NFCC Honors Registered Nursing Class of 2018

MADISON, FL – The atmosphere in Van H. Priest Auditorium was exuberant May 8 as members of the North Florida Community College Registered Nursing Class of 2018 made their way to the stage to be honored and officially welcomed into the nursing profession with a traditional pinning and lamp lighting ceremony.

Graduates Emmie Boyer and Angela Williams welcomed guests on behalf of the class. “We want to thank everyone for attending and for the endless support that you have shown us in our 16-month journey here at NFCC,” said Boyer.

The pinning and lamp lighting ceremony is held for each graduating class of nurses at NFCC and through the ages has been considered a rite of passage marking the beginning of each student’s career as a healthcare professional.

Tears of accomplishment, joyous cheers and words of encouragement were shared among graduates, their family and friends, and the NFCC nursing faculty and staff as the graduates shared memories about their educational journey and received NFCC’s official nursing pin.

“Our class comes from all walks of life, with different experiences, life stories and areas of interest, but we all aspire for the same dream – a lifetime of putting others first,” said Williams. “Thank you for being patient while we pursued this calling. We absolutely could not have made it here without your prayers and support.”

Johanna Stith of White Springs received the Academic Achievement Award and was named the 2018 Keeper of the Light. Thomas Ricks Jr. of Lake City received the Nightingale Award of Excellence. Casey Markham of Perry received the Student of Excellence Award presented by South Georgia Medical Center. As Keeper of the Light, Stith will return next year to pass along the tradition to the 2019 graduating class.

Twenty-one graduates took part in the ceremony's “Lighting of the Lamps” and reciting of the Nightingale Pledge. NFCC RN Instructor Julie Walden was chosen by the graduating class to be the guest speaker. “She has been the cornerstone in our foundation as up and coming nurses,” said Boyer in her introduction of Walden.

Walden challenged the graduates to consider the mark they will make during their nursing careers. “Congratulations Class of 2018 on your endeavor that has brought you to this stage. Think back to January 4, 2017. That morning a group of strangers for the most part found a parking space, raced down the hill and into building 13 to find just the right seat. On this day, each of you put your pencil on the paper that would begin your mark. The experiences you have after tonight and after you pass NCLEX are the ones that will form your forever mark. Are you going to measure your mark by accomplishments or number of accolades? Or are you going to consider what you learned in the first few weeks of school about nursing’s foundation? Remember that you are not only a nurse, but a nurse with responsibilities to your patients and those young nurses that you will lead one day.”

“You will now be viewed as a professional nurse, representing the nurse you set out to be, the college you attended, the faculty who helped you along the way, and the facility who has put their trust in you,” said Walden. “How will you choose to make and then measure your mark in 20 or 30 years from now? What mark will you make when no one else is watching? That mark is the mark of a true professional nurse. Congratulations to you all and welcome to the nursing profession.”

NFCC’s Registered Nursing Class of 2018 will also be recognized as they receive their diplomas during the College’s regular commencement ceremony on May 10.

“I am very proud of each one of them for their accomplishments and I know that they will be an asset to our healthcare community,” said Julie Townsend, NFCC Director of Allied Health. “Congratulations and I look forward to working with you all as colleagues!”

Congratulations to the NFCC RN Class of 2018.

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