Nurse Pinning Ceremony Welcomes Graduates into the Profession

Ten new nurses were officially welcomed into the profession at the traditional nurse pinning ceremony held January 16, 2025 at the PCCC Theater on the Main Campus in Paterson.

Friends, family, administrators, and nursing faulty and staff gathered in honor of the December 2024 graduates of PCCC’s Nurse Education Program, cheering as the grads marched in procession through the theater.

Congratulations to Marielena Figueroa, Jasmine Johnson Trishana Levy, Rama Mohamed, Damian O’Leary, Alyssa Palomba, Karen Portillo, Jacqueline Ramirez, Erin Sokol, Marina Welbers.

In her welcoming remarks, Suzanne Peller, RN, PCCC’s Nurse Education Academic Specialist, reflected on the “continuity of nursing,” congratulating the graduates while recognizing their relatives in the audience who are also in the profession.

To the graduates, Dr. Frances Figueroa Mal, associate dean of the nursing program, remarked, “I know how you feel. I remember how I felt when I was pinned,” she recalled. “It was a feeling of great joy and accomplishment.” 

Dr. Steven Rose, president of PCCC, took the podium next, injecting his characteristic humor into the ceremony. “You made it,” he said to graduates. “It’s going to get easier from here on.” 

A 2013 PCCC alumnus,  William Moore, BSN, RN, served as guest speaker. “I sat here 12 years ago at this milestone,” said Mr. Moore who went on to earn his bachelor’s in nursing at the College of St. Elizabeth and is currently the nursing manager at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson.

Offering this advice, Mr. Moore told the graduates to “Stay curious. Stay up to date on best practices in the profession, support each other, and lead with the heart. Never forget why you became a nurse…courage, compassion, and empathy.”

The traditional pinning ceremony originated in the nineteenth century when Florence Nightingale, the celebrated British wartime nurse was pinned by Queen Victoria. Since then, new nurses have received the gold pin that symbolizes their profession.

This year’s graduates chose to be pinned by a relative – a mother, sister, wife, father, a gesture that acknowledged the extra support families provide to students as wage earners, babysitters, cheerleaders, and more.   

The candlelighting is another ritual reminiscent of  Florence Nightingale who was known as the “Lady of the Lamp,” as she carried her candlelit lamp through the battlefields to treat wounded soldiers.

Each holding a lighted candle, the graduates were led by classmate Rama Mohamed in a recitation of the International Council of Nurses’ Pledge.

Three students took special honors in the awards ceremony. Karen Portillo received the Academic Achievement Award, given for the graduating student with the highest grade point average (GPA). 

This year two graduates, Karen Portillo and Jacqueline Ramirez, received the Professional Nursing Award, awarded for clinical excellence throughout the program.

The Spirit of Nursing Award went to Erin Sokol for demonstrating professional involvement, leadership, and academic achievement.

Erin also delivered the Graduates’ Address. In a heartfelt speech that emphasized the camaraderie of the Class of December 2024, Erin remarked “We pushed ourselves to the limit…We faced every challenge with grit…Today is a collective triumph.”   She added, “Our dreams brought us here and now will propel us forward.” 

Offering warm congratulations to her classmates, Erin urged them on with a call to action, “We are ready and the world is waiting for us.”   

LEARN MORE about PCCC’s Nurse Education Program.

Written by Linda Telesco. Photos by Luis Ruiz