Spring 2023 Nursing Graduates Honored during Pinning Ceremony

Primary Media Contact: Holly Walker, Director of Communications and Public Relations, 804-594-1530

Secondary Media Contact: Heather Busch, Director of Marketing and Brand Strategy, 804-594-1532

CHESTER and MIDLOTHIAN, Va. – With family, friends, faculty and staff looking on, more than 40 Brightpoint Community College students marked their completion of the college’s nursing program at a Nursing Pinning Ceremony held May 12, 2023. During the ceremony, the students were congratulated for their achievement. They also received advice from the event’s keynote speaker. Dr. Yvette Dorsey, DNP, RN, a member of the Virginia Board of Nursing, encouraged the students to remember why they chose to enter the nursing profession and to identify where they want to go with it. “You have chosen a profession that will give you a world of opportunities,” she said. Dorsey also challenged them to find a mentor; to look for connections with their patients; and to think, every day, about the lives they touched and those they will impact as they move through their careers.

After the keynote address, the Spring 2023 nursing graduate candidates were called to the stage to be recognized and to receive their pins. They include (zip codes appear next to name):

Brandy Adkins (23832)
Jasmin Ascencio (23832)
Katherine Beane (23230)
Leanna Bennett (23225)
Katherine Bishop (23236)
Amanda Bowman (23838)
Sarah Bracewell (23834)
Caitlyn Burch (23111)
Drioux Danielson (23875)
Brianna Fleming (23231)
Amy Glover (23114)
Lyndsey Graham (23838)
Maria Herrera (23832)
Savonne Howard (23294)
Jeremiah Jones (23238)
Tiara Jones (23222)
Shanna Kinsey (23224)
Makayla Kirkpatrick (23237)
Samantha Lent (23139)
Megan Marlatt (23885)
Sadie Martin (23803)
Brooklyn Martin (23801)
Courtney Miller (23112)
Sarah Miller (23234)
William Nelson (23226)
Precious Ojong (23005)
Madison Overgard (23803)
Robert Payne (23842)
Aida Rahmanovic (23234)
Fernando Ramos (23860)
Trevor Rayley (23083)
Lauren Reese (23221)
Anna Saakian (23224)
Taghreed Saleh (23834)
Amber Sanchez (23831)
Taylor Shores (23200)
Hailey Slifer (23832)
Savannah Smith (23832)
Ann Marie Solaja (23112)
Alexsandra Stallcup (23220)
Casey Strickler (23220)
James Walton (23230)
Madison Webb (23083)

Pinning dates back to the 1880s. The pin, given to graduate candidates, symbolizes the school of nursing where the students earned their clinical experience, achieved academic credentials and began their socialization into the profession. The ceremony marks the completion of that rigorous training and is often viewed with the same importance as commencement.

Brightpoint Community College, formerly John Tyler Community College, offers more than 80 majors that provide pathways to careers in high-demand fields; transfer opportunities to four-year colleges and universities; and industry credentials and licensures. The college, with campuses in Chester and Midlothian, online classes, and off-campus classrooms, served more than 11,400 students during the 2021-22 academic year. It also assisted approximately 5,700 learners, including more than 2,700 job seekers, through its workforce development division, Community College Workforce Alliance, a partnership between Brightpoint and Reynolds community colleges.