Hats off to members of the Class of 2017 who graduated this past weekend. Approximately 280 graduates participated in a weekend chock full of events – the Graduate Blessing and Recognition Ceremony on Thursday evening, Senior Pinning and Presentation of Student Awards on Friday and Commencement on Saturday. Witnessed by family, friends, faculty, staff and the MCCN Board of Trustees, the events served as a milestone for accomplishments well-earned by the now MCCN alumni.
At the first ever Graduate Blessing and Recognition Ceremony, Sister Barbara Hahl, CSC, blessed the master’s hoods before they were presented to more than 50 graduate students to be worn at Commencement. Awards were presented to one student from each master’s track, and the Ann Schiele Caring Award was awarded to Cora Arledge (’17 ’12), MS, RN, coordinator of the MCCN-Lancaster campus. Other awardees included:
- Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist: Adonyah Whipple
- Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner: Krista Thatcher
- Family Nurse Practitioner: Sara Jo Harbison
- Nursing Administration: Tyler Stanford
- Nursing Education: Jill Schimmoeller
At Friday’s Senior Pinning and Presentation of Student Awards, MCCN faculty presented pins to undergraduates to symbolize their transition from students to professional, baccalaureate-prepared nurses. The following awards were presented at Friday’s event:
- Lamp Award: Haley Caudill (Columbus) and Tayler Detwiler (Lancaster)
- Humanitarian Award: Emily Sullivan (Columbus) and Carlie Young (Lancaster)
- Inspiration Award: Michelle Wagner (Columbus) and Benjamin Casa (Lancaster)
- Clinical Excellence Award: Maddison Dawn Belcher (Columbus) and Molly Newhouse (Lancaster)
The Commencement Ceremony featured Mayor Andrew J. Ginther as Commencement speaker where the record number of graduates received their degrees. Three graduates – Jillian Ballister, Sarah Demetry and Nicholas Dreyer – were commissioned as Second Lieutenants following the ceremony.
