TCC Nursing Program Celebrates Largest Graduating Class at Nurse Pinning Ceremony

Tulsa Community College celebrated its largest Nursing graduating class in program history during a Nurse Pinning Ceremony at the Vantrease Performing Arts Center for Education. The ceremony recognized 128 Nursing graduates preparing to enter the healthcare workforce.

Tulsa Community College celebrated its largest Nursing graduating class in program history during a Nurse Pinning Ceremony at the Southeast Campus Vantrease Performing Arts Center for Education. Friends and family filled the auditorium with cheers and applause as the graduates filed into the theater, marking the completion of one of the College’s most rigorous programs.

Credentials were awarded to 128 Nursing students this spring. The program has continued to grow steadily, graduating 115 students last spring and 122 in December. TCC also recently admitted its largest incoming Nursing cohort for Fall 2026, with 167 students accepted into the program.

“This graduating class demonstrates the growing need for nursing education and skilled healthcare workers,” says TCC Dean of Health Sciences Jenny Fields, DNP. “Our students spent countless hours in labs, clinicals, classrooms, and study groups preparing for their careers. It’s a pleasure to see them enter the profession with confidence and compassion.”

Different from a formal graduation, the nurse pinning tradition dates back to the late 1800s and is a way of welcoming new nurses into the profession. During the ceremony, each graduate receives a pin from a nursing faculty who was instrumental in their education.

The class of graduates then recites the Nightingale Pledge, a longstanding oath to commit to providing ethical, compassionate care and serving patients with integrity and professionalism.

“Watching our students reach this moment alongside their loved ones is incredibly special. Our faculty invest so much into preparing these graduates and seeing them cross the stage ready to care for patients and serve their communities is a proud moment for all of us,” says Lauri Jones, Ph.D., Nursing Program Director.

New Nursing graduate Crystal Bickle led her cohort in the Nightingale Pledge and says it was a proud moment to mark the end of her time at TCC.

“Getting up there to lead my peers was overwhelming in the best way. It felt like everything I had worked toward led to that moment,” says Bickle.

While at TCC, Bickle was a Student Nurses Association officer, True Blue Nursing peer tutor, Alpha Delta Nu Honor Society member, and earned a Leadership in Nursing Micro-credential.

“TCC has great curriculum, the labs are hands on, and your clinical instructors are teaching you to advocate for yourself,” says Bickle. “We are learning to do everything that we will be expected to do in a hospital setting.”

Brillyanna Nmaiwu utilized TCC’s Career Mobility track, designed specifically for Licensed Practical Nurses and Paramedics who are ready to advance their healthcare careers. Participants can build on their existing skills to complete their degree in three semesters instead of four.

An LPN when she entered the program, Nmaiwu says the Nursing program helped her grow into a more resilient and capable person.

“The long clinical days, difficult exams, and balancing life outside of school were challenging. But the support and knowledge I gained from my instructors prepared me not only to pass nursing school, but to become a safe and compassionate nurse,” says Nmaiwu. “Looking back now as a graduate, I’m proud of how far I’ve come and grateful for the experiences that shaped me along the way.”

As demand for healthcare professionals continues to grow, TCC is expanding its Nursing program capacity and is preparing for increasing numbers of students to enter the program. For more information about TCC’s Nursing program, including how to apply, visit www.tulsacc.edu/nursing.