Angelina College’s School of Health Careers on Thursday held a traditional pinning ceremony for its newest Vocational Nursing program graduates, with a total of 40 students receiving their awards inside Temple Theater.
The new graduates from the Class of 2025 included students from the “Traditional” Vocational Nursing program and from the Multi-Entry/Exit Program (MEEP).
Dr. Winifred Ferguson-Adams, Dean of the School of Health Careers, recognized the wealth of experience joining her on the stage in the form of faculty and staff members.
“If you take all the years of nursing experience available here and add it together, you’re looking at hundreds of years,” Ferguson-Adams said. “And for you new nurses, I consider myself the gold standard for you. If I wouldn’t let you take care of me, I wouldn’t be sending you out to take care of others.”
Joining the staff onstage was the Deep East Texas Nurse Honor Guard, a group comprised of retired, active and student nurses.
Ferguson-Adams cited Florence Nightingale’s mantra as a reminder to the newest nurses that “we will do no harm” while welcoming the new graduates.
“You are entering an honorable and trusted profession as our newest colleagues,” Ferguson-Adams said. “Remember that you are an Angelina College nurse, and we are the best of the best.”
Graduate Mary Kimani provided the invocation, while graduate Neena Smith offered the benediction.
Following are the graduates of the Class of 2025, along with their home towns. (Cities are in Texas unless otherwise specified.)
Vocational Nursing Traditional Students: Angelina Alvarez (Corrigan), Guadalupe Florencio (Center), Ariana Garcia (Nacogdoches), Kristy Hernandez Contreras (Guatemala), Mary Kimani (Kambal, Kenya), Amber Lopez (Livingston), Ashley McAdams (Trinity) and Cynthia Zamora-Hernandez (Lufkin).

Lufkin MEEP (Multi-Entry/Exit Program) Students: Mark Bagonoc (Lufkin), Ricardo Bautista (Huntington), Savannah Bearden (Wells), Christina Bell (Mount Enterprise), Cade Boston (Lufkin), Natalie Cervantes (Alto), Daniel Crespo (League City), Kendra Esquivel (Burke), Amber Evans (Hudson), Abbigail Evett (Huntington), Isabelle Hodge (Lufkin), Ethan Hopson (Lufkin), Valeria Jacobo (Lufkin), Brianna Lee (Livingston), Kryclei Loving (Lufkin), Nikolas McNiel (Livingston), Rachel Middleton (Livingston), Hannah Monroy (Rockwall), Heather Myers (Lufkin), Xavier Randolph (Liberty), Angelique Rodriguez (Lufkin), Shara Rubio (Lufkin), McKenna Simmons (Lufkin), Karson Smith (Diboll), Neena Smith (Shelbyville), Neena Smith (Shelbyville), April Stanbery (Lufkin), Gabriela Tamez (Hudson), Josalyn Urbina (Lufkin), Amber Wetherell (Lufkin) and Bailee Youngblood (Hudson).

Traditional Vocational Nursing Faculty: Dr. Susan Adams, Dr. Charlet Blades, Patricia Hooks and Mary Hastings.
MEEP Vocational Nursing Option Faculty: Kelley Durr, Vergie Hines, Kathy Jackson, Dr. Nancy McClurg, Anna McReynolds and Dr. Bobbie Williams.

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.