As a nursing student in the Westmoreland County Community College class of 2021, myself and my colleagues have persevered through some of the most challenging times. Through online classes, precautions in clinical sessions, and self-quarantining, we've been tested at a whole new level, proving that only the toughest and most determined of students can make it all the way to graduating from nursing school.

As the end of our studies approaches, many of us have been inspired to press on with one of the most sacred recognition ceremonies in a nurses academic career in mind, the "Pinning Ceremony". This ceremony is unique to the nursing community, and has often been held to even higher regard than commencements. However, without giving notice to their nursing students, WCCC "no longer utilizes a 'school nursing pin' (the whole purpose of Pinning)" (Sue Snyder, Director of Nursing WCCC). Unsurprisingly, I was devastated to hear this after asking about when/how the ceremony was going to occur. After notifying my fellow students about this, they were met with the same feeling of shocking disappointment.

While large gatherings are clearly a concern in these times, we understand the issue behind holding a ceremony including all of the nursing graduates. However, we feel that the class of 2021 has been deluded by a lack of information regarding our ceremonies of recognition. After years of grueling academics, thousands of dollars spent, and potentially putting ourselves at risk of exposure to COVID-19 in hospitals, the least that we deserve is this small act of acknowledgement for our work. As future nurses, we are not asking anyone to put themselves at risk just for our recognition. However, we propose that the college put forth the effort to arrange smaller outdoor pinning ceremonies, perhaps separated into sections by last name, in order to provide a safe gathering to signify our accomplishments before we are thrown into possibly the most dangerous time in history to be a health care professional. 

Since many of us have already been vaccinated in order to ensure our safety during clinical sessions, attending a safe and orderly pinning ceremony is not a health concern for us. Besides, we have made it this far, and nothing has stopped us from stepping into the dangerous world of nursing during a pandemic. We ask that you share your support by signing this petition for the class of 2021, your future bedside caretakers, as we hope to be granted the Pinning Ceremony that nurses have held dear for over a century.