NHS Hosts Annual Pinning Ceremony

Sixty-one new nurses at Georgetown University School of Nursing & Health Studies received their nursing pins at a ceremony on Friday, May 18.

"The graduates-to-be join a very important profession," NHS Dean Bette Keltner said in her opening remarks at the event, held a day before graduation.

During the ceremony, Jean Farley, a faculty member in the school's Department of Nursing, spoke on the history of the Georgetown pin.

"Your acceptance of the pin today signifies your right to practice professional nursing grounded in Georgetown's traditions and values," said Farley, also a 1972 graduate of the school.

Two students were selected by their classmates to deliver an address. Molly McNamara represented the traditional undergraduates. And Marnie Leavitt represented the second degree students.

"It is the challenge that keeps us interested and excited as we prepare to take care of another life," said McNamara.

"We have grown as people, as nurses, and as scholars," said Leavitt. "We have learned to assess and care for patients, to seek answers to questions, and the importance of continuing our professional education once we leave the safety of Georgetown. We are a strong and vibrant cohort with diverse backgrounds and diverse professional goals."