On Tuesday, September 25, 2012, Florida National University held a Nursing Pinning Ceremony at the Howard Johnson’s Hotel in Hialeah Gardens. Assistant Dean Silvia “Bibi” Borges acted as Mistress of Ceremonies.
After welcoming the nurses, their families, and guests, Dean Borges introduced Reverend Jean-Ricot Gay who performed the “Blessing of the Hands”. Shortly after the blessing, Dean Borges introduced Ms. Alicia De Leon-Sanchez, Chief Nursing Officer at Coral Gables Hospital. Ms. De Leon-Sanchez shared about starting out as a nurse to becoming a chief nursing officer and how nurses can excel in their chosen career through hard work and expanding their education.
Following Ms. Del Leon-Sanchez’s stirring speech, Class President Ms. Maria Companioni addressed her fellow classmates and gave a slideshow highlighting their time at Florida National University.
Afterwards, the nurses were called up to the podium by name to receive their nursing pin. A nursing pin is a type of badge awarded to nurses to identify the school they graduated from. The pin is presented to newly-graduated nurses by their school’s faculty. It symbolically welcomes the graduates into the nursing profession. The pinning ceremony was followed by the candle lighting ceremony.
The candle lighting ceremony is a tradition that symbolizes the “passing of the flame” from Florence Nightingale to each new nurse. Once all the candles were lit, the nurses recited the “The Nurse’s Pledge”.
A reception was held following the ceremony in which the nurses, their families, and guests enjoyed some refreshments and took pictures with their family and professors.
Florida National University proudly salutes its new nursing graduates and wishes them a successful future in their new profession.
Please enjoy this brief slideshow commemorating the event.
