Blinn recognizes 49 Associate Degree Nursing Graduates with Pinning Ceremony

Blinn ADN graduates rank among the state leaders on the national licensure exam

December 6, 2023

orty-nine future nursing professionals were recognized with their nursing pins Saturday, Dec. 2, after completing the Blinn College District’s highly regarded Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) Program.

“These graduates reflect the dedication, compassion, and resilience needed to become exceptional caregivers,” said Dr. Karla Ross, ADN Program Director. “It is a privilege to celebrate their academic journey and I feel confident that the skills and caring touch our students possess will make an incredible impact on the lives entrusted to their care.”

Blinn’s two-year program prepares students for nursing careers and for transfer into a bachelor’s degree program at a four-year university. Students who complete Blinn’s ADN Program and pass the national licensure exam have a job placement rate between 97 and 100% and are qualified for a wide array of nursing positions, including pediatric, geriatric, hospice, school, and clinical nursing. With demand soaring in the nursing field, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that registered nurses earn a median salary of $81,220.

The fall 2023 graduating class includes Latisha Nicole Allen, Philip Blaszak, Aschlen Campbell (Seguin), Jacob Clarke (Jersey Village), Casey Noelle Cobb (Marble Falls), Daphne Cook (Lovelady), Kyndal Kate Coufal (Burton), Anthony Neil Drake (Mesquite), Jessica Duplechain, Victoria Denise Easley (Gilmer), Hunter Eiben (Wylie), Steve Estrada (Austin), Janine Heather Firment (Prince George, Va.), Alexus Fletcher (Bryan), Clancey Leigh Harpin (Biloxi, Miss.), Tia Harrison (Madisonville), Rayvin Kalisek (Moulton), Jenna Kana (Blessing), Anna Megan Talyor Ketelsen, Joshua Kim, Cassie Dianne Kinkade (Blanket), Opeyemi Kolawole (Fort Bend), Crise Esperanza Leal (Pasadena), Mia Lugo (Montgomery), Lindsay Jordan Malik, Nicole Manche, Allie Manson (Rockport Fulton), Emily Brigitte Martinez (Bryan), Ainsley Rose Mason (Garland), Rachel McCord (Brenham), Maddie McKnight (Sunnyvale), Raven McNew (Bryan), Jordan Michals, Abigail Mooney (Denton), Victoria Moreno, Payton Nieto (Conroe), Nayel Novelo, Lourdes Osorio (Clute), Sara Rattray (Round Rock), Taylor Richardson (Baytown), Omar Sanchez (Garland), Ellianna Foxx Shadricks (Washington, D.C.), Jasmine Skalin (Ashaway, R.I.), Liana Sotelo (Del Rio), Christyan Sparks (Round Rock), Mikaela Stephens (Hearne), Grayson Tabor (Spring), Morgan John Triplett (San Antonio), and Bo Young.

Coufal, Easley, Manche, McCord, McNew, Stephens, and Young each graduate as members of Alpha Delta Nu Nursing Honor Society. Alpha Delta Nu students must maintain a 3.5 grade-point average both overall and in their nursing courses. Members also must complete a capstone project and demonstrate conduct on campus and in clinical areas reflecting integrity and professionalism.

“I’m thankful that Blinn’s program has given me the skills I need to provide care to people during some of the hardest moments of their life,” said Stephens, who recently accepted a position in the intensive care unit at a Baylor Scott & White hospital in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. “Blinn’s instructors are what truly makes the ADN Program so successful. They are there when we are scared, first-semester student nurses, they cheer us on when we get our first IV stick, and they support us as we transition to becoming graduate nurses. My long-term goal is to become a certified registered nurse anesthetist and I know that Blinn has given me the foundation to start my journey and obtain this goal.”

Blinn’s ADN Program is based at the RELLIS Academic Alliance Complex at Texas A&M-RELLIS in Bryan, where students gain hands-on skills utilizing the facility’s 16,000-square-foot simulation laboratories.

Nursing students spend at least two days per week in clinical rotations, in addition to lab, simulation, and lecture time. Most students dedicate 15 to 24 hours each week to scheduled program activities and at least 30 hours per week on study and preparation.

Blinn’s ADN Program recently partnered with the Texas A&M School of Nursing to provide students with an affordable pathway to their bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN). The Aggie Student-Centered Express Nursing Degree (ASCEND) Program allows students to co-enroll with both schools to earn their ADN degree with Blinn and their BSN with Texas A&M in as little as one additional semester. Blinn also maintains transfer partnerships with other universities including Sam Houston State University.

As a result of this success, Blinn has been recognized by Nursing Schools Almanac, NursingProcess.org, RNCareers.org, and RegisteredNursing.org.

For more information about Blinn’s ADN Program, visit www.blinn.edu/adn.

About the Blinn College District

With innovative programs and award-winning co-enrollment partnerships, Blinn’s academic transfer rate ranks No. 1 among Texas community colleges. For more information, visit www.blinn.edu.