Success has been achieved by 13 students at the Ridgecrest/IWV campus and 14 students at the ESCC Bishop campus in the Vocational Nursing Program at Cerro Coso Community College. A formal Capping and Nursing Pinning was held on Friday, December 7th, in the College Lecture Center for the Ridgecrest students and Wednesday, December 5th, for the Bishop students.
"The nursing ceremony is a well-known and honored event. Students start planning for this ceremony very early in their three-semester program," stated Matt Wanta, Vocational Nursing Director at Cerro Coso.
For a nursing student, being pinned signifies completion. The tight bonds made with peers and faculty members - and the prospect of beginning a professional career in nursing - fuel the ceremony with emotion.
The highlight of the ceremony is always the candle-lighting and recitation of the Nursing Pledge. The nursing capping and the Nightingale Ceremony remain a treasured part of the total student nursing experience. Formal recognition was given to the graduates and to the families and friends, who supported them during their numerous hours of study, reading of their textbooks, or working at clinical facilities.
The path to becoming a nurse is long, steep and sometimes rocky and the ceremony provides validation that the difficult and adventuresome college experiences have been achieved. The pinning and capping is a beautiful tradition that welcomes graduates into the world of professional nursing.
Ridgecrest Campus cohort (pictured above): Alexis Boske, Maria Renate Gaivoronski, Jessi House, Kayla Linton, Ma'aka Luma'ava, Mashel Lyon, Mary Katie Maguina, Tammy Sue McKinney, Rondra Dee Morrison, Martha Paz, Jonathan Shaw, Brenda Isabel Solis, and Dulce Trujillo.
Bishop Campus cohort (pictured below): Jonathan Aguilera, Theresa Bell, Rylie Cottriel, Renée Hartsman, Julia Loera, Shelby Logan, Michelle Mendiola, Pablo Muro, Laura Parker, Guadalupe Rios, Alejandra Ruiz-Ariás, Jay TeSlaa, Frankie Vidrio, and Thomas Yeomans.
