BLINN RECOGNIZES 43 ASSOCIATE DEGREE NURSING GRADUATES WITH PINNING CEREMONY

  

Forty-three future nursing professionals were recognized with their nursing pins Saturday, May 3, after completing the Blinn College District’s highly regarded Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) Program.

“These graduates represent the future of healthcare—skilled, caring, and committed to making a difference,” said Program Director Dr. Karla Ross. “I am proud to celebrate their exceptional strength and perseverance and look forward to the incredible contributions they will make as registered nurses.”

The spring 2025 graduating class includes:

• Taylor Ash – Spring, Texas
• Kaitlyn Asher – Bryan, Texas
• Hanna Belcher – Spring, Texas
• Kylie Belcher
• Emily Black – Tomball, Texas
• Christian Bushey
• Sarah Calhoun – Bryan, Texas
• Summer Churchill – Woodbury, Conn.
• Grace Dahlstrom – Flower Mound, Texas
• Ashly De Leon
• Darell Ferniz – Houston, Texas
• Austyn Gillespie – Bastrop, Texas
• Syerra Gray
• Ashleigh Gustaveson – Verona, Mo.
• Vivian Jaouhari – Houston, Texas
• Ignacio Jimenez – Bryan, Texas
• Madeline Kelso – Madisonville, Texas
• Jenna Kurtz – Atascocita, Texas
• Courtney Lamb
• Taylor Lawrence – Dripping Springs, Texas
• Stephanie Leon – Bryan, Texas
• Allyson Lobdell
• Gerardo Lopez-Barreto – Bryan, Texas
• Levi Loya – Houston, Texas
• Breanne Machacek – Brenham, Texas
• Rachel Martin – College Station, Texas
• Jodi McAfee – Weimar, Texas
• Sophia Melendez-Smith – San Antonio, Texas
• Jessica Ocampo
• Hannah Perry – Bryan, Texas
• Claire Quast – College Station, Texas
• Emalee Reynolds
• Kaitlyn Rupp
• Mikeltie Schatz
• Rhadja Silva – Cleburne, Texas
• Hailey Smith – Cuero, Texas
• Kendall Smith
• Elisa Solis – Navasota, Texas
• Ahsha Triplett – Birmingham, Ala.
• Sadie Venable
• Hunter Vincent
• Christina Walker – Balch Springs, Texas
• Jordan Weber – Alvin, Texas

Kylie Belcher, Gillespie, Gustaveson, McAfee, and Reynolds each graduate as members of Alpha Delta Nu Nursing Honor Society. Alpha Delta Nu students must maintain a 3.5 grade-point average both overall and in their nursing courses. Members also must complete a capstone project and demonstrate conduct on campus and in clinical areas reflecting integrity and professionalism.

“Blinn’s ADN Program has showed me not only how to be a nurse, but how to be a better person,” Gustaveson said. “I am leaving this program with a solid foundation of care, skills, safety, and nursing knowledge. I’m grateful for the experiences Blinn’s nursing school has provided and look forward to using those experiences to further my career.”

Blinn’s two-year program prepares students for nursing careers and for transfer into a bachelor’s degree program at a four-year university. Students who complete Blinn’s ADN Program and pass the national licensure exam have a job placement rate between 97 and 100% and are qualified for a wide array of nursing positions, including pediatric, geriatric, hospice, school, and clinical nursing. With demand soaring in the nursing field, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that registered nurses earn a median salary of $93,600.

Blinn’s ADN Program is based at the RELLIS Academic Alliance Complex at Texas A&M-RELLIS in Bryan, where students gain hands-on skills utilizing the facility’s 16,000-square-foot simulation laboratories.

Nursing students spend at least two days per week in clinical rotations, in addition to lab, simulation, and lecture time. Most students dedicate 15 to 24 hours each week to scheduled program activities and at least 30 hours per week on study and preparation.

The Blinn ADN Program’s partnership with the Texas A&M School of Nursing provides students with an affordable pathway to their bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN). The Aggie Student-Centered Express Nursing Degree (ASCEND) Program allows students to co-enroll with both schools to earn their ADN degree with Blinn and their BSN with Texas A&M in as little as one additional semester. Blinn also maintains transfer partnerships with other universities including Sam Houston State University.

As a result of this success, Blinn has been recognized by  Nursing Schools Almanac, NursingProcess.org, RNCareers.org, and RegisteredNursing.org.

For more information about Blinn’s ADN Program, visit www.blinn.edu/adn.

(Story courtesy Blinn Information)