CSM Congratulates 49 New Nursing Graduates

The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) celebrated its newest class of nursing candidates on May 8 in a pinning ceremony at the La Plata Campus, sending them out into the workforce or onto the next phase of their medical education.  

“Graduates, you chose an academic journey that would lead to a career rooted in care, compassion, and responsibility,” CSM President Dr. Yolanda Wilson told the nursing students at the ceremony held at the Brad and Linda Gottfried Theater. “You accepted the challenge of long days, late nights, and sacrifices. You did this not only for yourselves, but for the patients and communities you will serve,” she said.  

“Tonight is also a moment to celebrate those who supported you, the faculty who challenged you and believed in you, the clinical instructors who helped turn your learning into practice, the families and friends who stood by you through every obstacle and achievement. Earning a degree in Nursing is not a solo journey, and your success reflects a community of support and care,” Wilson continued.  

The nurse pinning ceremony is part of a long tradition of awarding badges to identify and to honor those who choose to serve others, said Linda Goodman, Professor of Nursing, Clinical Simulation. Bellevue Hospital School of Nursing in New York City was the first school in the United States to award a nursing pin, she explained. “The nursing pin’s design is unique to each school and nursing program. By 1916, pinning ceremonies were common in the United States and England. Colleges and universities created their own pins and present them to students during a recognition ceremony.”  

CSM’s nursing program started in 1979 as the Associate Degree Nursing Program of Charles County Community College. Two years later in 1981, the first graduating class received their nursing pins, marking the start of a proud tradition.    

“As you receive your nursing pin tonight, understand that it means more than the completion of your studies,” Wilson said. “The pin is a symbol of your readiness. It represents your transition from student to professional. It carries a legacy of service, and it connects you to generations of nurses who came before you and those who will follow.”  

Professor of Nursing Annette Ragland told the audience, “You are entering a profession that is often considered to be the heart of healthcare. And that is not just because of what nurses do, it is because of who nurses are. And right now, the world needs your heart more than ever. The strength of a nurse doesn’t come from being unshakable — it comes from being human. A nurse’s strength comes from bringing compassion into chaos, and from being the calm in someone else’s storm.”   

Ragland continued, “I want you to remember something, especially on the days when you feel the weight of this profession on your shoulders, when the shift and all its chaos feels so heavy: Caring deeply is not a weakness. As a nurse, it is your superpower.”   

Nursing graduate Jazylyn Hernandez told her peers, “Nursing students here today were called to the profession because of their courage to care and passion to help others. Caring is not something we were taught; we brought this trait with us on the very first day of nursing school and have consistently used it ever since.   

“Our shared compassion has built a sense of community within our cohort to not only care for our patients at clinicals but also for each other as we experienced this journey together. We have supported each other when studying for our exams together, encouraging each other in the face of failure by reminding each other a grade does not define us, sharing our feelings of being overwhelmed, and feeling the relief that we are not alone, and waiting for each other after exams to see how we all felt and to remind ourselves to give grace because nursing exams are not easy,” she said.   

“I am proud to be graduating with a group of very knowledgeable, hardworking, caring, and compassionate individuals,” she said.    

Associate Degree Nursing Graduates:  

Nadine Allen 

Kortni Amundson  

Koutouan Assande  

Maggie Barnes  

Ashley Bassett  

Trinity Beruti  

Kayley Bittle  

Deja Butler  

Isabella Carney  

Ysabelle Catugas  

Kindle Cummiskey  

Tyana Dancy  

Myong Davis  

Zoe Dettmer  

Abolfazl Dohaei  

Nenghui Eddy  

Rachel Gardiner  

Catherine Gibson  

Summer Hart  

Morgen Haynes  

Abby Hays  

Jazlyn Hernandez  

Alyssa Huntt  

Madison Kavlick  

Kayla Kerman  

Morgan Kinnison  

Carly Long  

Annabelle Moon  

Hannah Moren  

Marissa Moseley  

Angeleen Mulero  

Chelsea Murphy  

Kristin Patterson  

Brooke Portenz  

Jenna Reed  

Briana Rivera  

Kayla Spargo  

Troy Spencer  

Megan Supanich  

Yazmin Taylor  

Syreika Thorpe  

Steven Tran  

Kaylin Urrego-Gallo  

Kailey Walthour  

Heather Wiley  

Erika Wilson  

Graciela Worcester  

Deja Wyatt  

Jennifer Zeade 

To see photos of the ceremony, visit https://csmphoto.zenfolio.com/spring25nre.