nursing pinning ceremony candle lighting

The Saddleback College Nursing Program’s Class of Spring 2023 Pinning Ceremony was held May 15 in McKinney Theatre.

A near-capacity audience witnessed the traditional graduation event for the 31 new nurses, including Chancellor Barnes, President Stern, and Board of Trustees President Timothy Jemal. Anne Lawson, Assistant Dean of Health Sciences and Human Services and Director of Nursing, welcomed the guests, friends, and family, before graduates Colin Brewster and Ariel Urbano Bustos reflected on the journey of the class during an entertaining “Remember When?” presentation.

After formal presentation of the class, the graduates each received their nurses’ pin in the pinning ceremony, which symbolizes the welcoming of the new nurses to the profession. Dominador Pinera led his classmates in the Class Pledge, and also received the class Leadership Award from Assistant Dean Lawson. Kristen Mayorga earned the Spirit Award.

The ceremony closed with a reading by graduate Vanessa Murietta and the traditional candle lighting by the graduates, which dates back to the Florence Nightingale era. The candle lighting is symbolic of the knowledge passed from instructors to the new nurses.

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