Pinned-with-Purpose-Rock-Valley-Colleges-2025-Nursing-Graduates.php

Pinned with Purpose: Rock Valley College's 2025 Nursing Graduates

• Events
• 05/20/2025

The 2025 Nursing Pinning Ceremony at Rock Valley College on Thursday, May 15 was not merely a milestone but a celebration of heart, grit, and transformation.

 

Dr. Carrie Gulbrandsen opened the ceremony with heartfelt candor, recounting a moment from a previous experience when nursing students wore T-shirts that stirred discomfort. She was shocked at first, but instead of reprimand, she used the moment to underscore the true calling of nursing: service, humility, and the quiet power of presence. She reminded everyone that nursing is not just about tasks or titles, but the emotional and spiritual strength it takes to walk into a patient's life and bring peace, hope, and dignity.

 

"When the nurse walks into the room, your very presence... changes just by your presence. I don't know if it's the knowledge you carry, the skill set you carry, the confidence. I happen to think it's all of those things in a layer of compassion," said Dr. Gulbrandsen.

Stepping up with a message of collective triumph, RVC President Dr. Spearman spoke of how every nursing graduate carries the hopes and sacrifices of families, mentors, and communities. He shared the story of his mother's journey through nursing—a story rooted in perseverance and purpose.

"Success is contagious, and there's a ripple effect when it comes to success," said Dr. Spearman. “Encourage graduates to pay it forward by sharing their stories, reminding them that their success uplifts everyone around them.”

Professor Gwen Zimmerman continued the theme of compassion and courage. She honored the emotional strength it takes to be a nurse—the patience to listen, the bravery to advocate, and the grace to comfort. Gwen urged the graduates to remember that while techniques and technology are ever-changing, the human touch is timeless.

"It's not just about mastery of medical techniques or knowing how to upgrade the latest technology. It's about the ability to touch lives, often in ways we cannot express."

Student Speaker Hannah Maier chronicled the highs and lows of nursing school, from early morning clinicals and nerve-wracking simulations to laughter-filled moments and lasting friendships. Hannah reflected on how a room of strangers became a family—a bond forged in challenge and sealed by shared purpose.

The ceremony also recognized academic excellence and service through the Alpha Delta Nu Honor Society and the Illinois Organization for Associate Degree Nursing honorees. Alpha Delta Nu society's president Sydney Peterson highlighted their impactful donation drive for the Rockford Rescue Mission—ten full grocery bags of essentials collected as a class act of compassion and care.

Congratulations to the Class of 2025 Graduates:

Ryan Adolphson*

Mosa Alshoja**

Allyse Caudel

Kaitlyn Dennin

Amber Fitzwater

Dyana Gonzalez

Madalyn Halfacre*

Kathleen Howard**

Kaung Linn

Hannah Maier

Sandibel Martinez Zarinana

Ethan Palmer

Sydney Peterson* **

Julieta Ramos

Rebecca Roush

Kaung Sint

Brenden Spanbauer*

Delaney Taylor

Melody Tewell

Nieshay Turman

Tyler Ward

Olivia Watton*

 

*Alpha Delta NU

** I-OADN – Illinois Organization for Associate Degree Nursing

As each graduate crossed the stage to receive their pin—a symbol not just of completion, but of commitment—they carried with them stories of struggle, success, and service. This ceremony was not an end, but a beginning.

 

 

"We walked into a room as strangers, and we're leaving as family—not friends, but family. Anyone who's been in nursing school knows the type of trauma bond you have with one another."

Hannah Maier, RVC Nursing Graduate