Fifty New Nurses Earn Pins, Awards
Angelina College’s School of Health Careers on Thursday held a traditional pinning ceremony recognizing the newest graduates of the Associate’s Degree Nursing program.
The Class of 2026 group included 50 students receiving their pins from faculty, friends and family members.
Students earning individual awards included Mark Bagonoc (Highest GPA), Harley Husband (Best Overall Student) and Josalyn Urbina (Best Clinical Student).
Dr. Winifred Ferguson-Adams, Dean of the School of Health Careers, shared notes from Florence Nightingale written 166 years ago regarding “what nursing is, and what it is not.”
“She wrote about having fresh air, clean water, sanitation, but she also talked about the importance of the patient and the importance of the nurse observing, caring for and listening to the patient,” Ferguson-Adams said. “Don’t ever forget to be present for your patient. You may have a million other things to do, but when you’re with that one patient, be present for them and give them the best of your time you can possibly give.”
AC president Dr. Michael Simon also addressed the crowd, speaking of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial in Washington, D.C. and how approximately 90 percent of those women served as nurses.
“I want to emphasize that women were not drafted during the Vietnam War,” Simon said. “Those women volunteered to go into harm’s way to serve their country and their fellow service members.”
Simon also shared how the memorial’s sculptor, Glenna Goodacre, also created the sculpture dedicated to the Rotary International Group to Eradicate Polio currently exhibited on the Angelina College campus. Simon related how Goodacre chronicled when those nurses returned from Vietnam, they found themselves “unheralded, unwanted and unwelcome.”
“I wanted to share her story because as nurses, from time to time you may feel unheralded,” Simon said. “There may be people in your life who question your choice of profession. As you advocate for your patient, you may feel unsupported and even attacked. There will definitely be challenging shifts and difficult patients.
“When you’re experiencing difficulty in your practice, I encourage you to remember those courageous nurses who preceded you in the profession and know that although doing the right thing can be difficult, it is a hallmark of the nursing profession.”
Following are the graduates of the Class of 2026, along with their home towns. (Cities are in Texas unless otherwise specified.)
Jonielyn Asne (Lufkin), Mark Bagonoc (Lufkin), Ricardo Bautista (Huntington), Savannah Bearden (Wells), David Bennett (Nacogdoches), Kenna Boston (Lufkin), Quashunna Burrell (Doucette), Natalie Cervantes (Alto), Lamyia Chatman (Lufkin), Holly Choate (Lufkin), Tabitha Cook (Lovelady), Yessica Damian (Livingston), Kendra Esquivel (Diboll), Amber Evans (Lufkin), Abbigail Evett (Huntington), Chancy Hall (Lufkin), Kennedy Hoppes (Shepherd), Harley Husband (Coldspring), Emmili Jackson (Lufkin), Delontae James (Crockett), Chyenne Koller (Lufkin), Cheyenne Landrum (Lufkin), Kryclei Loving (Lufkin), April Maddux-Stanbery (Lufkin), Breeann McClain (La Porte), Nikolas McNiel (Livingston), Rachel Middleton (Livingston), Hannah Monroy (Rockwall), Esveidy Morales (Nacogdoches), Samuel Mwangi (Lufkin), Heather Myers, Lio Okamoto-Yamamoto (Lufkin), Michael Oliver (Zavalla), Tangela Patton (Lufkin), Hayley Powell (Lufkin), Margarita Ramos (Lufkin), Xavier Randolph (Batson), Angelique Rodriguez (Lufkin), Gendareneshy Rodriguez (Shepherd), Isabel Rodriguez (Lufkin), Kaitlyn Siebold (Katy), SheQuedra Sigler (San Augustine), Karson Smith (Diboll), Neena Smith (Lufkin), Neera Smith (Lufkin), Ashley Suttle (Cleveland), Josalyn Urbina (Lufkin), Andrea Vazquez (Livingston), Avery Watson (Nacogdoches) and Merlene Wilcox (Lufkin).
Nursing program faculty: Dr. Winifred Ferguson-Adams (Dean, School of Health Careers), Danielle Adams, Kelley Durr, Allison Gray, Vergie Hines, Kathy Jackson, Koshy Jose, Nadia Martindale, Nancy McClurg, Kathy McNeese, Anna McReynolds, Peggy Mortensen, Amber Murphy, Bobbie Williams and Carrie Zavala.
For further information regarding Angelina College Health Careers, email healthcareers@angelina.edu. For information regarding this press release, contact Gary Stallard at gstallard@angelina.edu.
