Ceremony Welcomes 26 New Nurses to the Profession

In a pinning ceremony that was both touching and uplifting, 26 nursing graduates from both the Class of August 2025 and the Class of December 2025 were officially welcomed into the profession last January 15 in the PCCC Theater.

Delivering the welcome address to a packed audience of friends and family, Ms. Leilani Feliciano, academic specialist of the Nurse Education program, emphasized a theme of the ceremony, “the continuity of nursing,” noting that several of the graduates were “the next generation of nurses” in their families.

Dr. Jacqueline Kineavy, senior vice president for Academic and Student Affairs, and a former nurse, told the graduates: “This is your first graduation, and hopefully there will be other graduations.” She urged the new nurses to continue their academic journey and keep learning. “The more certificates and degrees you have, the better off you are.”

In a moving keynote address, Dr. Frances Figueroa Mal, director of the Nursing Resource and Simulation Centers at PCCC, commended the graduates on the “determination, hopes, and quiet strength that carried you through one of the most demanding programs in higher education.”  

Acknowledging the sacrifices and challenges the graduates faced during their education, Dr. Mal said, “You were being prepared for something far greater than you realize: To stand beside patients at their most vulnerable moments. To care for them with skill, empathy, dignity, and compassion.”  

In the traditional pinning ceremony, each graduate is pinned with a gold pin that signifies their welcome into the profession. Some chose to be pinned by a professor, while others opted for family members to do the honors.   

The five nursing awards given at PCCC pinning ceremonies were each presented this year to two recipients, an August graduate and a December graduate:

Nurse Education Service Award: Faya Tinguiano and Andrea Lequerica
Given to the students who demonstrated significant contributions to the nurse education program, college, community, and peers.

The Professional Nursing Award: Tiffany Pizzaro and Brian Mendez
Given for demonstrating clinical excellence throughout the Nurse Education Program.

Spirit of Nursing Award: Blondyne Lexine-Koch and Jorge Hernandez-Pineda
Awarded to students who demonstrated professional involvement, leadership, and academic achievement.

New Jersey League for Nursing Award: Neshka Brooks and Sara Can
Awarded to students who reside in New Jersey and demonstrated involvement in student activities and community activities.

Academic Achievement Award:  Tiffany Pizzaro (3.81 GPA) and Elzbieta Wyka (3.77 GPA) 
Awarded to the students with the highest GPA in their graduating class.

The traditional Lamp Lighting Ceremony, is named in honor of the renowned British nurse Florence Nightingale, who carried a lamp as she searched the battlefield for wounded soldiers during the Crimean War. Ana Alcantara and Marly Pierre-Louis initiated the lighting of the lamps, as each graduate shared the flame with the next person.  When all the lamps were lit, Teresa Torres led her graduating class in the recitation of the Nurses’ Pledge.

Blondine Lexine-Koch, president of the Class of August 2025, delivered the first graduate address, encouraging her fellow graduates to “Wear your pin with pride, but also with humility and integrity. Let it remind you that nursing is not just what we do, but how we show up, with courage, with compassion, and with heart.” Overcome with emotion, Blondine thanked her “Mami” and all the mothers present for supporting their sons and daughters through college, a moment that drew enthusiastic applause.

Jorge Hernandez, class president December 2025, expressed gratitude to the families of the nursing students for their support and to the professors who “saw the nurses in us before we did.”  He spoke about the student experience – enduring hours of study and testing – and the transformation that happens quietly, when one day, after all the studying and practicing, “We become nurses.” Jorge reminded his fellow graduates that the graduation ceremony “Isn’t the end. What lies ahead is the long unglamourous work of showing up for people at their most vulnerable.”  

As always, the ceremony concluded with a slideshow that, both humorous and tender, looked back on the studying, lab hours, and camaraderie shared by the graduates on the  PCCC journey.   A joyful reception followed in the Paterson room.  Congratulations to our new nurses as they go out and make a difference in the world.  

Learn more about the Nursing program at PCCC.

Written by Linda Telesco
Photos by Luis Ruiz