CHESTER and MIDLOTHIAN, Va. – “How will you transform the world?” With that question, John Tyler Community College Nursing Director Tammy Colatruglio challenged the College’s newest nursing graduates to become advocates for health care. During the College’s Fall 2015 Nursing Pinning Ceremony, held December 17, 2015 at the Chester Campus, Colatruglio encouraged the graduates to go forth and use the education they’ve received at Tyler to not only provide compassionate and skilled care to patients and families but to also give voice to health-care needs in the community. In her keynote address, Sara Kaut, a Tyler Nursing alumna who currently works in the Cardiac Stepdown Unit at Chippenham Hospital, shared some of the lessons she and her peers have learned in their careers. Among the advice she gave: be open to new learning situations; don’t be afraid to ask questions; always “choose to do the right thing;” never forget the trust that patients and their families have given; learn from mistakes made; and treat ancillary staff with respect. And, she said, “When you need to recharge your batteries, come to a John Tyler Nursing Program Pinning Ceremony.”
The 39 Fall 2015 nursing graduate candidates honored at the ceremony are as follows (zip codes appear in parentheses):
Hannah Alvarez (23238)
Michele Ayala (23112)
Daniel Blazek (23112)
Taira Brand (23860)
Holly Brown (23002)
Gretchen Burch (23114)
Stefanie Burch (23140)
Melinda Burgess (23075)
Melissa Burgio (23139)
Heather Calhoun (23075)
Katherine Cohen (23113)
Joeny Davitt (23120)
James Demitri (23112)
Susan Emrick (23234)
Amber Epps (23234)
Cora Fearnow (23237)
Christina Fowlkes (23233)
Ai Garner (23112)
Bettina Hayton (23881)
Brittani Hicks (23936)
Karen Holley (23114)
Lindsay Hopke (23236)
Shannon Joyner (23009)
Jamie La Raffa (23139)
Sara Lane (23002)
Logan Madison (23030)
Mahawa Mansaray (23059)
Marianne Martin (23120)
Steven Mosler (23139)
Chloe Moss (23236)
Sarah Musallam (23114)
Irina Nazaretyan (23112)
Melissa Richardson (23111)
Yuliya Simoes (23060)
Sonya Spencer (23112)
Sarah Valentino (23112)
Annmarie Vasquez (23112)
Kimberly Wagenknecht (23832)
Kenneth Weeks (23875)
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.
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 13,800 students during the 2014-15 academic year, offers 20 associate degrees, six certificates, and 38 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.