Ph.D.

The ceremony concluded with the naming of the Distinguished BSN Graduate Award. The award is given to a graduating nursing student who has a minimum 3.5 cumulative grade point average and demonstrates an exceptional commitment to the nursing profession and involvement in the Newman and greater Wichita communities. The Fall 2013 award was bestowed upon two students, Miranda Kohls of Clearwater, Kan., and Kelsey Weninger of Mount Hope, Kan. Both were members of the Sigma Theta Tau International nursing honor society, and were involved in many on-and off-campus activities.

The BSN candidates for Fall 2013, listed by hometown, are:

Arkansas City, Kan.
Shannon Hinson

Augusta, Kan.
Trina Wilson

Cheney, Kan.
Danielle Krenzel

Clearwater, Kan.
Miranda Kohls

El Dorado, Kan.
Tabitha Attreau

Great Bend, Kan.
Mary Kaitlyn (Katy) Harms

Hutchinson, Kan.
Jessica Carlisle

Mount Hope, Kan.
Kelsey Weninger

Pratt, Kan.
Gentry Schmeidler

Wichita, Kan.
Valerie Connelly
Thuytrang (Teresa) Dang
Kathryn Espinosa
Amanda Guerrero
Jared Hunsaker
Bridget Jorgensen
Nicole Lane
Lauren Pizinger
Lindsey Snyder
Lan (Kimberly) Tran
Patricia Waring

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