{"id":1127,"date":"2016-12-19T15:38:25","date_gmt":"2016-12-19T15:38:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/?p=1127"},"modified":"2016-12-19T15:38:25","modified_gmt":"2016-12-19T15:38:25","slug":"tstc-vocational-nursing-graduates-earn-their-caps-and-pins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/?p=1127","title":{"rendered":"TSTC Vocational Nursing Graduates Earn Their Caps and Pins"},"content":{"rendered":"

(HARLINGEN) – After long, sleepless nights and a stressful year, wife and mother Kimberly Deleon found herself speaking words of wisdom and gratitude to her class, family and friends during Texas State Technical College\u2019s Vocational Nursing Pinning Ceremony where 15 students were recognized for successfully completing all program requirements.<\/p>\n

The pinning ceremony is described by the TSTC Vocational Nursing Program Director Adriana Hinojosa as the rite of passage into the profession of vocational nursing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe gather our graduate nurses here today to pass the light of knowledge to them,\u201d said Hinojosa. \u201cWe also cap them and pin them, which symbolize a helmet and shield. They\u2019re going into battle, and it\u2019s now all about our patients.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thanks to Deleon\u2019s academic achievements in the program, the Harlingen native was named the Vocational Nursing Class of Fall 2016 valedictorian.<\/p>\n

\u201cI took every semester one day and one week at a time,\u201d said Deleon. \u201cAnd here I am. Here we are. We did it. This was for my family, especially my 2-year-old son.\u201d<\/p>\n

Deleon, and her fellow classm\"TSTC<\/a>ate and salutatorian Hugo Garcia both agreed it was not an easy year, which makes graduating and pinning that much more special.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was a very emotional day. We all went through this together, not knowing what to expect,\u201d said Deleon. \u201cBut we overcame every challenge and we\u2019re so excited for the future. It\u2019s only the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Garcia said he is thankful for all of the support he has received from his class and his family.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis experience has been intense,\u201d said Garcia. \u201cBut I\u2019m so proud of myself and everyone here because we finished, finally.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both Deleon and Hugo will take their National Council Licensure Examination to become licensed vocational nurses in January.<\/p>\n

Deleon will work in the field prior to continuing her education, and Garcia expects to work and continue his education at TSTC to pursue an associate degree in Registered Nursing when the program initiates Fall 2017.<\/p>\n

The capping and pinning ceremony also included an address from TSTC\u2019s Vice President for Student Learning Hector Yanez, a message from TSTC Register Nursing Program Director Shirley Byrd, a presentation of Vocational Nursing Club officer and academic awards, and a candle lighting ceremony.<\/p>\n

Hinojosa said she is proud of all her students because they all worked very hard to complete the program, especially because they need to be physically and mentally prepared every day for the challenges that come with pursuing a career as a vocational nurse.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a very stressful field. There are long hours and you\u2019re responsible for patients and their lives,\u201d said Hinojosa. \u201cBut I know these students are more than ready to out there and work, and be the light of warmth, healing and comfort for their patients.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Vocational Nursing Pinning Ceremony is held twice a year during the Fall and Summer Semesters.<\/p>\n

For more information on Vocational Nursing call 956-364-4969.<\/p>\n

Registration for Spring 2017 is in progress. You can apply or register anytime at tstc.edu.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(HARLINGEN) – After long, sleepless nights and a stressful year, wife and mother Kimberly Deleon found herself speaking words of wisdom and gratitude to her class, family and friends during Texas State Technical College\u2019s Vocational Nursing Pinning Ceremony where 15 students were recognized for successfully completing all program requirements. The pinning ceremony is described by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-harlingen"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1127","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1127"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1127\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1129,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1127\/revisions\/1129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}