Nursing Students Recognized With Pinning Ceremony

Edison State Community College honored 29 recent nursing graduates on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, with a pinning ceremony held in a gymnasium filled with family and friends.

The pinning ceremony is a time-honored tradition in which the College presents graduate nurses to family and friends as a professional about to practice nursing. Faculty members who have worked with students throughout their studies have the honor of pinning the graduates. Each school has a unique pin, which serves as a symbol of the successful completion of a rigorous curriculum that prepares graduates to administer to the sick and injured and to promote health through the practice of nursing.

“In my position, I have the opportunity to interact with leaders of health care organizations in the community, and I continue to hear amazing things about our nursing graduates,” Edison State President Chris Spradlin said in his welcome. “They often tell me that our nursing graduates are their favorite employees, their best employees, and they desperately want to hire them.”

He added, “Thank you, graduates, for choosing Edison State. I know this has been a long journey. We’re very proud of you.”

Guest speaker Liana Michael, BSN, RN, graduated from Edison State in 2011 before obtaining her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Ohio University in 2013. For the past 13 years, she’s served as a nurse with Piqua City Schools. Michael was nominated for the Daisy Award and was honored in 2021 as the Support Staff Member of the Year at the Piqua City School District.

“You want to hear that what you just did was worth it—the time, the stress, the tears,” Michael said to graduates. “You’ve spent the last two years learning and cultivating your technical skills, your craft, and your critical thinking skills. I’m not going to stand up here and reiterate cliches. Instead, I’m going to tell you it is worth it and inspire you to be the best nurses you can be.”

She shared one phrase that has carried her through life: “Make it a great day or not, the choice is yours.”

“There are great days when I see all the fruits of my labor pay off,” she said, “But there are days that no matter what, I go home and say, ‘It wasn’t a great day.’ Even on those hardest days, I hear that little voice in the back of my head that says, ‘The choice is yours.’ Burnout and emotional drainage are a real thing as a nurse. Not only is work-life balance important, but making sure you don’t let the bad days win is a top priority.”

She continued, “You are a nurse 24 hours a day for the rest of your life. You are a nurse who represents all nurses during your interactions. You are an integral part of your community. It’s imperative you’re a positive one. Be the nurse that wakes up every day and chooses the phrase, ‘Make it a great day or not, the choice is yours.’ After all, your life as a nurse is what you make it.”

Following the successful completion of the nursing program, graduates will prepare to take the National Council Licensure Examination to become registered nurses.

Edison State’s nursing program has maintained full accreditation and approval throughout its history. In 2023, the Ohio Board of Nursing granted Edison State’s Associate of Nursing a full five-year approval. In 2019, the program earned an eight-year continued accreditation from the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, the highest level a program can receive. Edison State received approval from the Higher Learning Commission in 2024 to offer a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, allowing registered nurses to pursue further education at the College.

Edison State’s Registered Nursing program will accept applications from June 15 to July 31, 2025, for the spring 2026 semester. For more information about the program, visit www.edisonohio.edu/health.