Celebrating-the-Power-of-Nursing-One-Pin-at-a-Time.php

Celebrating the Power of Nursing One Pin at a Time

• Students
• 05/14/2026

Rock Valley College’s Nursing Pinning Ceremony on Thursday, May 14, began with a simple but powerful reminder from Dr. Carrie Gulbrandsen, RVC Dean of Health Sciences: nursing is one of the most trusted and impactful professions in the world.

Her message set the tone for an event that honored not only the academic accomplishments of the college’s newest nursing graduates, but also the courage, resilience, and community that carried them to this milestone.

For the graduates gathered with family, friends, and faculty, the ceremony marked the culmination of countless hours spent in classrooms, labs, and clinical settings. It was the end of one journey and the beginning of another, one that will place them on the front lines of healthcare, where they will care for patients during some of life’s most vulnerable moments.

Throughout the ceremony, speakers reflected on the extraordinary responsibility, privilege, and hard work of becoming a nurse.

“Nursing school asks much more of you than academic success,” Dr. Sherri Jordan, RVC Director of Nursing, told the graduates. “It challenges your strength, your patience, your confidence and your heart. Behind every student sitting here today is a story, stories of balancing work, families, children, financial stress, anxiety and life's unexpected challenges. This is what makes you your accomplishment so meaningful.”

That sentiment resonated deeply with students who understand firsthand the rigor of the program and the perseverance required to complete it.

Student speaker Ethan Grismer captured the spirit of the moment with a message that drew knowing smiles and nods from his classmates.

“No one gets through nursing school alone,” he said.

The statement was simple, but it reflected a truth every graduate in the room understood.

Behind each pin was a story of shared lecture notes, last-minute study sessions, snacks passed around before exams, tears shed after difficult days, and the encouragement of classmates who became close friends.

“Every journey requires courage and resilience,” Ethan said, “and shared notes, snacks, tears, and time.”

For many in the audience, the quote perfectly captured the unique bond formed among nursing students. While each student was responsible for mastering complex material and developing critical clinical skills, they did so together, supporting one another through one of the most demanding educational experiences at the college.

That sense of community was echoed in another line that became a defining message of the ceremony.

“We didn’t just make it through it,” Ethan said. “We grew through it.”

Those words spoke to the transformation that occurs in nursing school. Students enter with a desire to help others, but leave with the knowledge, confidence, and professional judgment needed to care for patients and families in real-world healthcare settings.

The pinning ceremony itself is a longstanding nursing tradition, symbolizing the transition from student to professional nurse. As each graduate crossed the stage to receive a nursing pin, they joined generations of nurses dedicated to service, advocacy, and lifelong learning.

Faculty members who guided the students throughout their program watched with pride as graduates took this important step. They had seen these students develop not only technical competence, but also the empathy, integrity, and resilience that define exceptional nurses.

Director Jordan concluded the ceremony by returning to the central theme of the event: the profound power of nursing.

In a world where nurses are called upon to provide healing, comfort, and hope, she reminded graduates that their work will have a lasting impact on individuals, families, and entire communities.

As the newest Rock Valley College nursing graduates prepare to enter the workforce, they do so equipped with far more than clinical skills. They carry with them the lessons learned from one another, the support of their faculty and loved ones, and the knowledge that they are joining a trusted profession built on both science and compassion.

And as they begin this next chapter, they do so understanding one essential truth: nursing has the power to change lives, including their own.