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By: Amy Charles | December 15, 2025
On Saturday, December 13, the University of Pikeville Elliott School of Nursing held a pinning ceremony in Booth Auditorium, honoring 17 Associate of Science in Nursing graduates as they received their nursing pins. The ceremony commemorated the students’ successful completion of their nursing coursework and clinical rotations.
Karen Damron, Ph.D., RN, dean of the College of Nursing and Human Services, congratulated the graduates and remarked on their readiness to enter the nursing profession.
“Your pin is not given to you because you’re perfect, it’s given to you because you’re ready,” said Damron. “Ready to think critically, act compassionately, and rise, always, to the moment in front of you.”
Randi Sizemore of Manchester, Ky., was the recipient of the Elizabeth Akers Elliott Award, selected by the nursing faculty as a student who best exemplifies the very essence of nursing, who combines qualities of critical thinking, professional judgment and caring, and who exceeds what is expected of a new graduate. The award also holds special significance for the family of Elizabeth Akers Elliott, as they established a trust fund to launch the nursing program in her memory.
Sizemore also received the Spirit of Nursing Award, an honor bestowed by fellow classmates to the nursing student they would most like to have caring for themselves or their family if they became ill.
Jarrod Jones of Manchester, Ky., received the Vivian Day Award, presented to the graduate with the highest grade point average in nursing courses.
Students were pinned by nursing faculty and recited the Florence Nightingale Pledge. The traditional ceremony dates to the 1860s and was adopted by Nightingale to honor her most outstanding graduate nurses.The ceremony can be viewed in its entirety on UPIKE’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaiVajN7PqI.