Return to Main Menu

Three receive awards at CON's convocation  by Michael Baker Public Relations The College of Nursing held its winter convocation on Dec. 13, honoring graduates of the Class of December 2003. According to Mardi Long, director of student and alumni relations, the convocation represents the completion of studies in the B.S. and M.S. in Nursing degree programs and provides CON’s December graduates with a chance to celebrate their accomplishments with family and friends. Students receiving their bachelors’ degrees were presented with official CON pins, while those with masters’ degrees were ceremonially hooded. Some CON students received special honors. CON student Debbie Anders received the Alumni Association's Outstanding BSN Student Award. Anders was nominated by her classmates and selected by the faculty as the “best all-around nurse.” To be nominated, each student had to maintain a cumulative grade-point average of 3.5 or better and demonstrate leadership performance, interest in nursing, and a caring attitude toward others. In a testament to Anders’s excellence, one faculty member wrote: “Debbie exudes professionalism and confidence. She is an articulate spokesperson and has represented her class well as its vice president. She relates to peers, faculty, and administration in a positive and constructive manner and is an example of the values we hold closely in the College of Nursing—she is scholarly, professional, and caring.” Anders’s peers also appreciate her dedication to nursing. One of her classmates spoke highly of her strength as an assertive leader, initiating change and pursuing success in every endeavor.  “I’m proud to have her as a friend and colleague,” the classmate concluded. The College of Nursing also presented the Kimberly Michelle Limbaker Memorial Award. The award, named in honor of a Class of December 2000 student who died in a car accident, is presented each December to a graduating baccalaureate student. The individual who receives the award shows enthusiasm for life, academic excellence, caring and kindness to others, a willingness to learn, and a love of nursing. Classmates nominate their peers for the award, and the faculty makes the final decision. The recipient receives a gift chosen by Mr. and Mrs. Limbaker, Kimberly’s parents. Amelia Kaasa Rowland accepted this year’s honor based on her outstanding contributions to the college. Rowland is a member of the Student Nurses Association and serves on the alumni board. She also serves as president of the honor council and a member of Sigma Theta Tau International, the nursing honor society. According to Rowland, she began to develop her own communication style while interacting with her peers and patients in a pilot clinical associate program in neurology at the Medical University Hospital Authority. “The lessons and skills learned, both in the classroom and hospital, are interchangeable and assist me in everyday life,” she wrote. “I want to become an exceptional and compassionate nurse.” Rowland gained a profound understanding of life through her volunteer work at Hospice of Charleston. She experienced both the highs and lows of hospice work, easing families’ burdens during an especially difficult time and also sharing their pain when they lost loved ones. One clinical instructor wrote of Rowland’s easy, soothing nature: “With her serene smile and cheerful attitude, she can coax a smile out of everyone. She is conscientious and dependable, as well as a compassionate caregiver.” Students weren’t the only people honored, Teresa Kelechi, Ph.D., assistant professor of nursing, received the Student Government Association’s Golden Lamp Award. In 1977, students developed the award to recognize “an outstanding faculty member who has demonstrated superior teaching skills and made a lasting impact on students’ careers.” Sigma Theta Tau International also recognized several members of the CON Class of December 2003 who were inducted into its local chapter in November. Inductees included Anders and Rowland, Laura Calcutt, Krista Chapman, Catherine Cohen, Jean Curtacci, Kim Davis, Dianne Dillingham, Julie Doyle, Jennifer Engle, Melissa Harrelson, Jayne Howell, Kelly Hylton, Roberta Lantz, Sheri MacLean, Joseph Myers, Letha Rogers, Sherrel Smith, Elizabeth Tompkins, Lucy Wilson, and DeShaunya Young.     Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.