Bob Jones University is holding its 43rd annual pinning ceremony this year. The ceremony celebrates students graduating from the BJU Nursing program. 43 students will be pinned with a cross pin, which according to BJUNews, “represent[s] the Christian emphasis of the BJU nursing program.”
Also included in the ceremony are tributes to Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. The first tribute is the Lighting of the Lamps, and the second is the Nurse’s Pledge.
The pledge begins with this statement: “I solemnly swear before God and in the presence of this assembly to lead a worthy life and to exercise my profession honourably.”
Ivy Curlee, a nursing student, is part of the 2024 May cohort, which consists of 39 people. The song she and her fellow students voted to have as a theme this year, “I Am With You” by Colonial Hills, held special significance for her.
“[It’s] a true testament to what God has done in our lives here, and what He’ll do in the future,” Curlee said. “God still surrounds us then.”
She also shared her thoughts on graduating and the pinning ceremony.
“I will say this pinning is really important to me,” Curlee said. “We were the class who graduated high school (during) COVID. There were so many things changing with healthcare when we started clinicals. It was hard but we overcame it and here we are today about to graduate and become nurses.”
The Nurses Pinning Ceremony will be held at 2 p.m., Thursday, May 2, in Rodeheaver Auditorium.
Dr. Marc Chetta and the president of the BJU Nursing Association, Will Johns, will both speak. The BJU community is invited to come support and celebrate the nursing student graduates.
