Once on stage, the graduates lined up in traditional nursing attire with candles in hand to be awarded their pins.
“It’s been a long journey we all went through,” said ADN graduate Xavier Siller. “It was not easy in any case, and now we have this pin as a symbol to look back on everything we’ve struggled and been through.”
Family and friends cheered as the ADN instructors affixed the pins to the graduate’s lapels. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the graduates recited the Florence Nightingale Pledge before exiting the auditorium into the lobby of the TSC Arts Center, where they were greeted by photographs and praise from their loved ones.
“I feel relieved and happy that I’ve accomplished this for myself and for my family,” said ADN graduate Lori Rocha. “It’s definitely worth it if you have the caring, compassionate heart for patients and for others out there.”
About Texas Southmost College
Originally established in 1926, Texas Southmost College currently offers the first two years toward a bachelor’s degree, along with career and technical education leading to certificates and associate degrees, college preparatory studies to prepare students for college-level work, workforce training, and continuing education. Recently selected as a Bright Spot by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, TSC offers 53 programs of study leading to an associate degree or certificate. TSC became independently operational in the fall of 2013, after engaging in a 20-year contractual arrangement with a public university.