A PLEDGE TO SERVE — Graduates of Eastern Gateway Community College’s associate’s in nursing and practical nurse programs recited the Florence Nightingale Pledge following a pinning ceremony marking their completion of the programs Tuesday at the Steubenville campus’ lecture hall. -- Warren Scott

STEUBENVILLE — While the future of Eastern Gateway Community College appears to be bleak, graduates of its nursing programs were able to celebrate the culmination of many hours of study and hard work as they stepped forward to be pinned by several of their instructors Tuesday at school’s lecture hall on the Steubenville campus.

This semester’s pinning ceremony marked the completion of the school’s associate in nursing program by 26 students and practical nurse certification by seven students.

At a time when the college has paused enrollment amid financial struggles, they may be the last to receive those degrees from the school. After a meeting in late March, the school’s board of trustees said barring a significant influx of cash by May 31 — an unlikely scenario — the school would be dissolved at the end of the current semester.

Graduate Ryan Roupe noted recent news reports about the school indicate major changes are ahead, but they don’t reflect the opportunities he and others in his class have gained through its programs and the instruction received from its staff.

He noted his mother earned certification there as a licensed practical nurse, while his wife earned a nursing degree from the school.

ADVICE AND ENCOURAGEMENT — Sara Marchetta, adjunct instructor for Eastern Gateway Community College’s nursing programs, advised graduating students to never stop learning before joining other faculty members in a pinning ceremony for the students Tuesday in the Steubenville campus’ lecture hall. -- Warren Scott

Roupe said through their instruction, he and his classmates will be able to better themselves while serving their respective communities, and for that he is grateful.

Following the ceremony, Dana Meadows, administrator of the associate nursing program, and Jennie Scott, administrator for the practical nurse program, responded to questions about the 30 EGCC students who have not yet completed their studies there.

Scott said most of the students have made plans to continue through a similar existing program at Youngstown State University.

Meadows said the school has agreed to accept their credits and they are slated to graduate in the next two years.

“They don’t have to start over. That’s been a blessing to them,” she said.

Scott said the YSU program, like the one at EGCC, requires extensive clinical experience, through which students earning the associate degree were required to undergo 360 hours of field experience, primarily in local hospitals and long-term care facilities.

They noted Tuesday’s graduating classes marked the 17th for the associate’s nursing program and the 52nd for the practical nursing program.

They took time during the ceremony to recognize Chelsy Wilken for attaining the highest academic achievement, and Wilken, Roupe and Trevor Roupe for their clinical excellence, all in the associate’s program.

Also recognized were Antony Risley for highest academic achievement in the practical nurse program, and Allison Rahe for clinical excellence in the same program.

Also addressing the graduates was another classmate, Carlie Pace. Pace, whose husband, Tristan, also was graduating from the program — told her peers they can look back with pride on what they’ve accomplished.

“Look how far we’ve come. We’ve stuck together through all of the challenges,” she said.

Sara Marchetta, an adjunct instructor chosen by the students to address the graduates, encouraged them to never stop learning and “be the co-worker you would want to work with, the mentor you would want to have and the patient advocate you’d want your friends and family to have.”

EGCC President John Crooks noted the practice of applying a pin to nurses following completion of their training dates to the 1860s and Florence Nightingale, who set standards for training through her school at St. Thomas Hospital in London.

Nightingale was known for carrying a lighted lamp while tending to wounded soldiers in Constantinople during the Crimean War, and a lamp representing her can be found on the pin applied to the EGCC graduates.

The pin also bears the original Jefferson County Technical Institute logo of 1966, which includes an outline of the shape of Jefferson County and a compass, and EGCC’s name and a ring of blue, one of its colors.

It was noted the white caps distributed to the female graduates resemble the habit of a nun because nuns were among the first nurses, with the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul of Paris believed to be the first to don them in the mid-1800s.

Such caps are seldom worn on the job today, and male graduates of the school were presented their own symbolic white ball caps.

The graduates also stood to recite together the Florence Nightingale Pledge, which includes the vow, “With loyalty will I endeavor to aid the physician in his work and devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care.”

They were joined by a handful of other nurses in the audience.

Graduates of the associate’s program include Barbara Bonovich, Crystal Brown, Emily Canterbury, Erica Cruse, Courtney Emig, Brooke Grant, Aaron Hudson, Gabriel Hudson, Michaela Jones, Royale Kinnison, K’lah Lyons, Austin Marchetta, Martina Mayo, Amber McClelland, Carlie Pace, Tristan Pace, Kristen Panepucci, Ryan Roupe, Trevor Roupe, Abigail Saffell, Joyce Vantilburg, Chelsy Wilken, Melissa Jacobs, Kendra Marte, Yvonne Skeeles and Nikki Wright.

Earning practical nurse certificates were Lexxus Grimes, Ananda Livingston, Jada McDole, Allison Rahe, Antony Risley, Arabel Sudvary and Alicia Wells.