Texas Border Business
El Paso Community College (EPCC) celebrated its Nursing graduates by holding the annual pinning ceremony incorporating social distancing guidelines with a drive-by ceremony. This event, moved from the usual indoor celebration, is for the nursing students to receive their pins and lamps that are special symbols signifying their completion of the program. This is an annual event so in order to continue this tradition, faculty members found a way to maintain safety and social distancing guidelines by holding a drive-through ceremony.
COVID-19 presented numerous challenges for the Spring 2020 class, but the Nursing Program and its students rose to the challenges. Faculty members described how faculty, administration and students created an environment where hope, endurance and adaptation were crucial for success. EPCC found alternate ways to deliver educational content online while students demonstrated incredible resiliency with the changes. Many students committed to succeeding despite not having childcare, limited internet access, studying from homes full of people and other challenges. As a result, EPCC faculty were committed to finding a way to recognize these efforts. “Our students are the heroes in this story,” Irma Ansalmo-Carlos, Nursing Professor said. “They had to adapt, evolve, and grow along with these challenging times. As a result, this ceremony is even more meaningful this year.
This semester, 65 students graduates from EPCC’s Nursing Program attended the ceremony. Faculty and students alike say that the challenges presented due to the COVID-19 pandemic, make this year’s pinning ceremony more meaningful. “EPCC thrives on preparing nurses that will excel in their duty to the healthcare community, we are confident that each of these graduates we are honoring will become an invaluable asset in these times of conflict,” Ansalmo-Carlos said.
Now, more than ever, the community has benefitted from the essential role of nurses, healthcare workers and first responders. EPCC is proud to be providing the training and support that these workers need to be qualified to work and serve in our community.
