KOKOMO, Ind. – Faculty in the Indiana University Kokomo School of Nursing and Allied Health Professions welcomed 65 students into the nursing profession, with its traditional induction ceremony August 18 in Havens Auditorium.
The incoming class includes 14 students in the accelerated second degree nursing track, for students who previously earned a bachelor’s degree in another field; and 51 in the four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.
Dean Susan Hendricks congratulated the students on the achievement of being accepted into nursing school, and reflected on what it means to be a nurse in 2021. She talked about the challenges of nursing during a global pandemic, with nurses and healthcare workers stretched to their limits.
“As nurses, we do what is needed for as long as it is needed,” Hendricks said. “We are dedicated to care for our community. That is who we are, and we are looking forward to having you join us in the profession of nursing. Nurses’ commitment to caring is part of our very being, and we stay the course with our very sick and sometimes dying patients every day.”
Each new nursing student crossed the stage to receive a certificate of induction, along with applause from friends and family in the audience.
The ceremony concluded with recitation of the nurses pledge, a statement of the ethics and principles of the nursing profession.
Inductees for the second degree nursing track, listed by hometown, include:
Carmel: Dustin Theis
Fishers: Alanna Hodgson
Frankfort: Morgan Nicole Miller
Indianapolis: Asha Adams, Joshua Oyeyemo Balogun, Bryant Wesley Randolph, Katherine E. Seiwert
Kokomo: Reggie A. Manuel, Meagan Rose Stonebraker
Lafayette: Natalie Miller
Noblesville: Raegen Monk
Peru: Avery Erna Withrow
Swayzee: Amy K. Silverthorn
Inductees in the four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing program were:
Arcadia: Angelica Marie Montgomery
Bunker Hill: Haley Read
Camby: Stella Damilola Olayiwola
Camden: Madison Claire Dyke
Converse: Payge Mitchell
Elwood: Corinne Nicole Chimel
Frankfort: Arisbeth A.Rosales
Galveston: Katelyn Renee Schreckenghaust
Greentown: Kaiya Mckenzie Allen, Ethan John Duchateau, Courtney Alexis Marie Elliott
Indianapolis: Linh Thuy Chau, Grace Elizabeth Lindvall
Jamestown: Tori A. Wilkinson
Kokomo: Tiwaa Ababio, Destiny Elaine Booth, Emma Grace Byrum, Lucy Skywalker Calhoun, Ashley Christina Carter, Alexis Dukes, Shaun Harvey Fewell, Lexi Christine James, Jaycee Makaylah Polk, Joanna Briann Skuse, Trey Barrett Watson
Lafayette: Kendra Marie Brewer, Evalin R. Hair, Megan M. Moore, Alilexus Oswalt
LaFontaine: Jaeden Younce
Logansport: Samantha Carmany, Daima Linet Fermoselle, Alayna Rippy, Jocelyne Alanis Rodriguez
Marion: Miah Noel Hudson, Natalya Ann Queen, Abigail Lavone Shaw
Monticello: Jaquelin Castillo Santiago
Mulberry: Tye Ann Kerschner
Muncie: Emmanuelle Kerene Elvira Tano
Noblesville: Audrey Michelle Soel, Daniil Antonovich Svintsitskiy
Otterbein: Ashlyn Pritchett
Rochester: Charlie Pocock, Alivia Grace Riegle
Royal Center: Olivia Tate Belt
Russiaville: Megan Shirley Hill
Sharpsville: Karly Angelle McKay
Tipton: Brittany Emma Ryan
Walton: Sergio Gonzalez
Westfield: Sara Carolina Rincon Morales
The ceremony also included greetings from Mark Canada, executive vice chancellor for academic affairs and interim deputy chancellor; Erin Geiselman, assistant professor of nursing, and nursing students Amanda Shearer and Allison Armstrong.
Education is KEY at Indiana University Kokomo.