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.”
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
