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The Holmes Community College Ridgeland Campus held a pinning ceremony for the Surgical Technology Class of 2022 on June 23 at Madison United Methodist Church. Six students were honored. The graduating class included Madison Carpenter of Madison, Shania Green of Jackson, Rachel Landrum of Ridgeland, Crystal Mertel of Brandon, Kara Patterson of Richland and Elizabeth Primeaux of Yazoo County.
The ceremony began with a processional of the graduates, followed by Carpenter giving the invocation. Following the prayer, Career Technical Counselor Jovonna Parker welcomed the crowd before Primeaux stepped up to introduce the speaker, Ridgeland Campus Vice President Dr. Don Burnham.
“Many will not end up completing this program because of a lack of effort or lack of perseverance which you obviously have displayed because you sit here today,” Dr. Burnham said. “I hope that you feel good about your accomplishments because all of us are extremely proud of what you guys have done and we want to congratulate you on that. You are headed into a new profession and things may not always go as you were taught in your class. Nonetheless, you are going to have to learn how to think critically, if you have not already done that. Trust me it will pay dividends for you as you move forward in your career.
“You’re going to make new friends,” Dr. Burnham said. “You’re going to be part of a new team, which you should look forward to. Just make sure you’re a good teammate for those team members and be professional. Keep learning and create a love for learning so you can stay current in a field that is constantly changing. To be great in your field, please see every failure as a way to learn and to grow and not as a failure. When you have success, celebrate that! Always keep your integrity no matter what.”
Following Dr. Burnham’s address, Shea Coleman, instructor for the Ridgeland surgical technology program, approached the podium to present awards. Landrum was named valedictorian for having the highest GPA in her class and Patterson was named salutatorian for having the second highest. Coleman also announced that the students won first place in the 2022 Association of Surgical Technologists (AST) Scrub Bowl Championship and that Landrum was elected as AST Student Liaison during the annual conference held June 2-5 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Additionally, she informed the Class of 2022 that they all passed the Certified Surgical Technologist (CST) examination on their first try.
After the awards presentation, Parker called the students to the stage one-by-one to receive their certificates and pins. Dr. Burnham and Career Technical Coordinator Allison DeWeese presented certificates before Coleman pinned each student. Following the pinning, DeWeese addressed the graduates one final time.
“I’m so, so proud of each and every one of you,” DeWeese said. “And I would just like to say, thank you to Ms. Coleman, the parents, the friends, spouses, children, supporters and employees who are here today. Thank you for supporting these ladies over the past 11 months. Without your support, they would not have been able to receive their pin today. Now it’s time for ya’ll to put all this knowledge and all these skills that you have learned over the past 11 months to the test. I know that you will all be great surgical technologists and that you are going to represent Holmes in the best way possible.
“As my grandfather used to say, ‘don’t forget where you come from.’ So as I say that, ya’ll are now official alumni of Holmes Community College. We would love for you to remain active with Holmes. Keep in touch with us so we can stay informed about all of your successes that you have as you start your career. Once again, congratulations!”
The graduates recited the Association of Surgical Technologists (AST) Code of Ethics before Landrum concluded the ceremony with the benediction.
For more information about the Surgical Technology program on the Ridgeland Campus, contact Coleman at (601) 605-3396 or tcoleman@holmescc.edu.
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IN THIS PHOTO: Pictured is the Ridgeland Campus Surgical Technology Class of 2022 with (center) instructor Shea Coleman. They are (left to right) Kara Patterson of Richland, Shania Green of Jackson, Crystal Mertel of Brandon, Elizabeth Primeaux of Yazoo County, Rachel Landrum of Ridgeland and Madison Carpenter of Madison.
