In a moment defined by reverence, resolve and the quiet strength of those called to care, Olivet Nazarene University’s 2025 nursing graduates gathered for a time-honored tradition: the Nursing Pinning Ceremony.
Held in the Betty and Kenneth Hawkins Centennial Chapel on Friday evening, the ceremony celebrated not only academic achievement, but the spiritual and emotional journey each student has taken toward a life of service and healing.
“This pinning ceremony is our way of saying, ‘You’ve made it,’” said Dr. Tiffany Greer, Dean of the School of Nursing. “But even more than that, it’s our prayerful blessing as you step into the sacred calling of nursing.”
The program opened with the reading of the Nightingale Pledge—an updated adaptation of Florence Nightingale’s original words, affirming the values of compassion, ethics, and lifelong learning. Family, friends and faculty filled the chapel, many wiping away tears as graduates stood one by one to receive their pins and personal blessings from faculty mentors.
For many, the pin itself is more than a symbol. “When I got my pin, I thought of every patient I’ll care for,” said graduate Alyssa Dunlap, who will be working in the neonatal intensive care unit at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago. “It’s a reminder to be fully present, even on the hardest days.”
Each pin placed during the ceremony bore the seal of Olivet’s School of Nursing, connecting graduates to the legacy of those who have come before them—and those they will one day lead. 
Dr. Greer reminded students that in a world of change, the nurse’s role is unchanging in one key way: “You are there in the quiet moments, in the chaos and in the healing. This work matters.”
As part of the closing blessing, faculty and families gathered around the graduates in prayer. For some students, this was a dream years in the making. For others, a calling discovered mid-life. For all, it was a moment of unmistakable purpose.
Graduate Isaac Martinez, who transferred to Olivet after serving in the military, shared his thoughts during the student address: “This isn’t just a job. It’s a ministry. Every shift is an opportunity to reflect Christ to someone in pain.”
As the ceremony concluded, students turned to one another with hugs, laughter, and the kind of tears that mark both the ending of something beautiful and the beginning of something even greater.
To watch the full pinning ceremony, click here.
To learn more about the Olivet Nazarene University School of Nursing, click here.
