Practical Nursing Graduates Honored in Pinning Ceremony

AVON PARK, Fla. – July 31, 2023 – South Florida State College (SFSC) graduated 20 Practical Nursing (PN) program students in a traditional pinning ceremony on Thursday, July 27 in the Alan Jay Wildstein Center for the Performing Arts on the Highlands Campus at SFSC in Avon Park.

The graduates are Kimberly Banegas-Escobar, Irish Bercerra, Rachel Caruso, Carrie Grenier, Melissa Hernandez, Brandon Hoopingarner, Cynthia Howard, Keila Irizarry, Anabelle Jacobo, Myra Jeffers, Flor Leon, Jessica Mendoza, Alekzsandra Nader, Katise Polite, Cadee Richardson, Betty Sanchez, Alexis Sboto, Otaysha Smith, Brandi Westberry, and Honestee Wynn.

Each year, PN graduates award the Golden D.U.C.K. to someone who has served as a mentor to the students in the program. The D.U.C.K. acronym represents the foundational elements of the mentoring arrangement: Developing, Understanding, Compassion, and Knowledge. Presenting the award to George Livingston, Tutoring and Learning Center specialist, was Class Leader Kimberly Banegas-Escobar, who said, “The individual we, collectively, chose to receive this award has effortlessly served as a tutor to our class. He spent many early mornings and late afternoons helping teach us the structure and function of the human body. We owe much of our academic success to his teachings.”

The practice of pinning new graduates has been a nursing school tradition in the United States since 1916 and, symbolically, welcomes each graduate into the nursing profession. The pin is worn prominently on a nurse’s uniform throughout their career. One story of the ceremony’s beginning goes back to 1883, when Queen Victoria awarded Florence Nightingale the Royal Red Cross on St. George’s Day for her service to the sick and injured during the Crimean War. In turn, Nightingale later extended the honor to her outstanding nursing students by presenting them with a medal of excellence.

Graduates of the 11-month Career Certificate PN program become licensed practical nurses (LPN) by passing the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN) exam. SFSC Nursing graduates are usually fully employed in nursing within a few months of graduation.

SFSC offers an Associate in Science degree in Nursing (ADN) program for students interested in becoming registered nurses in three formats: a two-year Generic-RN program, a two-year Evening/Weekend RN program, and a one-year Transition-LPN to RN program. The College also offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program.

For information about SFSC’s Nursing programs, contact Danielle Ochoa, Health Sciences advisor at 863-784-7027 or by email at healthsciences@southflorida.edu.

AVON PARK, Fla. – July 25, 2023 – South Florida State College (SFSC) honored 11 graduates of its Dental Assisting program in a pinning ceremony in the SFSC University Center on the Highlands Campus in Avon Park on Thursday, July 13. Dental Assisting graduates receiving their pins were: Dajaney Clarke, Briseyda Eugenio-Hernandez, Yuritza Flores Borja, Yesenia Hernandez, Aaliyah Martinez, Yaritsi Plalacios Vargas, Rumana Rahman, Karina Sanchez, Zahin Sanchez-Cabrera, Rickie Sheets, and Amanda Wright.

All of the graduates earned their Career Certificate in Dental Assisting and received their Expanded Functions Dental Assisting Certification and Florida Orthodontic Assistant Certification.

Eugenio-Hernandez was presented the Outstanding Student Award during the ceremony.

This is the last pinning ceremony that Dr. Deborah Milliken will attend as chair of Dental Education. As a goodbye gift, students and faculty presented her with a bouquet of flowers. Dr. Milliken retires from SFSC in January 2024.

After completing the 11-month Career Certificate program in Dental Assisting, graduates can work as certified dental assistants by passing the Dental Assisting National Board Examination (DANB) and qualify for the Expanded Functions Dental Assisting Certification as well as Orthodontic Assistant Certification.

For information about SFSC’s Dental Education programs, contact Danielle Ochoa, Health Sciences advisor, at 863-784-7027 or by email at healthsciences@southflorida.edu.

AVON PARK, Fla. – July 24, 2023 – South Florida State College (SFSC) honored 11 Radiography program graduates in a traditional pinning ceremony on the College’s Highlands Campus on Thursday, July 20.

Those honored were: Verkosha Alexander, Katlin DeLoach, Tamilya Drayton, Kimone Lawrence-Watkis, Kristina McGee, Jeremy Ray, Adrian Sanchez, Azucena Santiago-Padilla, Hailea Seyer, Ravindra Sookchand, and Zackary Taylor.

The graduates completed SFSC’s Associate in Science (A.S.) in Radiography and will soon sit for their national board examinations. Radiologic technologists work in hospitals and clinics performing diagnostic imaging examinations, such as X-rays.

Upon completing SFSC’s two-year Radiography program, graduates can work as certified radiologic technologists by passing the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) national examination.

In his final remarks to his peers, Class President Ravindra Sookchand said, “standing here still feels unreal to me, but we made it. All the days and nights of studying and practice have finally paid off, and I couldn’t be more elated. We started as strangers, but now we finish as a family. As we go our separate ways, some, if not all, of us will branch out into other specialties, and if the last two years have shown us anything it is that we are ready to take the challenge.”

For more information about SFSC’s Radiography program, call 863-784-7225 or email healthsciences@southflorida.edu.