Thirty-five graduates of Beaufort County Community College’s associate-degree nursing program received their nursing school pins May 14 in a ceremony which is a traditional rite of passage for nursing school graduates across the country. The ceremony was held in the Washington High School Performing Arts Center.

During the ceremony, four students received awards honoring their academic and nursing success. The Outstanding Leadership Award went to Candace Webster. The Outstanding Senior award was presented to Lisa Thomas. The Katie Paul Award for Clinical Excellence in Bedside Nursing was presented to Tonya Cecci. Sherry Blackburn received the Academic Excellence Award.

Pinning ceremonies in their currently recognizable form began in 1893. The pin is awarded to the nurse to recognize the achievement of entering the profession and signify a nursing graduate’s affiliation with a specific school.

The graduates are now qualified to take the state-licensure examination. Eighty percent of the graduates already have jobs.