By Matthew M. Billiot, student news writer, Office of University Communications
CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – Nine Campbellsville University nursing students were pinned during a ceremony Dec. 3 at Ransdell Chapel.
During the ceremony, Dr. Donna Hedgepath, provost and vice president for academic affairs, spoke briefly about how her late mother worked as a nurse and was pinned in 1962.
“She would’ve said it’s worth all the pain and struggle, the good and the bad,” Hedgepath said about her mother. She used to ask her mother why she did not teach, and her answer was she “did not want to give up time with patients.”
Dr. Michele Dickens, interim dean for the School of Nursing, presented awards to the following students receiving their associate degrees: Dr. James E. Jones Servant Leadership Award to Katy Carmichael of Lawrenceburg, Ky.; Award of Excellence to Jacquelin Fritz of Bradfordsville, Ky.;
Clinical Excellence Award to MaryChris Waddell of Brownsville, Ky.; Academic Award to MaryChris Waddell of Brownsville, Ky.; Franklin D Cheatham Award to Courtney Brackett of Liberty, Ky.; and the Health Educated Systems Incorporated (HESI) Award to MaryChris Waddell of Brownsville, Ky.
The family members and friends pinned the students during the ceremony. The following were pinned: Kelci Adcock of Munfordville, Ky.; Courtney Brackett of Liberty, Ky.; Tiffany Brassfield of Jamestown, Ky.; Katy Carmichael of Lawrenceburg, Ky.;
Jacquelin Fritz of Bradfordsville, Ky.; Christi Harrison of Liberty, Ky.; Olivia Mobley of Lawrenceburg, Ky.; MaryChris Waddell of Brownsville, Ky.; and Hailey Wolfe of Henderson, Ky.
Among the nine, six of these students were also given their white coats. The white coat symbolizes that the student will go on and get their RN-BSN. The following were given their white coat: Kelci Adcock of Munfordville, Ky.; Courtney Brackett of Liberty, Ky.;
Tiffany Brassfield of Jamestown, Ky.; Katy Carmichael of Lawrenceburg, Ky.; Christi Harrison of Liberty, Ky.; Olivia Mobley of Lawrenceburg, Ky.; and MaryChris Waddell, Brownsville, Ky.
Carmichael represented the class and said the class was “not afraid to speak our mind, was full of personality and we had lots of tears.” She also said “relentless” best describes this group of nurses.
“God has a specific plan for all of us,” Carmichael said. She also said the common theme from this class was adversity and “with adversary comes knowledge gained.”
“Failure isn’t the end of the world,” Carmichael said while also reminding her classmates that “God’s timeline is not our timeline.”
She said the School of Nursing program pushes its students outside of their comfort zones of which Carmichael is thankful.
Something else that it is important to remember, according to Carmichael, is, “This career is putting our patients’ needs first.”
Carmichael said, “To quote William Shakespeare, ‘The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.’ Share these gifts that have been hand selected by God.”
Dr. James Jones, pastor at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church and member of the CU Board of Trustees, blessed the hands of each student. He said it is “one of the highlights of his year.”
“Anointing is the tangible sign of the spirit of God that His presence is in you, and we believe you’re a symbol of what God is doing in others’ lives,” Jones said.
For more photos visit https://bit.ly/34Fofc7.
Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with more than 14,000 students offering over 100 programs of study including Ph.D., master, baccalaureate, associate, pre-professional and certification programs. The university has Kentucky based off-campus centers in Louisville, Harrodsburg, Somerset, Hodgenville and Liberty with instructional sites in Elizabethtown, Owensboro and Summersville. Out-of-state centers include two in California at Los Angeles and Lathrop, located in the San Francisco Bay region. The website for complete information is www.campbellsville.edu.
Campbellsville University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award certificates, associate, baccalaureate, masters and doctoral degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the status of Campbellsville University.