The Department of Nursing formally welcomed the 109 members of the Class of 2023 to the nursing profession in a pinning ceremony on May 20 in Ira Allen Chapel. The ceremony featured remarks by Associate Dean and Department Chair Rosemary Dale, Ed.D., APRN, faculty member Kathleen Monforte, D.N.P., RN, and student speaker Anya Bodenhofer ’23.
Dale opened the ceremony with a memory of the October day in 2019 when the Class of 2023 received their white coats, marking their entry into the professional nursing program as first-year nursing students.
“Little did we realize what that journey would be like - we didn’t even know what COVID-19 was. And that has phenomenally impacted your four years here,” said Dale as she congratulated the class on their resilience and perseverance despite the challenging impacts of the pandemic.
Professor Kathleen Monforte followed Dale’s remarks with guidance for the graduates as they enter the nursing profession, encouraging them to be lifelong learners, to be curious, kind to themselves as well as their patients, and to take breaks.
"This profession is mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausting. But the rewards outweigh all of that,” Monforte told the new graduates. Then she offered a final point.
“Remember you are not “just” a nurse - you are a nurse,” she said.
Student speaker Anya Bodenhofer '23 closed the ceremony with an expression of thanks for the support of professors, clinical preceptors, patients, families, and friends on behalf of the Class of 2023.
“I will probably never get over the fact that I can no longer say ‘let me go ask your nurse’ when I don’t know the answer to something,” said Bodenhofer. “But I know without a doubt that everyone in this room will continue to go a long way.”
History of the Pinning Ceremony
Florence Nightingale started the pinning tradition more than 150 years ago by presenting her nursing school graduates with the symbolic “badge of courage” to encourage them to faithfully serve the injured, sick, and dying in challenging circumstances.