December 2017 Pinning Ceremony - Class President's Speech
Alysha Greenwell, president of the December Class of 2017:
Please be seated. Good morning, my name is Alysha Greenwell and I am the December 2017 BSN Class President. I would like to welcome our distinguished guests, faculty, family, and friends to the University of Kentucky College of Nursing’s Pinning Ceremony for the 74th Baccalaureate Graduating Class. As a courtesy to the graduates we are recognizing today, please turn off all cell phones and pagers for the duration of the ceremony.
On behalf of the graduating class, I want to extend a sincere thank you to everyone who has helped us along this journey. The guidance and unwavering support we have received these past three years from family, friends, and our College of Nursing faculty and staff is irreplaceable. For those of you here celebrating with us today, thank you.
I want to start the morning off by giving everyone some insight into this amazing class of future nurses that I am so proud to be a member of. Over the last three years, the students in this class have gone above and beyond the typical demands that nursing school brings. I would describe them as some of the most selfless, caring, and hardworking people I’ve ever known. We have students in this class who have dedicated time and effort as officers for the Student Nurses Association. We have students who have devoted years to training several service dogs, as well as students who have devoted years to Dance Blue, a yearlong fundraiser for childhood cancer research. We have students who have put countless hours into nursing research and presented it in Texas at the Southern Nursing Research Society’s Annual Conference, as well as at local research events. We have several moms in this class who have raised children and worked full time jobs through school. One mom in particular, has worked full-time as a police officer for UK Police for the past 18 years. We also have a student who is running the Boston marathon this April to benefit the 50Legs Fund for amputees. We have a student who is part of the ROTC program and will be serving active duty in the US Army Nurse Corps following graduation. And finally, we have a student who selflessly donated one of her kidneys this past summer to a child in dire need of a transplant. I could go on and on with this list, but I’ll finish by saying that we are a class capable of great things. Fortunately, members of this class have accepted RN jobs across the nation and will SPREAD this great, compassionate nursing care. This is the end of an era for us, but also the beginning of endless opportunities.
It is now my pleasure to introduce the rest of our class officers who have dedicated their time outside of the classroom to help with events, fundraisers, and service activities as members of the Undergraduate Nursing Academic Advisory Council. I ask you to stand as I call your name and to please remain standing until all officers have been introduced. Please hold your applause until all of the officers’ names have been called.
Vice President: Rachel Adkins
Secretary: Savannah Baker
Treasurer: Elvisa Muratovic
Class Representative: Elizabeth Carr
2nd Degree Representative and UNAAC Chair: Megan Stoeckinger (applause)
Finally, it is my honor to introduce Dr. Janie Heath, Dean of the UK College of Nursing and Warwick Professor of Nursing. Please join me in welcoming Dean Heath.
