EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – With a momentous Pinning Ceremony, the University of Texas at El Paso College of Nursing celebrated its Summer 2023 graduating class Wednesday evening. This year’s graduating class, the largest in the history of the College’s four-year bachelor’s program, consisted of more than 130 graduates.
The ceremony took place at Magoffin Auditorium on the UTEP campus, where graduates and their families gathered to commemorate their achievements and initiation into the nursing profession.
The Pinning Ceremony marks the completion of a student’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. During the ceremony, each nurse’s close friend or family member places a pin on their lab coat before a large audience, symbolizing their successful journey through nursing school.
“The Pinning Ceremony reminds us of the rich traditions of the nursing profession and the immense responsibilities that lay ahead of us as we take our first steps as graduate nurses,” said Leslie Robbins, Ph.D., dean of the UTEP College of Nursing. “It also gives us an opportunity to publicly thank family, friends, and significant others for their love, support, and patience during our journey through nursing school.”
The roots of the Pinning Ceremony can be traced back to the 1860s when Florence Nightingale, a renowned British nurse, statistician, and social reformer, was honored with the Red Cross of St. George for her exceptional care of the injured during the Crimean War. Inspired by this recognition, Nightingale began awarding her most dedicated nursing graduates a medal of excellence. By 1916, this practice became a cherished tradition in nursing schools across the United States.
UTEP is the largest producer of graduates in health care professions among colleges and universities in the Paso del Norte region. With the Summer 2023 Pinning Ceremony, the University continues to shape the future of healthcare in the Borderland and beyond by producing highly skilled and compassionate nurses.
For more information about the UTEP College of Nursing and its programs, please visit www.utep.edu/programs/undergraduate/nursing.html.
