Twenty-three Midland College nursing students took part in a ceremony dating back to one of the profession's most notable names as they took a step from nursing school to nursing practice.
The Midland College Associate Degree Nursing graduates received their pins in a ceremony in December at the Wagner & Brown Auditorium at the school's Allison Fine Arts Building, the college said in a release.
Those graduating included Mireya Barrera, Alexis Beltran, Melissa Contreras, Laken Ellison, Beatriz Enriquez-Marrufo, Erika Fuller, Margarita Galindo, Norma Garcia, Allison Hancock, Laura Ember Hurtt, Josselyn Kinsey, Lorena Lopez, Madeline Matthews, Bailee Maxwell, Jesus Montes, Kristen Munoz, Shelbi McDuffie, Audreyanna Rodriguez, Tiffany Sauceda, Perla Torres, Mariana Urias, Georgina Valles, and Yvonne Varela Midland College reported in a press release.
Barrera, Enriquez-Marrufo and Galindo were named Wallace W. and Kathleen Irwin Nursing Scholarship Awardees, the release said.
With graduation, the students are prepared to take the National Council Licensure Exam for registered nurses and serve citizens throughout West Texas and beyond in the healthcare profession.
"We are extremely proud of our graduates," Dian White, chair and associate professor of Nursing, said in the release. "Each Midland College graduate set a goal, worked hard to be successful, succeeded and is now entering a rewarding career as a professional nurse."
The pin itself dates back to 1860 where Queen Victoria awarded Florence Nightengale the Red Cross of St. George for her service and care of others during the Crimean War, the release said.
The award had a profound impact on Nightengale, who incorporated it into the education of her students, the release said.
For each graduate under her direction, Nightengale would provide a badge demonstrating the successful completion of their education, the release said. By 1916, the pinning ceremony was a commonly practiced custom for graduating nursing classes.