Northwestern College’s Violet L. Schumacher School of Nursing held its summer pinning ceremony on Saturday, June 17 to celebrate the College’s winter and spring 2017 Nursing graduates! Participation in the traditional pinning ceremony signifies the student’s formal induction into the Nursing profession.
The pinning ceremony was hosted in the auditorium of Northwestern College’s Bridgeview Campus, which is the campus where the Violet L. Schumacher School of Nursing is located. Students, staff and faculty all played a part in the development of the ceremony, personalizing it to reflect the particular nurses being pinned this summer. The ceremony was hosted by Dimitrios Kriaras, Northwestern College’s Chief Operations Officer. Two Nursing graduates were selected to serve as student speakers at the ceremony, including LaTanya Gammon and Tamara McCoy. Both spoke about the journey they had taken to get there; the challenges they overcame to get through the Nursing Program; and the roles played by their family, friends and fellow nursing classmates who provided them with the support and encouragement to ensure that their dreams of becoming nurses came true.
The ceremony featured the traditional presentation of pins to each individual student, with the vast majority of nursing students being pinned by the Dean of Nursing, Ann Amaefule. Others were pinned by significant nurses in their own personal lives, including mothers, grandmothers, aunts and cousins whose professions they now shared. The ceremony concluded with the lighting of a candle held by a lantern, symbolizing the passing of the flame from the founder of professional nursing, Florence Nightingale. The flame was passed along to each nurse and was followed by the recitation of the Nurse’s Oath. The event concluded with a reception hosted by the College.
Students that successfully complete the Nursing Program of the Violet L. Schumacher School of Nursing will have earned their Associate of Applied Science Degrees in Nursing, and upon passage of the NCLEX-RN licensure examination, will receive the Registered Nurse (RN) designation. Some of the Nurses pinned this June finished their coursework following the winter quarter and may have already sat for the NCLEX-RN examination. Students that completed their coursework at the end of the spring quarter will be eligible to sit for the upcoming NCLEX exam.
The Violet L. Schumacher School of Nursing opened in the Fall of 2010 and was named for a student of Northwestern College (formerly known as Northwestern Business College from 1902-2008) who later became an employee and then finally purchased the College in 1958. Violet Schumacher was a visionary who advocated for students seeking higher education and served as President Emeritus of the College until her death in 2013 at the age of 98. Her son Lawrence Schumacher has served as Northwestern College’s President since 1978. President Schumacher addressed the Nursing graduates at their Pinning Ceremony, providing a brief history of the College and his mother, the school’s namesake.
“We could not be prouder of our 2017 Nursing Graduates!” President Schumacher professed. “As they leave Northwestern College’s Violet L. Schumacher School of Nursing, they now have the knowledge and skills necessary to build successful nursing careers. We celebrate their accomplishments and wish them the best. Just as Florence Nightingale was a bright light in the world, healing the sick, so too will our Nursing graduates of this Class!”
About Northwestern College:
Northwestern College (NC) is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, 230 S. LaSalle St., Suite 7-500, Chicago, IL 60604, (312) 263-0456, www.ncahlc.org. The college offers focused career-oriented associate degree and certificate programs with flexible schedules and a supportive faculty. Day, evening, weekend, online classes and online programs are available. More information can be found at www.NC.edu or by calling toll-free (888) 205-2283.
Contact:
Laura M. Pollastrini
Public Relations Director
847-233-7700, Ext. 2116