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To view the photo album, click here (Photo Credits: Rodney Dimick and Elizabeth Cody). 

Sixty-one nursing students, one newborn and one service dog came together with family and friends to celebrate the Spring 2024 Nurses Pinning Ceremony at the El Dorado Performing Arts Center on Thursday, May 9. 

“We discovered something truly special: the essence of nursing,” Bethany Middendorf, Class President, said after crediting faculty, fellow students and loved ones with unwavering support during their rigorous studies. “Nursing, as we come to understand, is more than just a profession, it’s a calling. It is a commitment to compassion, a dedication to healing and a promise to be there for those in need.” 

Mitchell Taylor, nursing faculty and DAISY nominee, introduced the eight students who took advantage of the 91��Ƭ��/KU ADN & BSN Partnership opportunity. With an exciting congratulations, Taylor yelled the battle cry formed by the nursing department a few years ago, “rock chalk Jayhawk, you 91��Ƭ�� Grizzlies!” This partnership allows 91��Ƭ�� students to simultaneously earn their Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree from The University of Kansas (KU) and Associate Degree in Nursing from 91��Ƭ��, all while staying on 91��Ƭ��’s El Dorado campus. Students in the pathway experience hands-on training from 91��Ƭ�� and take online courses through the KU Nursing Program. These dual graduates are denoted below. 

“I hope that you wear your pin with pride and be reminded of the commitment you have made to serve others, even in the most difficult times,” Janet Schueller, Associate Dean of Health, Education and Public Services expressed. “It is truly both a medal of honor and a badge of courage. We sincerely welcome each of you as colleagues into our beautiful and wonderful profession. We wish you the best of luck. Congratulations. You have big shoes to fill, as your former class has set the bar very high, but I know that you guys can do it and I hope that you know, too.” 

Schueller encouraged the students to always ask questions, make time for themselves and give themselves grace. She prompted the graduates to remember their “why” for becoming nurses and connected the Grizzly bear on the nursing pin to both their status as graduate candidates and the protectors they will become for their patients. 

“I’ve often said that our nursing program is the most premier nursing program in the state of Kansas,” Dean of Health, Education and Public Services Julio Guerrero noted. “Well graduates, let me know if you agree with me, but I believe our nursing faculty is the most premier nursing faculty in the state of Kansas, as well.” Guerrero’s prompt was met with clapping as the students and their families applauded the dedication and wisdom shown by the nursing faculty. 

Class Vice President Morgan Hickman led the nursing graduating class in reciting the International Council of Nurses’ Pledge. 

Current student Laynee Cao of Wichita and nursing faculty Katelyn Sherman-Voge received the DAISY Award. The DAISY Award is an international program and is given to recognize students and faculty who demonstrate excellence in nursing. The award was created by Bonnie and Mark Barnes who lost their son, Patrick, to a rare autoimmune disorder commonly known as ITP. Because of the care their son received, the Barnes family decided to honor nurses who go above and beyond in the field. The award includes a daisy pin, a certificate and a hand-carved statue from Zimbabwe, called The Healer’s Touch. The award is presented to one nursing student and one faculty member each semester. Student nominees are denoted below and faculty nominees are listed below the full list of nursing students. 

This semester, 91��Ƭ��'s first-time test takers in the first quarter of The National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) scored a 100% pass rate. This pass rate includes both Registered Nurses (RN) and Practical Nurses (PN) and is higher than last year’s . 

“You have an entire career to pick up extra shifts, so take care of yourself,” Schueller advised her students. “Find your balance, listen to your body. Take care of yourself, just as you do for your patients. Get plenty of rest, both physically and mentally, and take time to laugh. Every day, every shift, every opportunity - laughter, it will make the long shift the shortest. We’ve given you a really solid foundation and I know that you will grow from that.” 

The ceremony is available online on /BCTVplus or with the BCTV+ app. 

Spring 2024 Nursing Graduates by Hometown:     

Andover 

Morgan Sierra Hickman, Class Vice President 

Choi Justine Ian 

Taylor Marie Kelley 

Argonia 

Shelby Victoria Denise Handlin 

Emma Grace Huntley 

Arkansas City 

Kayli Rae Hauser 

Sarah Dawn Sutterfield  

Augusta 

Rebekah Lind 

Bel Aire 

Winnie Rop 

Broken Arrow, Oklahoma 

Chelsea Marie Isaacs 

Cassoday 

Zackary Packard Laik-Trumpower (and Coco, Service Dog) 

Derby 

Marcus Rhodeman, KU BSN Graduate 

Emporia 

Stephanie Guillen-Colindress 

Bismaa Khalil 

Goddard 

Brittany Reiswig 

Haysville 

Laurel Dillon 

Kechi 

Ashlee Forrest 

Chelsea Taylor, KU BSN Graduate 

Kingman 

Francisco J Del Campo, BSNA Vice President 

Maize 

Emma Appel 

Mulvane 

Stacy D. Pieschl, ‘22-’23 BSNA Vice President 

Madison N. Stephen 

Newton 

Thomas R. Hershberger 

Sabetha 

Kenzie Marie Schrader, KU BSN Graduate, BSNA Secretary 

Sedgwick 

Monica Conyers 

Sterling 

Madison Morgan 

Valley Center 

Ginger Derr, DAISY Nominee 

Samantha Lemon 

Wellington 

Sydney N. Shields, KU BSN Graduate 

Wichita 

Jocelyn Aguayo Martinez 

Elisabeth Lyn Akin 

Maria Elena Avalos 

Laura Ann Barker, KU BSN Graduate 

Mariah Alicia Barnes 

Edith Rayna Berry, KU BSN Graduate 

Virginia Rose Brungardt 

Arielle Hope Carney 

Morgan Cook, KU BSN Graduate 

Dakotah Sierrah Cheyanne DeFehr 

Lisayo Kaje Ewoi 

Amyann Flora 

Marita Albano Garey 

Hannah Rose Malek 

Amy Keithley 

Leeann Nikki Kraft 

Delani Jean Kruse, DAISY Nominee 

Briauna Lindenman 

Alexandria Isabel Lleras, KU BSN Graduate 

Virginia Bethany Middendorf, Class President 

Brenda Murphy, DAISY Nominee 

Restituta Ntinika 

Kristina K. Patrick 

Hannah Prince 

Kaeli Rugh 

Sarah S. Salazar 

Kyndra R. Spurgeon 

Austin Warriner 

Makayla Williams 

Winfield 

Jacqulyn L. Hanika 

Julie L. St. Peter, BSNA President 

Winslow, Arkansas 

Lisa Michelle Kilpatrick 

Student DAISY Nominees

Laynee Cao

Mari Doremus

Faculty DAISY Nominees 

Catherine Rasmussen 

Mitchell Taylor 

Katelyn Sherman-Voge 

Selena Walker