MC’s Pinning Ceremony marks senior-semester students’ transition to nursing practice

The Mississippi College School of Nursing will host its pinning ceremony at 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 7, in Swor Auditorium in Nelson Hall on the Clinton campus. About four dozen students are anticipated to participate in the ceremony.

Jordan Owen, MC Instructor in nursing and coordinator of senior-semester events, said the ceremony is a significant “rite of passage” for the students.

“Pinning is important for our students because it is more intimate and personal than the large graduation,” Owen said. “During the pinning, students are recognized for various honors and awards, top students are inducted into the nursing honor society, and our tradition of pinning students and handing out yellow roses from our alumni association is explained.”

The nursing pin originates from the Maltese Cross, carried as a symbol of service to Christ during the Crusades. The large cross became a much smaller pin worn by those working to heal the sick and dying in various orders.

In modern times, Florence Nightingale designed and awarded the pins to the graduates of the first School of Nursing in England at the completion of their nursing education, and the tradition spread. The pin includes the graduate’s name or initials on the back and contains the degree and university motto.

In addition to the distinctive pin, each graduating senior-semester student will receive a yellow rose. Roses were presented to members of the first graduating class of nurses at MC more than five decades ago, and they have remained a tradition championed by Susan Richardson ‘71, a member of that original class.

“It is always fun to see Mrs. Richardson, to celebrate her accomplishments and to thank her for pouring time and effort into our students over the years,” Owen said.

Nursing students like Anna Kate Hester consider the ceremony to be almost as important as MC’s Commencement.

“What makes the pinning ceremony at MC so meaningful is the foundation of faith that has been present from the very beginning,” said Hester, a fourth-semester nursing student from Huntsville, Alabama. “We’ve been surrounded by professors who truly live out Christ-like love, and that has shaped the way we see our role as nurses.

“Pinning feels like a full-circle moment, one that is both tender and hopeful. It is the closing of our time as students, but also the beginning of a lifelong calling. Wherever we go from here, we carry with us what we’ve been taught: to serve others with compassion, integrity and a faith that guides the way we care.”

Her classmate, Garrett LaFollette, regards the ceremony as a formal reception into the sacred profession of nursing.

“To be pinned is a unique honor that commemorates all the hard work our class has put in during the last four semesters,” said LaFollette, a fourth-semester nursing student from Hattiesburg. “It is a symbol of Christian caring and academic excellence.

“I’m looking forward to being surrounded by friends, family and my classmates who have supported me, encouraged me, and most importantly, prayed for me during this challenging season, and to honoring the hard work we have put into this time of life.”

In addition to the pinning, Owen said School of Nursing faculty will perform a Blessing of the Hands, consecrating each student into the ministry of nursing. The students will recite the School of Nursing creed and perform the ceremonial lighting of the nursing lamps.

“This signifies the change from ‘student’ to ‘nurse,’” Owen added. “It is symbolic of the students beginning their nursing duties and is one of the most important aspects of the ceremony.”