Graduating Nursing students at Chaminade gathered Friday for the time-honored Pinning Ceremony, which commemorates the completion of their Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees.
Some 74 Silverswords received their BSN stoles and nursing pins at the gathering, held at Chaminade’s Richard T. Mamiya Theatre. They also recited the International Pledge for Nurses, “sparing no effort to conserve life, to alleviate suffering, and to promote health.”
“It’s really important to bring these nurses into the workforce. At the moment, we have a strong need in our community and we prepare nurses for all walks of nursing,” said Lorin Ramocki, DNP, RN, interim dean of the School of Nursing and Health Professions.
Natasha Gourlay ’25 is among the graduating students who participated in the Pinning Ceremony.
“It’s a super important part of completing Nursing school, probably even more than Commencement. Pinning is kind of the end of the road, but also the beginning of our new chapter as nurses,” said Gourlay, who plans to pursue a career in public health nursing.
The Pinning Ceremony symbolizes the end of students’ formal education and the beginning of their nursing careers and serving the community. The roots of the Nursing Pinning tradition date to the 1860s, when Florence Nightingale—the founder of modern nursing—was awarded the Red Cross of St. George. Pinning ceremonies later grew to mark the beginning of a nurse’s career.
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“The pinning ceremony is a heartfelt tradition that symbolizes students, hard work and dedication throughout their coursework and clinical training,” said Chaminade President Lynn Babington, Ph.D., a nurse herself. “Healthcare is more than just a profession. It’s a calling and a passion.”
Babington continued, “We congratulate our nursing students and hope they will become transformational and compassionate leaders in the medical community.”
