Mars Hill University Nursing Graduates Receive Their Pins

May 11, 2021

MHU’s Judge-McRae School of Nursing marked National Nurses Week (May 6-12) in an appropriate fashion on Friday — by holding the pinning ceremony for this year’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) graduates in Moore Auditorium.

The spring 2021 graduates of MHU’s pre-licensure B.S.N. program are:

• Hope Cody of Mars Hill, North Carolina
• Rebecca Dallman of Franklin, Tennessee
• Eshaenee Davis of Brevard, North Carolina
• Aliyah Hoffmeyer of Afton, Tennessee
• Brianna Hughes of Burnsville, North Carolina
• Alyssa Jenkins of Concord, North Carolina
• Demarron Johnson of Bridgewater, North Carolina
• Sarah Johnson of Weaverville, North Carolina
• Paige Massey of Weaverville, North Carolina
• Kayla McCarson of Alexander, North Carolina
• Taylor Medlin of Tuckasegee, North Carolina
• Victoria Risk of Fayetteville, North Carolina
• Monica Roberts of Weaverville, North Carolina
• Debbie Shivers of Asheville, North Carolina
• Emily Strange of Asheville, North Carolina
• Reginald Wright of Greenville, South Carolina

Several students received special awards:

• Alyssa Jenkins received the Leadership Excellence award
• Sarah Johnson received the Academic Excellence award
• Reginald Wright received the Care Provider Excellence award

Special speaker for the pinning ceremony was Michelle Gilley, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the integrated health sciences and biology programs at MHU. The ceremony included a Blessing of the Hands, during which Rev. Linda Judge-McRae and assistant chaplain Rev. Andrew Hoots anointed the new nurses’ hands with olive oil. Judge-McRae and her husband, Norman, provided fundamental vision and financial support to establish the Judge-McRae School of Nursing.

Graduating nurses received a pin which signifies their transition from the student role to the medical practice role. The tradition is said to have originated in the 1860s with Florence Nightingale, who is considered the founder of modern nursing. After receiving their pins, the nurses lit lamps and recited the Nightingale/Nursing Pledge, which is an adaptation of the Hippocratic Oath taken by physicians.

The baccalaureate degree in nursing at Mars Hill University (Judge-McRae School of Nursing) is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (www.ccneaccreditation.org). The Judge-McRae School of Nursing and Ferguson Health Sciences Center received support from GoldenLEAF Foundation.