Northwestern College Conducts Pinning Ceremony for Nursing Class of 2015!
Northwestern College’s Violet L. Schumacher School of Nursing Class of 2015, pictured here prior to their Pinning Ceremony with College President Lawrence Schumacher and the Administration & Faculty of the School of Nursing.
Northwestern College’s Violet L. Schumacher School of Nursing recently held its Pinning Ceremony to celebrate the College’s Class of 2015 Nursing Students! Senior students participated in the traditional pinning ceremony for nurses, signifying their induction into the profession. Nursing students graduating from the Violet L. Schumacher School of Nursing will have earned their Associate of Applied Science Degrees in Nursing. Upon successful completion of the NCLEX-RN licensure examination, they will receive the Registered Nurse (RN) designation.
The Ceremony was hosted in the auditorium of Northwestern College’s Oak Lawn Campus, which is the campus where the Violet L. Schumacher School of Nursing is located. The students, staff and faculty all played a part in the development of the ceremony, personalizing it to reflect the members of this particular nursing class. The ceremony was hosted by Richae Muro, the Interim Dean of Nursing. Three Nursing students were selected to serve as Speakers at the ceremony, including Nursing Class President Stephanie Arzet, and Nursing Students Krystal Manuel and Ashley Bollinger, all of which spoke from their hearts about the journey they had taken, and the lifelong bonds they had made with the members of their Class.
The ceremony featured the traditional presentation of pins to each individual student, with each nursing student being pinned by Interim Nursing Dean Richae Muro, MSN RN. The ceremony concluded with the lighting of a candle held by a lantern, symbolizing the passing of the flame from the founder of professional nursing, Florence Nightingale. The flame was passed along to each nurse and was followed by the recitation of the nurse’s pledge. The event concluded with a reception hosted by the College.
The Violet L. Schumacher School of Nursing opened in the Fall of 2010 and was named for a student of Northwestern College (known as Northwestern Business College from 1902-2008) who later became an employee and then finally purchased the College in 1958. Violet Schumacher was a visionary who advocated for students seeking higher education and served as President Emeritus of the College until her death in 2013 at the age of 98. Her son Lawrence Schumacher has served as Northwestern College’s President since 1978. President Schumacher addressed the senior Nursing students at their Pinning Ceremony, providing a brief history of the College and his mother, the school’s namesake.
“We are so very proud of our 2015 Nursing Class!” President Lawrence Schumacher professed. “They now have the knowledge and skills necessary to build successful nursing careers. As they leave Northwestern College’s Violet L. Schumacher School of Nursing, we celebrate their accomplishments and wish them the best. Just as Florence Nightingale was a bright light in the world, healing the sick, so too will our graduates of the Class of 2015 Violet L. Schumacher School of Nursing!”