Lee Trawick
Reporter2@riverbendnews.org
On Thursday, Dec. 15, family and friends gathered at the Live Oak Church of God to witness RIVEROAK Technical College's (RTC) Practical Nursing Class of 2023 Capping Ceremony. With the help of their instructors at RTC, the nurses of the future have worked hard to learn all they could in the classroom. Now, they will prepare to venture inside the hospital setting to gain valuable real-life experience. To help signify their achievement, RTC held its Capping Ceremony to conclude the students' classroom form of education, while signifying their transition into their clinical training.
Instructors and teachers of RTC in attendance were Practical Nursing Director/Instructor, Suzanne Depew, MSN, RN; Practical Nursing Foundations Instructor, Robin Hall, BSN, RN; Practical Nursing Med/Surg Instructor Camille Coggburn, BSN, RN; and Practical Nursing Clinical Instructor/ Lab Coordinator Kelly Grimes, MSN, RN.
In addition to honoring the students for their hard work, several scholarships ranging from $200 to $2,000 were also presented. Shands Live Oak Ladies Auxiliary presented $500 scholarships to Delaney Fennell, Erika Leak, Jayden Bates and Kenneth Ivey. Altrusa International awarded Makenzie Greaves with a $250 scholarship in honor of Carol Herring, a United States Navy Veteran. The Bernard Williams Memorial Scholarship in the amount of $200 was awarded to Erika Leak; this scholarship was given in honor of Williams and her impact as a Suwannee County School Board member, as well as her impact throughout Suwannee County. Rounding out the awards was the Pat Collins Scholarship; Delaney Fennell and Jayden Bates both received awards in the amount of $1,500, while Cydney Touchstone received a $2,000 scholarship. Collins was a life-long servant to those in need who left an impact that spread far beyond Suwannee and Columbia Counties.
Among the students who received their caps were Daycia Bandy, Jayden Bates, Alexis Blevins, Emily Boggus, Omega Brown, Jenna Byrd, Josmein Collins, Dixie Corbin, La'Resha Crumity, Laysha Crumity, Natalie Everson, Delaney Fennell, Mayra Garcia Herandez, Makenzie Greaves, Kenneth Ivey, Tyrah Johnson, Erika Leak, Jasmine Nails, Stephanie Oliva, Yolanda Rivera, Chelsea Robinson, Leondra Robinson, Tahjona Stacey and Cydney Touchstone.
Over the next six months, these students will be tested by various obstacles. However, each of them welcome those challenges, as they eagerly enter the final stretch of their education to receive their Practical Nursing License.