Updated May 16, 2026, at 8:30 p.m.
HANCEVILLE, Ala. – Wallace State Community College’s Department of Nursing Education celebrated the graduation of more than 120 students during its May 2026 pinning ceremony. Among those graduates were the first cohorts for the joint enrollment option offered through Athens State University and the evening class.
Program chair Deborah “Pepper” Hoover congratulated the students on their success and asked them to remember that nursing is more than a profession. “It is a calling — an unyielding desire to serve, uplift and heal,” Hoover said. “Your patients will look to you for solace, hope and healing. Be their unwavering advocate, their beacon of light in times of darkness.”
Wallace State President Dr. Vicki Karolewics echoed that sentiment and reminded the students that one day they could be taking care of someone loved by one of their fellow graduates, before congratulating on their achievement.
“Tonight, as we receive our pins, we’re not just marking the completion of a program, we are accepting a calling,” said Class President Pamela Tidmore of Boaz. “This pin is not just a symbol, it represents every patient who trusted us while we were still learning, every moment we stood at the bedside unsure but determined. Every time we chose compassionate care event when we were so exhausted. It represents the promise that we now carry forward.”
Tidmore admitted the job will not be easy. “It will test us in ways we cannot fully prepare to face,” she said. “It will ask for our strength, our compassion and our resilience. But it will also give us something few professions can — the opportunity to make a difference in the most vulnerable moments of someone’s life.”
Class Vice President Joshua Ogle of Guntersville thanked the faculty who have helped build the Nursing program’s exceptional reputation and for how they have prepared them for their careers.
“You didn’t just give us the tools to do our job, you gave us the foundation to build a career,” Ogle said. “Because of your commitment to excellence, we’re not just leaving here with a pin, we’re leaving here with a legacy.”
Nightingale Awards presented
During the ceremony, the Nursing department presented its Nightingale Awards, given in recognition of commitment to excellence and dedication to compassion and exemplary patient care. Those receiving the award were Amanda Parker, Johnnie Sue Mims, Dylan Carr and Trey Batchelor.
Parker, of Birmingham, was described has having a “can do” attitude and dynamic personality that will go a long way in lifting the spirits of those she will be caring for.”
Mims, of Hayden, is said to be a student whose “ability to rise above adversity has not only shaped her growth as a student but has also inspired those around her.”
“I don’t think I have ever encountered this student when he did not have a smile on his face,” one instructor wrote of Carr, of Birmingham. “He is truly happy to serve others and is in his element to spread his love for service.
Batchelor, of Morris, is said to “exemplify the core values of the nursing profession through his professionalism, humility and dedication to service.”
Other Nightingale Award nominees were Kiara Aaron, Sara Archer, Amanda Bordas, Colin Crump, Ava Dunn, Kaylie Ellis, Faith Hixon, Jeb Jarrett, Alonso Salgado-Cabanas, Russell Stephens, Kenleigh Teague, Ella Thomas and Pamela Tidmore.
Another pinning ceremony for the August 2026 cohort is planned for an estimated 135 students. The ceremony will take place on Thursday, Aug. 6, at 5 p.m. at Traditions Bank Arena inside Tom Drake Coliseum.
For more information about the Wallace State Nursing program, visit www.wallacestate.edu/nursing, email nursingapplicant@wallacestate.edu or call 256-352-8199.
