West Virginia University at Parkersburg held its fall nursing pinning ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 15 at 1:30 p.m. in the College Activities Center. The ceremony honors students who have completed graduation requirements for the Associate of Applied Science in Nursing degree at WVU Parkersburg.

The ceremony included greetings from Kathy Frum, Nursing and Health Sciences chairperson; Dr. Chris Gilmer, WVU Parkersburg president; Chad Crumbaker, Academic and Student Services vice president and nursing program graduate Caleigh Crosier. Barbara Tuell, MSN, RN and Educational Services specialist at Memorial Health Systems, served as the guest speaker.

Spring 2018 nursing graduates include:

• Alethea Bateman
• Brooke Crawford
• Caleigh Crosier
• Amber Elliott
• Nattakarn Friese
• Gina Hesson
• Cynthia Jenkins
• Saundra Jenkins
• Rebecca Marlow
• William Mayhorn
• Casey Miner
• Dalton Phillips
• Vicki Pickens
• Anna Schutt
• Sarah Sullivan
• Sydney Templeton
• Thong Tran
• Yurgita Vaidya
• Jordan Watson
• Rebecca Westfall
• Chelsea Whiting
• Emily Wigal
• Alisen Wilson

Faculty members presented each graduate with a pin, followed by a candle lighting ceremony and the reciting of the “Florence Nightingale Pledge;” a practice that began in the 1860s when Florence Nightingale was awarded the Red Cross of St. George.

“The ceremony is rich with symbolism,” said Frum. “Graduates are pinned by the nursing faculty with a special WVU Parkersburg school pin as an initiation and welcome into the nursing profession.”

Visit www.wvup.edu for more information on WVU Parkersburg programs.