Mars Hill – Mars Hill University honored the 2022 graduates of the Judge-McRae School of Nursing during a pinning ceremony on Friday, May 13, 2022. The ceremony for this year’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) graduates was held in Moore Auditorium.
The spring 2022 area graduates of MHU’s pre-licensure B.S.N. program are:
Lauren Allen of Barnardsville, North Carolina
Michaela Baker of Arden, North Carolina
William Brawley of Morganton, North Carolina
Sabrina Lunsford of Alexander, North Carolina
Leighanna Lusk Herron of Leicester, North Carolina
Thera Powell of Weaverville, North Carolina
Lualhati Smith of Mars Hill, North Carolina
Peyton Smith of Candler, North Carolina
Rachel Stigall of Weaverville, North Carolina
The special speaker for the pinning ceremony was Clare Chambers, assistant professor of nursing. Thera Powell was the student speaker. The ceremony included an Anointing of Hands, during which assistant chaplain Rev. Andrew Hoots anointed the new nurses’ hands with olive oil.
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 the GoldenLEAF Foundation.