Pinning Ceremony Marks Milestone For Saint Leo’s 1st Nursing Graduates
The students are ready ‘to lead with compassion, integrity, and purpose,’ the dean of the College of Health Professions noted.
The inaugural class of Saint Leo University’s Bachelor of Science in nursing graduates celebrated a milestone on Monday, May 5, receiving nursing pins in a special ceremony attended by family, friends, faculty, staff, and students. Nursing pinning ceremonies are rooted in history and the ceremony has ties to Florence Nightingale, known as a founder of modern nursing, who presented her brightest students with medals.
Dr. Kathleen Van Eerden, dean of the College of Health Professions, acknowledged the 12 graduating seniors — Nathanael Allen, Kimberly Cotal, Mekhai Dinnard, Emily Edwards, Martina Encomienda, Emily Gray, Emma Hayhurst, Grace Lundfelt, Laynee Marsee, Alexis Musser, Brenna Reinhard, and Ava Valenti. “You answered the call to serve, to heal, to lead,” Van Eerden said. As nursing students, “You chose a journey that requires courage, resilience, and heart.”
The dean noted that each of the 12 are prepared to “lead with compassion, integrity, and purpose” as they step into a vocation. “You are the embodiment of what it means to be a Saint Leo nurse.”
Dr. Deb Peterson explained the significance of the pin each graduating student received. “This is a significant life event for every nursing student,” she said of the ceremony. They will wear the pin on their uniforms recognizing them as graduates of Saint Leo University, and Peterson said the pin should remind them of the University’s core values.
Three students were selected for special honors with Dinnard giving the invocation, Marsee speaking to her classmates, and Musser providing the closing prayer. Encomienda was recognized for receiving the 2023-2024 Excellence in Experiential Learning award and Gray was honored for receiving the 2024-2025 Dean’s Award for Excellence.
Each of the students selected someone special to present them with their pin, and this included dads, moms, and Van Eerden. Lundfelt selected her grandmother, Betty, known as “Nan” who was a nurse for more than 40 years to present her pin. Lundfelt said the pinning ceremony was “full circle moment honoring not only where I come from, but also where I am going.”
The graduates as well as all practicing and retired nurses were invited to recite the Nursing Pledge, saying they will “endeavor to uphold the ethical, scientific, and legal standards of my profession, and devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care.”
One of those retired nurses, Theresa Baker, who along with her husband, Bill, and son, Michael, had the opportunity to meet Allen, the first recipient of the Theresa Ann Baker Endowed Scholarship. Theresa Baker enjoyed hearing the stories of her mother, a licensed visiting nurse, and followed in her footsteps in the nursing field. She met Bill, a Saint Leo alumnus and member of the Class of 1968, and they began visiting campus during reunions. The Bakers were thrilled to learn Saint Leo was starting a nursing program, too.
“Because Saint Leo is a Catholic university and Bill’s alma mater, it seemed only fitting that I create a scholarship,” Theresa Baker said. “I know firsthand how difficult nursing school is, and of course, a university education is a huge monetary investment.
“Benedictine core values are especially important to me,” she continued. “Nursing obviously lends itself as an opportunity to live those values. It is my prayer that the nursing program will continue to grow in order to serve individuals and communities no matter where Saint Leo graduates practice their skills. If my scholarship can aid, even a little, then I will be blessed.”