Last Updated on May 31, 2026 2:45 pm
LENOIR — Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute has honored the largest class of associate degree nursing graduates in program history with an official pinning and traditional lamp lighting ceremony.
The ceremony, held in May at the J.E. Broyhill Civic Center in Lenoir, celebrated the 78 graduates who successfully completed CCC&TI's Associate Degree Nursing program. The class included students from Caldwell, Watauga and surrounding counties.
Guest speaker
Amanda Franklin, Director of Quality, Patient Safety and Patient Experience for the UNC-Appalachian Healthcare System, served as the guest speaker. Franklin worked with many of the students during their clinical rotations.
“The nursing pinning ceremony is one of the most meaningful traditions in our profession,” said Franklin. “Long before diplomas and stages, nurses were welcomed into this calling by the placing of a pin — a quiet, powerful symbol, passed from one generation to the next.”
“You chose a hard path,” Franklin told graduates, “but you've learned that nursing is not only what you do with your hands, but what you carry in your heart. And today you step across a line; as of this moment, you are no longer student nurses, you are nurses. Congratulations and welcome to this extraordinary profession.”
Class officers and gift to UNC Health-Appalachian
Class officers recognized during the ceremony were President Holly Thorpe, Vice President Anna Perdun, Secretary Evelyn Powers, Treasurer Isabella Cooper, and Historians Steven Clark and Autumn Bentley.
Treasurer Isabella Cooper announced that the class made a special donation to UNC Health-Appalachian's Seby B. Jones Regional Cancer Center in honor of the nursing faculty and instructors.
“This gift is more than a donation, it is a way to honor the dedication, kindness and impact that our teachers had on each of us,” Cooper said. “Just as they have invested in our growth and wellbeing, this is our way of giving back in their name to support patients and families facing cancer.”
Each graduate was pinned by a member of CCC&TI's Nursing Faculty, followed by the ceremonial lamp lighting and reciting of the Nightingale Pledge, paying tribute to Florence Nightingale, the pioneer of modern nursing.
What's next
The graduates now face the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN), the standardized test required for licensure as registered nurses in the United States and Canada.
Following are the members of CCC&TI’s Nursing Class of 2026:
2026 Traditional Associate Degree
Nursing Graduates:
Tiffany Adkins
Kassandra Aguilera-Razo
Silas Barry
Autumn Bentley
Katlyn Branton
Abigail Brooks
Steven Clark
Isabella Cooper
Gabrielle Greene
Caroline Hatfield
April Hawkins
Heather Howell
Van Hubbard
Dana Hudson
Nicole Kushner
Hannah McCracken
Kyndal Merrill
Vera Miller
Cassidie Moyer
Corin Muscarelli
Madelyn Norris
Anna Perdun
Maddison Powell
Evelyn Powers
Amy Rice
Hannah Stanbery
Holly Thorpe
Mallory Vandermark
Shee Vang
Amy Walker
Olivia Wilson
Ally Wright
2026 LPN-ADN
Transition Graduates:
Anita Anderson
Yudali Baer
Michelle Bartlett
Megan Bass
Sarah Bonds
Atisha Carrillo
Alyssa Clark
Kelly Cook
Mykala Cook
Holly Dallman
Jasmine Dodero
Sydney Epps
Cassidy Ford
Vanessa Fortin
Daliyah Foster
Tami Goudy
Brynn Graff
April Grant
Seanna Hampton
Casey Hatley
Tanner Hollars
Khaley Holman
Amy Hooks
Jennifer Hopper
Shekia Ikard
Tiffany Inch
Guadalupe Jaramillo Lopez
Adriane Lash
Donna Lindsey
Ashle Marroquin
Aurora Matthews
Lola McElreath
Dana Miller
Darlene Moore
Leonora Natal
Jordan Robinson
Kimberly Rodriguez
Abbey Setzer
Tabitha Shumate
Courtney Smith
Savannah Smith
Alison Swaim
Rebecca Townsend
Roseanna Vance
Tiffany Vidrine
Reagan Wheeling
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