Wallace State Community College’s Department of Nursing Education celebrated 90 students who successfully completed the nationally recognized program as they prepare to enter the healthcare field.
“Graduates, congratulations,” said Wallace State President Dr. Vicki Karolewics. “We are so very proud of you. Wallace State nurses are in high demand all over the United States, even in other countries, and they all carry a very strong reputation. I would say they do that due to our outstanding nursing faculty.”
“As you stand on the precipice of your nursing careers, I want you to take a moment to reflect on the path that led you here—the late-night study sessions, the clinical rotations, the camaraderie with your peers, and the countless lives you’ve touched along the way,” said Deborah “Pepper” Hoover, chair of the Nursing program. “Nursing, my friends, is not merely a profession; it is a calling—an unyielding desire to serve, heal, and uplift. Florence Nightingale, the pioneer of modern nursing, once said, ‘I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse.’ Remember these words as you step into the world of healthcare. Your patients will look to you for solace, hope, and healing. Be their unwavering advocate, their beacon of light in times of darkness.”
During the event, several students were recognized as nominees and recipients of the Nightingale Award. Faculty nominate students in recognition of their excellence in scholarship and dedication to compassion and exemplary patient care.
Nightingale Awards were presented Brady Benefield, Bonnie Chasteen and LaPorsha Foster.
Of Benefield, one instructor said, “this student is a quiet leader. He represented his cohort and WSCC well throughout filming for state-wide curriculum initiatives, as well as other volunteer opportunities. His dedication to success is exemplary.”
An instructor said Chasteen “quickly became the leader of the Oneonta cohort and sought every opportunity to involve herself and her classmates in community service. She is inquisitive and seeks each and every opportunity to grow as a future member of the nursing profession. Her dedication to WSCC and the nursing profession is clear in her studies and work.”
And of Foster, instructors said, “this student’s nurturing spirit quickly came to light as she naturally assumed the role of the ‘mother’ of the Oneonta cohort. She remained dedicated to her studies as well as her colleagues throughout her pursuit of this degree. She is always very eager to learn and seeks every opportunity to improve her skills to promote excellence in the future of healthcare.”
Other Nightingale Award nominees included Destiny Bibbs, Natassia Bolar, Chloe Brockwell, Kallie Jones, Maelin Long-Hesse, Francesca McBride-Valdez, Sarah Rutledge, Collin Starnes, Morgan Whitney Sullivan and Kindle Weems.
Other students recognized in the May 2025 class includes six who completed a joint enrollment program with the University of Alabama at Birmingham, concurrently earning both an associate degree from Wallace State and a bachelor’s degree from UAB. Those students include Destiny Anders, Brady Benefield, Kaitlyn Benson, Octavia Quick, Collin Quick and Connor Williams. Williams received the UAB Nightingale Award during the recent UAB Senior Recognition Ceremony. These six graduates bring the total number of joint enrollment graduates with UAB to 59 since the start of the partnership in the spring or 2020. An additional joint enrollment opportunity has been developed with Athens State University, with its first cohort expected to graduate in 2026.
Also recognized was a group of students who participated in the UAB Nursing Workforce Initiative, which offered employes of UAB the opportunity to first earn and practical nursing certificate before expanding to include the associate degree. Six of 26 current students in the program were pinned Thursday night, including Megan Baker, LaPorsha Foster, Stephen Gholson, Jarret Katharine, Long-Hesse Maelin and Sayquanna Williams.
Twelve graduates who participated in apprenticeships were recognized. They include MyKale Archer, Jessica Beck, Emily Cabrales, Karley Cain, Ahsley Fike, Alyssa Gwin, Isabella James, Emma Leach, Heidi Nichols, Rachel Pace, Kaylee Stallings and Taylior Willoughby. They were among 44 students in the apprenticeship program during the Spring 2025 semester.
Several students who completed the practical certificate option at the Oneonta Academic Center went on to complete the associate degree at Wallace State’s main campus. Those include Bonnie Chasteen, LaPorsha Foster, Annagrace Harper, Kierra Jackson, Brannan Johnson, Cierra Murray, Morgan (Whitney) Sullivan, Megan Weaver and Shelby Wilkinson.
Students recognized as Who’s Who recipients include Karley Cain, Matthew Clark, Chandeon Pannell, Houston Pannell, Megan Weaver, Destiny Anders, Brady Benefield, Kailtyn Benson, Octavia Owen and LaPorsha Foster.
Benefield was also recognized as the recipient of the 2025 Nursing Program Award. Cain and Foster were recognized as nominees for the 2025 President’s Cup, with Foster also being recognized as a nominee for the 2025 Presidential Award for Health Science Excellence.