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In front of a packed room of family and friends at 91ԭ�� (GGC), 39 nursing students culminated years of dedication and hard work as they received their nursing pins.

“Y’all, it’s been two years!” said Merick Sanogo, the class pinning ceremony speaker, whose remarks brought a mixture of laughs and cheers. At the end of his speech, nursing faculty surprised him with a pineapple, a nod to a tradition he started by giving each classmate a pineapple on their birthday.

The nursing pinning ceremony, a centuries-old tradition, marks the transition from student to nurse and formally welcomes graduates into the profession. Each student receives a pin, a practice that dates back to Florence Nightingale, and participates in the lighting of the Nightingale Lamp while reciting the Nurse Pledge.

For Sanogo, a Lawrenceville native, becoming a nurse was influenced by family roots.

“I have aunts and uncles who are nurses, and my mom is a pharmacist and my dad is a biomedical engineer,” he said. “I wanted a career where I could help people and be flexible enough for me to enjoy my hobbies of physical fitness, tech and game design.”

Sanogo has already accepted a position at Northside Gwinnett in its Cardiac Stepdown unit, and the nursing legacy continues in his family—his cousin is a pre-nursing student at GGC.

Another graduate, Prudence Donald, will begin her nursing career in the cardiac ICU at Northside Gwinnett in March 2026.

“I’ve always wanted to care for others, especially during their most vulnerable time,” she said. “I’ll fight for them and give them the best care possible.”

For Donald, a Tanzania native and international student, the ceremony marked the realization of her American dream.

“Do not give up. If you can dream it, you can achieve it,” she said.

For Dr. Paula Gordon, interim dean of the School of Health Sciences and a nurse herself, each pinning ceremony carries deep significance.

“Pinning ceremonies are emotional. It’s the culmination of a long journey and a rite of passage to welcome new nurses into the profession,” she said. “My favorite part is the lighting of the lamps, because like the song ‘Go Light Your World’ says, they’re lighting the world.”

As the graduates begin their professional journeys, Gordon offered them final words of encouragement.

“Remember the little things,” she said. “Have fun and speak up for your patients, for your community, for yourselves, and for the nursing profession.”

The nursing graduates will receive their bachelor’s degree in nursing during GGC’s commencement ceremony on December 12.