3240 Fort Road • Toppenish, WA 98948
(509) 865-8500

Date:		April 27, 2018
Contact:		David Mance, Media Relations Coordinator, 509-865-0731 or mance_d@heritage.edu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Heritage University BSN Program to Hold Pinning Ceremony for Graduates

Toppenish, Wash. –  The Heritage University Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program will celebrate the inaugural BSN program cohort Class of 2018 with a pinning ceremony Thursday, May 3 at 5:00 p.m. in Smith Family Hall at Heritage University. Dr. Jeri Milstead, Ph.D., RN, NEA-BC, FAAN of the College of Nursing at the University of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio, will deliver the keynote address at the BSN pinning ceremony.

Dr. Milstead is the editor and senior author of Health Policy and Politics: A Nurse’s Guide, 4th ed., and Handbook of Nursing Leadership: Creative Skills for a Culture of Safety. Milstead was a policy advisor in the Washington, DC office of Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI), was president of the State Board of Nursing for South Carolina, and held leadership positions with State Nurses Associations in Ohio, Pennsylvania and South Carolina. She retired in 2008 as Professor and Dean Emerita, University of Toledo College of Nursing. She currently provides consultation on public policy, leadership and education.

Dr. Christina Nyirati, director of the BSN program at Heritage, says the solemnity of the pinning ceremony is not lost on her nor the students. “The pinning ceremony, which will no doubt become a tradition at Heritage, is an important symbol of nursing students’ hard work and dedication,” said Dr. Nyirati. “It will be a time for these students to come together and celebrate with their classmates and loved ones. But most importantly, this ceremony marks the pivotal moment of their transition from student to full-fledged nurse. It will also be a proud moment for our nursing faculty as we see them achieve their dreams and goals, and we will relish in their accomplishments.”

Historically, a nursing pinning ceremony honors and celebrates nursing students and their journey to becoming a nurse. The ceremony will also include a blessing entitled “Blessing of the Hands and Hearts.”

The students of the first cohort of the Heritage BSN program have been eagerly anticipating the pinning ceremony throughout their entire student nursing career. “This is the final step we as students need to take in order to complete the journey we started in wanting to make a difference in healthcare for the residents of our communities,” said graduate Julie Rodriguez.”

For more information on the BSN Program Pinning Ceremony, contact Dr. Christina Nyirati at (509) 865-8578 or Nyirati_C@Heritage.edu.

Heritage University is a non-profit, independent, regionally accredited institution of higher education offering undergraduate and graduate education across the state of Washington. Visit our website, www.heritage.edu