Thirteen Bethel University nursing students were formally welcomed into the profession at an emotional May 8 pinning ceremony at the McKenzie Church of Christ.
by Bethel University
MCKENZIE, TENN. (May 8) — Thirteen Bethel University nursing students crossed the threshold from student to professional last Thursday evening, marked by a dinner and pinning ceremony that drew tears, laughter, and long embraces at the McKenzie Church of Christ.
The event celebrated the completion of the two-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program — a milestone that Student Nurse Association President Rylee Grace Holladay of Huntingdon called the culmination of "exactly 625 days" of study, sacrifice, and growth.
"Nursing school didn't just teach us how to pass exams or perform skills," Holladay told her classmates during the ceremony. "It changed us. It challenged us in ways we never expected. And I think we can all say that the person we were when we started is not the person standing here today."
The 13 graduates who earned their BSN degree are:
- Kassey Briana Bishop, Martin, Tenn.
- Kinsley Reagan Caruthers, White House, Tenn.
- Rylee Grace Holladay, Huntingdon, Tenn.
- Raina Lee Jones, McKenzie, Tenn.
- Hilda Moyo, Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe
- Riley Lee Jones, Gurley, Ala.
- Alyssa E. Slack, Milan, Tenn.
- Viviana Rebeca Villalobos Mora, San José, Costa Rica
- Hailey Janea Wallace, McKenzie, Tenn.
- Owen Michael Wheeler, Kingsport, Tenn.
- Aislynn Faith Wiles, New Johnsonville, Tenn.
- Alyssa Shae Williford, Humboldt, Tenn.
- Isabelle Claire Wright, McKenzie, Tenn.
During the ceremony, family members were invited onto the platform to personally pin each graduate, a deeply intimate moment in a profession that prizes human connection. Each graduate also received a symbolic Nightingale lamp, a Bible, and a tassel for Saturday morning's formal commencement.
The lamp carries special significance: it honors Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, who became known as the "Lady with the Lamp" for her nighttime rounds tending wounded soldiers. Graduates recited the Florence Nightingale Pledge, a time-honored oath committing them to ethical, compassionate, professional care.
“As you move forward from this moment, I want to encourage you to remain consistent in the difficult moments,” says Delecia Parker, Interim Dean of the College of Health Sciences & Professor of Nursing. “Often, we are the anchor that give our patients hope. Remember the thankless situations, knowing that the care we give is expected…And above all, never lose the ability to have compassion for your patients and for each other. Your greatest moments as a nurse may never be seen, but they will always matter.”
The ceremony closed in ovation as graduates embraced family, faculty, and one another one final time as students. As they step forward into hospitals, clinics, and communities across Tennessee and beyond, they carry with them not only the skills of nursing but the values shaped at Bethel. For these 13 graduates, the pin they received Thursday night marks not an ending, but the beginning of a lifelong calling to care for others.