CHESTER and MIDLOTHIAN, Va. – John Tyler Community College honored more than 35 spring nursing graduate candidates on May 11, 2015, during a pinning ceremony held in the Nicholas Center at the College’s Chester Campus. Susan Ley, RN, delivered the keynote address. Ley, a John Tyler nursing alumna, is an education nurse specialist at Lucy Corr Village. Nicole Jones, one of the spring semester Nursing Program graduate candidates, offered remarks on behalf of the students.
“I am so excited for these nursing graduates,” said Tammy Colatruglio, director of nursing at John Tyler. “They are entering the nursing profession at a pivotal and exciting time. They will have the opportunity to participate in one of the most momentous transformations in health care that we may ever experience. They will have the opportunity to impact the health of their communities and revolutionize the health-care system. I congratulate their tremendous accomplishment and am proud that they represent John Tyler Community College and all that we embody.”
The Spring 2015 nursing graduate candidates are as follows (zip codes appear in parentheses):
Amanda Bareford (23235)
Stacey Bohm (23114)
Annie Bolick (23803)
Chelsea Burton (23832)
Lauren Collier (23832)
Hannah Dalane (23113)
Kendal Davis (23832)
Katelyn Ferry (23834)
Megan Garabedian (23228)
Benjamin Gilliatt (23831)
Brittney Griggs (23112)
Sarah Hocutt (23237)
Nicole Jones (23139)
Ashlee Lara (23234)
Matthew Laughon (23112)
Kirstie Long (23831)
Sarah Loy (23236)
Jenna Machotka (23139)
Jennifer Mantha-Mund (23120)
Karen Matthews (23228)
April McGill (23236)
Liane Norman (23223)
Lori O’Boyle (23113)
Thomas O’Neal (23222)
Brittany Penner (23831)
Melissa Peoples (23223)
Amy Rackley (23805)
Stacey Randolph (23220)
Carly Robertson (23237)
Heather Stewart (23838)
B. Sean Storey (23225)
Jessica Thomas (23832)
Amy Wachsmann (23882)
Katherine Whitesell (23112)
Ryan Wooten (23234)
Tyronza Wyche (23112)
Pinning dates back to the 1880s. The pin, given to graduate candidates, symbolizes the school of nursing where the students earned their clinical experience, achieved academic credentials and began their socialization into the profession. The ceremony marks the completion of that rigorous training and is often viewed with the same importance as commencement.
Photographs taken at the ceremony may be downloaded from the College’s Flickr page at https://www.flickr.com/photos/johntylercc/sets/72157652624356496.
John Tyler Community College is the fifth largest of the 23 community colleges in Virginia. With campuses in Chester and Midlothian and off-campus classrooms throughout the area, John Tyler offers quality and economical opportunities for students who want to earn a degree or certificate, transfer to a four-year college or university, train for the workforce, or switch careers. The College, which served nearly 14,000 students during the 2013-14 academic year, offers 18 associate degrees, seven certificates, and 36 career studies certificates. The institution also serves more than 13,000 non-credit trainees and over 1,000 companies and government agencies annually through the Community College Workforce Alliance.