50 CSM Students Receive Nursing Pins for Completing Degrees  ‘With Hands to Care and Hearts to Serve’

The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) celebrated 50 nursing graduates at the La Plata Campus last week with a time-honored pinning ceremony that allows CSM faculty to welcome their students as peers and colleagues in the field of nuring.  

“Success in nursing school is not an accident or gift, it’s hard work, perseverance, hours upon hours of studying and sacrifice at many levels,” CSM Nursing Professor Linda Goodman told the graduates during the Jan. 16 ceremony.   

“Today, we gather not only to honor their achievements, but also to recognize their commitment to a profession that embodies care, resilience, and the unwavering pursuit of excellence,” echoed Dean of the CSM School of Health Science Dr. Caroline Combs.  

“To our graduates, you have embarked on a journey that requires intelligence, discipline, and above all, heart,” Combs continued. “You have faced the rigorous demands of your nursing education with courage and perseverance. Through long nights of study, countless clinical hours, and moments of doubt and triumph, you have proven yourselves worthy of the noble calling to serve as nurses. Today, as you receive your pins, you join a legacy of caregivers who have dedicated their lives to healing and compassion.”   

CSM President Dr. Yolanda Wilson also lauded the graduates.

“Today we celebrate your extraordinary achievements that required you to stretch and to grow in ways that you may not have imagined," she shared. "You have exhibited strength of mind, strength of heart, and strength of will and you have proven that in fact, you can do anything you put your minds to. To all of you ‘with hands to care and hearts to serve,’ we are so honored and privileged to stand in this moment with you. Because you have chosen health occupations dedicated to serving health and well-being of each of us, we are now a stronger, healthier community entrusted to your excellent care.”    

This class of nursing students was the first to begin their nursing program in the new Center for Health Sciences at the Regional Hughesville Campus when it opened in the fall of 2022.   

“As we have all come together one last time, I can’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of pride in us all,” said Emily Litten, the nursing student chosen to be the keynote speaker by her peers. “Despite everything, we came out on top and achieved our dream. We can now join a community of nurses who have dedicated their lives to caring and serving others. I hope you all will proudly say ‘I am a nurse’ and remember how far you have come.”    

Congratulations to CSM’s nursing associate degree recipients:   

Latashia Danielle Baker   

Diana Barna   

Becky Bartram   

Lesli Bauer   

Chinar Beknazarova   

Amber Bias   

Julia Brown   

Alexa Brumley   

Rachel Burley   

Monica Carino   

Nina Marie Deceuninckvancapelle   

Samantha Lynn Delahay   

Dana Leigh Dickerson   

Lovie Antionette Dickerson   

Kristina Dube   

Alison Farrall   

Gurneet Gill   

Tasia Green   

Merresha Henry   

Hailey Howard   

Jayla Jackson   

Cheyenne Johnson   

Emma Louise Johnson   

Isha Kabia   

Ishmael Kanu   

Mike Kennedy   

Crystal Kirkland   

Kalin Lee   

Emily Litten   

Tiffany Ludke   

Meadow Mattson   

Martha Menken   

Stephanie Metzger   

Lydia Grace Morris   

Barsha Neupane-Karki   

Nedisha Oscar   

Laine Pennell   

Rebecca Pompa   

Aidan Price   

Chloe Reese   

Courtney Rice   

Carly Rodgers   

Liliana Rodriguez   

Lenora Savoy   

Carina Shields   

Tamia Taylor   

Katie Wadsworth   

Shannah Wagner   

Chloe Willett   

Christian Wolpert   

Meadow Mattson – CSM School of Health Sciences “Achievement in Nursing”   

Amber Bias – CSM School of Health Sciences “Academic Achievement in Nursing”    

To see more photos from the pinning ceremony, please visit Zenfolio | College of Southern Maryland Photos | 01-2025 Nursing Recognition Event