Mississippi College School of Nursing December 2015 Commencement Welcomes 39 Graduates
Kimberly Sharp, the new dean of Mississippi College’s School of Nursing, spoke of the long hours, hard work and medical challenges awaiting the Class of 2015.
But Sharp also emphasized the invaluable rewards of joining this noble profession that welcomed 39 new MC graduates on December 18.
The former nursing dean at Louisiana College, Sharp served as keynote speaker for the first time at the Christian university’s pinning ceremony in Swor Auditorium.
A cross, representing Christian caring and commitment is superimposed on the MC nursing pin going to each graduate. The words Mississippi College School of Nursing are inscribed in a circle around the image of historic Provine Chapel.
New graduates like Madison Burchfield, 23, of Louisville, MS, are delighted to be part of a caring profession that remains in big demand across the nation.
“I got really sick when I was a little girl and got to know nurses very well,” Burchfield said when asked what attracted her to the field. “I want to make a difference.”
Other grads say they were pleased with the education they received from a team of excellent MC nursing professors at Cockroft Hall and at the region’s medical facilities.
“I feel I got a good education and I’ve grown a lot as a person,” said Megan Bolton of Batesville. She graduated Magna Cum Laude. She’s pondering several nursing job offers as the new year approaches.
Working as nurses at the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital will be the next stop for two new Mississippi College graduates. A former MC Lady Choctaws soccer player, Allison Kiss, 22, of Orlando, Florida and Jessica Rodgers, 22, of Pascagoula are both anxious to get started at the hospital in Jackson.
Both say they will go to work at UMMC well-prepared. “I received the best education,” Jessica said on her way to ceremonies Friday morning. She always wanted to go into nursing to help people.
Another member of the Class of 2015, Lauren Alred of Madison will enter the profession as a nurse at St. Dominic Hospital in Jackson.
Lauren says she feels blessed to be part of the MC School of Nursing with its close-knit faculty and Christian environment.
Alred won’t be the first nurse in her family. Her aunt and cousin served as nurses.
Her graduation day on the Clinton campus attracted several friends and family members.
Congratulating Lauren were 2010 Mississippi College nursing graduate Laura Dowdy of Brandon, and Marlie Lawrence of Clinton, a 2011 nursing graduate at MC.
Other undergraduates will receive their diplomas at 2 p.m. at the A.E. Wood Coliseum. The guest speaker is MC art professor Steve Cook. The talented Jackson artist is MC’s Distinguished Professor of the Year.
The guest speaker at Friday evening’s ceremonies at 7 p.m. at the A.E. Wood Coliseum for the Graduate School is 2nd District U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson.
His daughter, Bendalonne Jamir Thompson-Griffith of Bolton will receive her doctorate in educational leadership. She’s an administrator with the Jackson Public Schools. Thompson-Griffith also received her master’s and education specialist degrees at Mississippi College.
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