TOMS RIVER, NJ — Students from the Ocean County College Nursing Class received their nursing pins at the Annual Nurses’ Pinning Ceremony on Tuesday, May 23 on the College’s main campus in Toms River. The graduates successfully completed a two-year course of study leading to an Associate in Applied Science degree in Nursing during the fall of 2022 and spring of 2023.
“The pinning ceremony is a nursing school tradition,” Dr. Teresa Walsh, OCC’s Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences, told the graduates assembled on the College’s Gateway Building lawn. “It represents your transition from role of student to professional nurse.”
The tradition of pinning originally dates back to the 1860s, when Florence Nightingale was presented with a medal for her services as a military nurse. Nightingale in turn rewarded her own nursing students with medals as a symbol of their hard work and dedication. These medals were later replaced with pins that identify the nursing school the students attended.
Ocean County College continues this tradition by presenting each graduating nurse with a pin that represents the completion of the OCC nursing program. Graduates also recite the OCC School of Nursing Dedication Pledge. The pledge was written by Velina Andrewski, a nursing graduate from OCC’s class of 1984, and is based on the original pledge written to honor Florence Nightingale.
More than $42,000 in scholarships and awards was also presented to nursing students during the ceremony.
The ceremony was televised live on www.ocean.edu and on Ocean TV-20 via Comcast Channel 20 and Verizon FiOS of Northern Ocean County Channel 24. Repeat broadcasts will be available throughout the remainder of the month. For more information, visit go.ocean.edu/graduation.
– MORE –
The Ocean County College Nursing Graduates:
Nursing Class of Fall 2022
Gillian Acquaisie
Jenna Alivia Alexander
Samantha Nicole Alexander
Kathleen Marie Andress
Gabriella Anema
Zhulieta Angova
Ashley Marie Avallone
Medina Aziz
Danielle Carpenter
Jennifer Lynn Clark
Brianne Collins
Marissa Collins
Jessica Anne Coppola
Wendy A. Cotta
Clarisse Jerianne Luna Espiritu
Dean James Ferdinandi
Sarah L. Forfa
Michelle Lynne Foster
Isaiah Gardner
Gabriella Christine Gassoso
Kristin May Getts
Melissa Gibbs
Shenae Gordon
Kaitlyn C. Graham
Shannon M. Graham
Taylor Gregory
Morgan Lee Halsey
Katie Hulse
Ashley Juarez Gil
Deborah Kauffman
Daniel James Kennedy
Jessica L. Kopenhafer
Mae Sonugan Krol
Kimberly M. Kudelin
Kiersten L. Laney
Brianna D. Lydon
Elizabeth J. Malecki
Amanda Marandola
Tammy Aitza Marrero
Suzanne McNulty
Sara Mendoza
Madilyn Newsom
Jennifer Ogechukwu Okonkwo
Nicole L Randazzo
Sara Richards
Shania Mari Rincon
Natasha Rodriguez
Sylvia Lidia Rohe
Ashley Rozyla
Jonathan David Russo
Cheyenne A. Gippetti
Kristin T. Sawyer
Courtney Christina Schuber
Shirley M. Shaffery
Nicole Sullivan
Jacquelyn Marie Teague
Cassandra Melanie Tomaino
Kiarra Unger
Nursing Class of Spring 2023
Gianna Marie Addalli
Imma Andriulli
Tianna M. Arias
Katherin Ariemma
Katie Mairead Ashe
Kyleigh E. Blazick
Leon Bourdot
Asante Vanessa Bowen
Lynn-Leigh Bruno
Kristen Karlye Brutko
Michael Peter Cadorette
Megan Lee Covert
Jeffrey P. Crescenz
Carlos A. Cruz
Michael Cunzo
Katelyn Elizabeth Daley
Kristen Daw
Lucia N. Dawson
Kristen Earley
Alexis Fazzone
Toni Nicole Ferriero
Colleen Lynn Finnen
Marcella Fiorica
Jourdan M. Frank
Seth Patrick Geraghty
Nicole Elizabeth Gibson
Susan Gisondi
Morgan Elizabeth Grobelny
Melanie J. Groomes
Mika Erin Hayes
Kimberly Anne Karkovice
Kayla Loukides
Dana Elena Lozito
Michael Louis Madsen
Patrick M. Marucci
Lauren T. Maugeri
Robert Emmett Maxwell
Monica Marie Mercado
Donna Marie Michaels
Kylie Jae Monica
Carly Renee Moore
Jennifer Frances Morgan Pielhau
Kathleen Murphy
Chelsea Lynn Namias
Alexa Rose O’Brien
Joseph Petrolito Jr
Pamela Lynn Pilchman
Caryn M. Powell
Kimberly Mai Raimondi
Ashley Nicole Richardson
Alyssa Rivera
Heather Rooney
Nancy Santini
Nicole M. Savage
Malle Sokolowski
Jeana Stokes
Kaitlin Rose Trymer
Samantha L. Tutela
Samantha Rose Urso
Samantha Marie Volak
Gianna Noelle Walters
Raychell Noelle Washington
Cassandra Marie Weber
Nicole C. Wenz
Faith Marie Wirbicki