Wednesday was the big day for fourteen undergraduate students from the University of the Virgin Islands School of Nursing, as a pinning ceremony held in their honor celebrated the hard work and persistence each of those students invested in their future nursing careers.
School administrators, government leaders, family and friends filled the conference room at the Laverne E. Ragster Administration and Conference Center on St. Thomas, where they witnessed the tradition marking the entry of graduates into the nursing profession.
On Thursday they will join with other UVI students wearing caps, gowns and sashes at the 62nd Annual Commencement Ceremony.
At the pinning ceremony students wore white uniforms, shoes and caps. Pins were installed by friends and loved ones as host Samantha Duval read personal essays written by each student.
School of Nursing Dean Lisa Lewis commended the Class of 2026. “Your belief in nursing education is an investment in the health of this territory,” Lewis said.
The dean also noted that some of the students pursued studies overseas on the U.S. mainland and in Costa Rica.
Keynote speaker Sierra Jno-Lewis, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, spoke about the ups and downs of lengthy shifts, impatient patients and taxing workloads. “Nursing is more than a career; it is a call to community, compassion and service,” she said.
The ceremony ended with a recitation of the Florence Nightingale Pledge. Students pledge to observe ethical standards, to serve as part of health care teams; to do no harm and to guard confidential information learned on the job.
“May my life be devoted to service and to the high ideals of the nursing profession,” ended the pledge heard at Wednesday’s gathering.
