Del Mar College’s Nurse Education Department pins 55 RN degree completers during ceremony on Dec. 11 in Richardson Performance Hall
Program also recognized 16 RNs earning College’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree and five Licensed Vocational Nurse graduates who recited traditional Florence Nightingale Pledge
Article by: Richard Guerrero, Jr.
The long journey to a nursing credential is one step closer to completion for 76 graduates who were recognized at the Del Mar College Nurse Education Fall 2024 Pinning Ceremony on Dec. 11 in Richardson Performance Hall. During the traditional ceremony, department officials pinned 55 students who have completed requirements for the Registered Nurse (RN) Associate Degree. The program also included 16 graduates of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN) Program as well as five graduates from the Licensed Vocational Nursing program.
Dr. Casey Moebius, DMC Assistant Professor and Assistant Chairperson of the Department of Nurse Education, served as ceremony host, and Dr. Jennifer McWha, DMC Chairperson of the Department of Nurse Education and RN to BSN Program Director, provided opening remarks. Dr. Linda Earwood, ADN/LVN Program Director and DMC Assistant Professor, recognized the graduates.
Emily Petrikas, a DMC instructor who is in her third year in the Nurse Education Department and is a Staff Nurse in the Emergency Department at Christus Spohn Hospital, will serve as the faculty speaker. Her talk addressed the topic of community as well as acting as agents of change in a dynamic and challenging health care environment.
Petrikas encouraged the nursing graduates to advocate for better working conditions and to remain committed to bedside nursing, rather than leave the profession.
“I challenge you to be the generation that demands safe working conditions, fair pay, collective bargaining. I challenge you to be the generation that doesn't leave the bedside. But brings us all back,” Petrikas said.
In her address, Student Speaker Kristie Raspe acknowledged the challenges and stresses of nursing school, including sleepless nights, anxiety, and endless studying. She highlighted the importance of the nursing pin as a symbol of the dedication, perseverance, and compassion required to become a nurse. She also encouraged the new nurses to remember that their accomplishments are just the beginning as they now have patients to care for and policies to navigate.
“We’re here because we've got the heart to help people. We’ve got the empathy to care for patients,” Raspe said, adding: “We're learning how to save lives to make a difference and to be there for people when they need us the most.”
The students also recited the time-honored Florence Nightingale pledge:
I solemnly pledge myself before God and in the presence of this assembly, to pass my life in purity and to practice my profession faithfully. I will abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous, and will not take or knowingly administer any harmful drug. I will do all in my power to maintain and elevate the standard of my profession, and will hold in confidence all personal matters committed to my keeping and all family affairs coming to my knowledge in the practice of my calling. With loyalty will I endeavor to aid the physician, in his work, and devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care.
The post-licensure RN to BSN Program allows current RNs who have already earned their associate degree from an accredited nursing program to take that next step to acquire the much-desired bachelor’s degree by many healthcare employers. The RN to BSN Program was launched by the Nurse Education Department in 2021.
Additionally, the Nurse Education Department offers an Associate in Applied Science in Registered Nursing degree, along with a Vocational Nurse Certificate, LVN/Paramedic to RN Transition Associate in Applied Science degree and an Associate in Arts in Nurse Education degree.
The Department of Nurse Education graduates will also take part in the DMC Fall 2024 Commencement Ceremony at the American Bank Center, taking place on Friday, Dec. 13. Details can be found in the Viking News section of the College’s web site.
The 76 Nurse Education graduates who were recognized at the ceremony are:
BSN Graduates
Alicia Arroyo, Victoria Avila, Ratna Boyd, Melissa Calderon, Abbey Castillo, Anya Charba, Dalila Gutierrez, Katrinia Hec, Vivian Le, Rhianna Majek, Patrick Morin, Crystal Proa, Jacob Ruiz, Felicia Schwenke, Salvador Segura, and Diana Varela-Segura
LVN Graduates
Steven Longoria, Veronica Luevano, Yesenia Medellin, Hannah Tjaden, and Courtney Wiley
ADN Graduates
Victoria Aguas Garcia, Christina Aguirre, Sabrina Arellano, Angelica Balonso, James Burdette, Shelly Burke, Kaitlin Cantu, Marissa Cardona, Jacquelyn Contreras, Kailey Cruz, Jasmine Davis, Ariana De La Paz, Stefanie Escobar, Amber Espiritu, Nerissa Garza, Sabrina Garza, Tjaden Handson, Romeo Hernandez, Yancey Hernandez, Stephanie Herrera, Araceli Jaimes, Susanna Jones, Samuel Lankford, Zhenbang Li, Brittany Lopez, Ezekiel Lopez, Marissa Lopez, Desmond Martinez, Marielena Martinez, Victoria Martinez, Isabel Melo, Natalie Merkord, Reagan Mikulec, Joanna Monreal, Veronica Muniz, Katelyn Odvina, Heather Ordunez, Cathalina Osornia, Lauren Padron, Valerie Perez, Alyna Quinones, Sarah Raffay, Audri Ramirez, Kristie Raspe, Miriam Romero, Robert Salinas, Emilia Sanchez, David Sawyer, Kristofer Segura II, Julienne Terrones, Taylor Treiber, Iliana Vaughan, Veronica Velasquez, Tabitha Viera, and Desiree Villarreal
Del Mar College empowers students to achieve their dreams. We offer quality programs, individual attention, outstanding instruction through faculty with real-world experience and affordable costs to credit and noncredit students in Corpus Christi and the South Texas Coastal Bend area. Nationally recognized while locally focused, we’re ranked in the top two percent of community colleges in the country granting associate degrees to Hispanic students (Community College Week). Del Mar College focuses on offering our students programs that match current or emerging career opportunities. Whether students are interested in the fine arts, sciences, business, occupational or technical areas, students get the education they need for the future they want at Del Mar College.
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