Virtual Celebration Held for Nursing Graduates
Dyersburg State Community College (DSCC) honored its 73rd and 74th nursing classes with a ceremony for 41 graduates in the traditional nursing program and 12 graduates in the paramedic to RN program Dec. 13. A total of 1,980 nursing students have graduated from DSCC over the past 39 years. The pre-recorded video ceremony was shared to students Dec. 23 via their MyDSCC email and to the public through the College’s YouTube and social media pages.
Class officers introduced for the traditional program included Haley Camp of Brighton, president; Danielle Lynch of Ripley, secretary; and Gauge Nesbitt of Atoka, historian. Class officers for the paramedic to RN program included Abner Turner of Bartlett, president; Rebecca Edwards of Clarksville, vice president; Amber Mormann of Arlington, secretary; Wesley Tipton of Memphis, treasurer; and Nick Jones of Memphis, historian.
A special congratulatory message from Chancellor Flora Tydings, Tennessee Board of Regents, opened the ceremony. Amy Johnson, dean of nursing, commended the graduates for persevering through the pandemic and encouraged them to maintain their positive spirit and love for mankind. DSCC President Karen Bowyer acknowledged the graduates and congratulated them on their resilience, adaptability and willingness to carry forward during difficult times.
The ceremony proceeded with Dr. Jan Reid-Bunch, vice president for the college, presenting the Friend of Nursing Award to a DSCC staff members, on behalf of each nursing class. The traditional nursing class chose Tanzy Henson of Henning, administrative clerk II, and the paramedic to RN class chose Ashley Jones of Munford, nursing secretary II.
The Scholastic Award, presented to students with the highest grade-point average (GPA) in each class, was awarded to traditional nursing class graduate Matthew Hawk of Memphis, graduating with a 4.0 GPA; and to paramedic to RN nursing class graduate Rebecca Edwards with a 3.35 GPA.
The Peggy Pendergrast Award was presented to paramedic to RN nursing class graduate Nick Jones. This special award, given in honor of the late Peggy Pendergrast, founding director of the DSCC nursing program, is presented to students demonstrating the qualities that are essential for effective nursing practice.
The Clinical Practice Award, selected by members of the nursing faculty, was presented to traditional nursing class graduates Carole Sneed of Millington and Dana Shearon of Munford; and paramedic to RN nursing class graduate Jeremy Kelley of Bartlett. This award is given to nursing graduates who demonstrate qualities such as the practice of nursing as a humanistic art and science, the recognition of each person as a unique individual and acceptance of legal and ethical professional accountability.
The Friendship Award, chosen by fellow class members, was presented to traditional nursing class graduate Christy Embry of Brighton and paramedic to RN nursing class graduate Rebecca Edwards.
The pinning video can be found on the College’s YouTube channel, which can be accessed by visiting www.dscc.edu and clicking on the YouTube icon on the homepage.
The 41 graduates of DSCC’s fall 2020 traditional nursing class include:
Arlington – Jessica Seibert
Atoka – Emily Malone, Gauge Nesbitt, Lindsay White
Brighton – Haley Camp, Christy Embry, Teri Mullins, Melina White-Sherron
Covington – Phu Duong, Charles Glenn, Jack Hall, Mallory Lawrence, Natalie Smith
Dyer – Misty Morris
Dyersburg – Austin Griffin
Friendship – Michelle Garcia
Halls – Kandice Chipman-Pilcher, Timothy Gregory, Margaret Olds
Hernando, Mississippi – Robert Laughter
Jackson – Wynette Allen, Sarah Ivey
Kennett, Missouri – Stacey Branum
Kenton – Deborah Fout
Lakeland – Leah Cartwright
Medina – Anna Dunphy
Medon – Tori Dowdy
Memphis – Tommyka Bell, Matthew Hawk, Mary Thurmond
Millington – Victoria Cresswell, Lindsey Goodwin, Joyce Mason, Joseph Miller, Carole Sneed
Munford – Tiffany Armstrong, Cheyenne Laney, Dana Shearon, Stephanie White
Ripley – Danielle Lynch
Stanton – Sarah Moore
The 12 graduates of DSCC’s fall 2020 paramedic to RN nursing class include:
Arlington – Amber Mormann
Bartlett – Jeremy Kelley, Abner Turner
Byhalia, Mississippi – Kelly McCommon
Clarksville – Rebecca Edwards
Cordova – Stephanie Moser
Jackson – Michael Threadgill
Memphis – Nick Jones, Wesley Tipton
Munford – Joshua Mecklin
Oakland – Joel Lowther
Somerville – April Wiles